Through a charming combination of whimsical storytelling and bite-sized brainteasers, the Professor Layton series has won the hearts of many during its tenure on the now aging Nintendo DS.
The last stopgap before the much-anticipated 3DS debut ‘Mask of Miracle’, The Spectre’s Call is a quantity over quality offering from the top hat-wearing scholar.
A prequel to the story thus far, The Spectre’s Call regales fans with the story of Layton acquired his young apprentice Luke Triton. A penchant for unravelling mysteries leads him to Misthallery, a town petrified by a towering spectre that ravages their homes by night.
It’s a Layton by numbers – more mysteries, more puzzles, more distractions – and that’s ok. Where most would normally demand innovation from a series that runs an annual subscription, Layton’s charm continues to persevere with lovingly crafted visuals, animated cut-scenes and amusing dialogue.
Misthallery, one of the biggest and interesting of Layton’s getaways, is packed with townsfolk eager to burden the professor with their riddles and conundrums. The latest smattering of brainteasers is less diverse and wavers from the obvious to poorly laid out for you. A reliance on mathematical equations fails to capture the series’ eureka moments.
Similarly, the story plods along with equal measures of intrigue and dj vue before lifting the curtain on a baffling revelation capable of dragging your enjoyment of the game down with it.
Despite this, The Spectre’s Call demonstrates a labour of love for its subject. Great attention has gone into fleshing out characters with addition Episodes and tinkering with train sets, playing games with fish or entertaining your own puppet theatre make for neat little pastimes. The absence of lengthy RPG ‘Layton Life’ from the European release however leaves a little sting in this package.
Fans are likely to be more forgiving of its shortcomings and while The Spectre’s Call is by no means a bad game, it’s a low point in a series that’s been consistent to this point. With Mask of Miracle 12 months away, you could do a lot worse than this.
Tags: Professor Layton The Spectres Call
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