Professor Layton's escapades are a known commodity by now. The Last Specter does nothing to dilute the brand, offering the same polished gameplay and presentation the series is known for. Throw in London Life, and it is the most robust game in the franchise, more or less containing two games in one.
That's my fav video game I've ever played. I loved everything about it: the story, the puzzles, the soundtrack and the characters. This is one of those games that you have to play again and again.
The formula still holds in this game, but for a fifth iteration some new blood is needed. See this as a swan song for the DS, competent and still fun. But we're ready for the 3DS version now.
The Layton charm is undoubtedly still present, but it's not enough to carry the series by itself. Upon solving certain puzzles, Layton exclaims 'I love the thrill of a good solution'. So do we, Hershel, so do we. And in this Layton game, sadly, that thrill is all too rare.
Mi segundo juego favorito de la saga y muy cerca del primero (futuro perdido). El cuarto de la saga en ser publicado, pero el primero de la cronología. Los puzzles perfectos como en el resto de juegos. La historia muy bueno e innovadora
The Last Specter is a bit of a step backward for the Layton series, while Unwound Future added more tension, pace, and more integrated puzzles to the story, the Last Specter seems to do the opposite. It's still a decent game mind you, but a lot of the puzzles and story simply aren't as up to par as the past two games have been. At the very least, Emmy is a great addition to the Layton cast, and I certainly want to see more of her and the professor.
I really wanted to like this game. I had heard so much positive talk from people whose opinion's usually line up with mine, but unfortunately this isn't the case.
I like the animated bits and the voice work is good. The art style in general reminds me of a mix between 80's french cartoons with a side of anime. Looks and sounds great throughout. In fact, that's really the only reason I'm giving this game a 4. Without the care that was put into this game, it would've scored much lower.
The problem with this game is the puzzles, which is very unfortunate for a puzzle game. When I used to visit my grandma's home when I was younger, there was nothing to do. No videogames, nothing on TV, and the parents were all talking about boring stuff. So in order to pass the time, I'd go through a book of 1,001 puzzles. The puzzles in Layton feel like they were ripped right out of one of those books. There's at least 150 different puzzles and none of them are very creative or original. Some of them are downright broken or explained so poorly that the only way you'll solve them is luck or by getting hints (4 hints are offered per puzzle, typically the last hint being the answer).
If you're thinking about getting into the Layton series, make sure you check out the types of puzzles that you'll be faced with. I like puzzles, just not the generic back of a cereal box type of puzzle.