Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask is the first Professor Layton game for the 3Ds, and the fifth game in the series. It is the second game in the second trilogy that explores Layton’s past. Being built from the ground up for the 3DS, the game boasts numerous improvements and upgrades compared to previous games on the DS. The 3D effect is well done, both in the cutscenes and also in each of the areas. The backgrounds are a step up with way more details in them. The graphics are impressive in more than a few scenes and the game has now transitioned to 3D models for all the characters. The game is mainly played using the bottom touchscreen. This can take some getting used to as you’re effectively using the touchscreen as a track pad to move the cursor on the top screen to select objects / people of interest. The biggest draw of the game is of course the puzzles. The game boasts 150 puzzles within the main game. Some of those puzzles are optional, while others are required to progress. The way you find those puzzles may not be the most elegant delivery ever but it gets the job done.
There are a lot of different puzzle types; they range from logical puzzles to spot the difference to patterns. Most of them rely on deduction where it gives you multiple statements and you use those to eliminate possibilities until you get to the solution. You might have to find hidden features in the problems by approaching it from a different angle. If you go into some of them in a straightforward manner you’ll probably tear your hair out. Once you get the answer you’ll realize that it was all a cheap trick. A common theme seem to be instead of looking for what’s there, you look for what’s not. You’ll notice that the wording is carefully written in a specific way, like a mathematician’s answer. If you ever get stuck, each puzzle has four hints. The fourth hint practically spells out the answer. The hints don’t come for free though since you need to use a Hint Coin. You’ll find a limited amount of Hint Coins hidden in all the areas. Later on, you’ll encounter harder versions of the same type as earlier puzzles.
The story, which is told via animated cutscenes as well as dialogue boxes with 3D models (visual novel style), has Professor Layton, joined by Luke and Emmy, visiting the town of Monte d’Or. They had been requested to go there to investigate a mystery by his old friend Angela Ledore. Apparently, a masked man has been terrorizing the town, claiming to have the Mask of Chaos and performing “miracles”. These miracles are basically terrible events such as turning people into statues and serves more to scare people than anything. The story ties to Layton’s past, back when he was in college and shows how he got interested in puzzles. Naturally, his best friend at the time, Randall, was interested in that kind of stuff and in a big revelation, had managed to find the real Mask of Chaos. The events of the past affect Layton in the present.
Both the story and the game are very slow paced. While the puzzles are short and takes 30 seconds to a minute each (if you know what you’re doing), it can still be a drag in the beginning. There are some “action” sequences to make it more exciting, like a horse chase where you use the touchscreen to dodge obstacles. The story gets a lot better once you’re around three hours into the game, since the mysteries start to come to light and you wonder how they were done. Since the Layton series always tries to have some sort of “realistic” and “grounded” answer to seemingly supernatural and impossible events, this is what you would expect here as well. There is an interesting and unexpected change of gameplay in the second half of the game. That portion neatly tied the puzzle and exploration elements together. Although this section is hampered by the constant tutorial dialogue and stating the obvious. It then outstays its welcome with too many block pushing puzzles in a never ending dungeon.
The game then leads to an idealistic ending. The perpetuator is way too obvious, especially given how much focus of the story was given to that character. It takes around ten to fifteen hours to complete the game if you know where to go and can easily solve the puzzles. There are some additional collectibles, mini-games and puzzles to clean up afterwards but nothing too substantial. Overall, Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask is the best game in the series thus far. It has far improved quality and a decent story, although the beginning had a very slow build up. The puzzles remain clever but seem to lack variety or a surprise element, given that so many of them rely on a similar trick.
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