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Professor Layton and The Azran Legacy (3DS) Review

 
640px-Professor_Layton_and_the_Azran_Legacy_—_Logo_(UK)
640px-Professor_Layton_and_the_Azran_Legacy_—_Logo_(UK)
640px-Professor_Layton_and_the_Azran_Legacy_—_Logo_(UK)

 
At a Glance...
 

Formats: 3DS / 2DS
 
Genre:
 
Year:
 
Final Score
9.0
9/ 10


User Rating
no ratings yet

 

We liked?


  • A simple and as effective a game premise as the day it first started
  • Rich and detailed environments - the most lavish Layton yet
  • Superb voice work and animation
  • Engaging and entertaining story and puzzles

Not so much?


  • Some of the mini-games an action sequences miss the mark
  • Can become repetitive over time
  • More of the same in many ways which might deter those saturated by the series


Final Fiendish Findings?

Professor Layton and The Azran Legacy represent the end of the line for our puzzle solving gentleman and his eager entourage of puzzle solvers.  But can Herschel Layton draw us in for one last adventure? Professor Layton and The Azran Legacy sees the good professor continue in the pursuit of puzzle solving, helping those less able and […]

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Posted December 2, 2013 by

 
Full Fiendish Findings...
 
 

Professor Layton and The Azran Legacy represent the end of the line for our puzzle solving gentleman and his eager entourage of puzzle solvers.  But can Herschel Layton draw us in for one last adventure?

Professor Layton and The Azran Legacy sees the good professor continue in the pursuit of puzzle solving, helping those less able and being an all-round gent about it.  The trademark faux British air is still firmly in place and Luke once again has a fake English accent that reaches almost Dick Van Dyke levels of legend.

Layton_Azran-4

As ever a mystery is afoot that calls upon our hero to put his puzzle and mystery solving skills to the utmost test.  Layton receives a letter from contemporary scholar Desmond Sycamore.  In this letter Sycamore lays claim to the fact he has discovered a “living mummy”.  Drawn by this outlandish statement Layton, Luke and Emmy make haste for the small town of Froenborg to commence immediate investigation – but all does not go well as strangers steal away the mummy before Layton and crew have a chance to fully investigate.  The hunt is on to retrieve the mummy and delve in to the Azran mysteries.

Picking up Professor Layton and The Azran Legacy is almost like slipping in to a warm bath at the end of a long hard day.  It just feels so comfortable and easy to slip in to that you already feel the stresses fall away.  Professor Layton and The Azran Legacy offers the same trademark gently nudge and prod gameplay it always has.  You’re pushed towards the next sequence of puzzles with the gentlest of prods  that make you feel like you’re strolling at your own gentle pace.

Professor Layton and The Azran Legacy image1

 

The adventure takes a turn for the more grandiose this time around with the Professor and friends traipsing to various locations around the globe.  This feels like Level 5 wanted to give a little something back to long-time fans of the series by offering Layton’s most lavish and rich story yet.  This is evident in many ways, including the meticulously crafted images for the world.  The inventive contraptions and designs as well as the robust and perfectly delivered amount of voice work in the game.

Puzzles appear to have been woven in to the fabric of the game with more success than in previous titles in the series.  More often than not you’ll feel a real sense that the puzzle does actually belong in that part of the game world rather than is just a construction placed there to serve the gameplay progression.  As before each puzzle is worth XX number of Picarats.  The more efficient your puzzle solving the more Picarats you’ll be getting.  Also, hint coins are hidden around levels just as previous titles and come in handy when stuck on puzzles at certain stages.

The many locations on offer in the game (Scotland Yard, Russia, South Africa and many others) all server up the game in a similar fashion to the previous titles.  Each is a small explorable section of map with various puzzles set around.  These puzzles will open up certain areas, or unlock characters of new dialogue which will progress the story along.  Puzzles this time out appear to put more emphasis on knowledge of a mathematical nature.  Luckily these are presented in an engaging and fun way that never feels like just another math lesson.

New collectibles and sub-games have been layered in as with previous titles.  As ever these are superfluous to the main quest but do offer a small break from the norm and a reason to go back after completion.  Blooms and Shrooms, a sort of pacifists Bomberman clone, was possibly a favourite of these for me.

 

Final Thoughts

“Puzzle Solving is a most gentlemanly pursuit” remarks Professor Layton in the start of Professor Layton and The Azran Legacy.  And what better gentleman to walk us through these glorious puzzles than the good professor himself?

Professor Layton and The Azran Legacy is a larger, more sprawling and ambitious title than any that have gone before it – it’s also probably my favourite since The Curious Village offering up a wonderful and rich story.

Sure there are a few contrivances, some tenuous puzzles, the odd hit/miss of the mini games and some repetition to the game but on the whole this is a fitting and commendable finish to the series.

Whether this is your first foray in to the world of Professor Layton, or like me your sixth, there is still so much to appreciate and enjoy from such a rich and finely crafted title.

Professor Layton and The Azran Legacy is the most fitting send off any Layton fan could hope for.

Farewell Professor, you've done yourself proud sir!

Farewell Professor, you’ve done yourself proud sir!

 


Zeth

 
Zeth is our EU ninja and Editor in Chief. He's been writing about video games since 2008 when he started on BrutalGamer. He's pretty old and has been a gamer since he played Space Invaders as a young boy in the 80's. His genre tastes lean towards platformers, point-and-click adventure, action-adventure and shooters but he'll turn his hand to anything.


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