Sunday 10 November 2013

Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy Review [3DS]


It has been hailed as the end of an era for one of Nintendo's most successful  adventure game series to date, but Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy has now made it to the UK. This is the sixth game in the series, and is apparently the last ever game to feature Professor Hershel Layton and his companions. So, what does the final Layton adventure have in store for its fans?

The main story sees Professor Layton, Emmy and Luke embark on the search for a 'living Mummy', said to be located in the icy environments of Snowrassa. Once there, they encounter a young girl (Aurora), frozen in the ice.



After freeing the young girl from the ice that has entombed her, Layton and co. quickly realise that she has no memory of what has happened to her. The search for clues to Aurora's past takes them on an exciting journey through cities, islands  and even jungles until they finally discover the truth about Aurora and her links to an ancient civilisation known as the Azrans.

Along the way, Layton is hampered by his old foe Jean Driscole, (AKA The Masked Gentleman,) who fans last met in Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask. Driscole wishes to utilise the power of an Azrans for himself. He is also joined by a new enemy, a mysterious organization named Targent, who have recently taken possession of an Azran relic known as The Azran Legacies in the hope of also utilising its strange powers. Can the Professor and his friends locate the item before it falls into the wrong hands?


Gameplay in Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy follows a very similar format to its predecessors in terms of touchscreen controlsHint coins, Hidden puzzles and unlockable mini-games.

Nevertheless, this game also features 500 new types of logic puzzles for players to solve, which will greatly improve the game's replay value. Furthermore, the game also involves travelling to lots of different locations around the world including the United States of America, South Africa, and Russia. The puzzles themselves are also embedded within the main plot much more subtly this time around and seem to fit the overall narrative much better.



The three new mini games are also likely to please fans of the series:

Nut Roller sees players assume the role of a squirrel, who must successfully guide a walnut around a 3D grid, rolling boulders and acorns in order to guide the aforementioned nut towards the goal tent.

Blooms and Shrooms sets a unique gardening challenge in which players must carefully place special cross-pollinating flowers in order to encourage growth and make the garden blossom into life, without disturbing the already placed mushrooms.

Dress Up is a mini game that we feel is best suited to younger Layton fans, in which the aim of the game is to find suitable clothes for each of the non-playable characters, based upon the request.



All in all, it is clear that Level 5 inc. have really pulled out all the stops for this game, and as a result,  Professor Layton's final adventure could not be more epic. Mini Gamers is sure that fans of the series will find it a fitting end to a very popular gaming series, and a game that is well worth playing. Overall rating: 10/10






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