Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call (Nintendo DS) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

While Nintendo's handheld focus has clearly shifted to the 3DS over the past few months there are still a few titles which continue to keep owners of the ageing DS more than happy. Professor Layton has been a gaming highlight for some years now and the adventures of the hat-wearing detective and his sidekick Luke have been enjoyed by millions of gamers worldwide. This is the fourth title to grace the DS although in real terms it's actually a prequel, set before the days of The Curious Village and The Lost Future. It does though boast 'more puzzles than ever' but if you already have the other titles in the series, isn't this simply more of the same?

Gameplay

Like the previous installments, The Specter's Call is a wonderful blend of point and click adventure and logic puzzles proving once and for all; 'if it ain't broke, don't try and fix it'. If you haven't played a Layton game before, don't worry, as all the titles in the series treat every gamer as if they've never encountered a DS adventure before and you're first five minutes here are all about becoming familiar with the Layton Universe. The story centers on the earlier adventures of the Professor as he attempts to solve the mystery of a Specter that's been periodically terrifying the town of Misthallery and it's inhabitants. Layton begins the story with a mysterious new assistant, Emmy, although he is also quickly joined by his faithful sidekick Luke.

The gameplay here feels a lot more varied than usual but at The Last Specter's core are the puzzles and there's a generous amount here (almost 200), which range from relatively simple to the odd one which will have you exhausting all your hints and still be short of a solution. Fortunately, you don't have to solve all the puzzles straight away and, as with in previous games, they are all stored in your trunk so you can tackle them at a later date. No doubt after a good nights sleep. That's not to say you can simply bypass all of the puzzles and some areas will require you to have worked though a minimum amount before you can open up and new area or chapter of the story.

In addition to the main adventure, you'll also be able to unlock several 'toys' which can be indulged in at any time should you become a little too frustrated with a puzzle. Opening up your trunk will reveal a Train, where you must re-route a toy train through a collection of stations before you run out of track. Fish lovers can coax fish to swim around a variety of tanks collecting valuable coins whilst the Puppet Theater allows you to put on a full performance whilst also trying to keep your audience entertained. In addition to all of this you'll also still get the weekly downloadable puzzles and, well, what more do you want?

Controls

There's a great deal to these Layton adventures and it could be very easy for the gamer to become completely lost. Fortunately a mixture of a well-paced tutorial and expertly designed interface make the manual almost redundant.

Graphics

Layton games have always been something special but this latest outing seems to look that little bit better. There are still the wonderful visuals mixed with a generous amount of FMV but the real highlights here though are the various characters and charming locations. It's this top-notch art direction, which really separates these games from almost everything else out there and other developers really should take note.

Sound

While most gaming music is instantly forgettable, there's something about the Layton soundtracks, which is strangely comforting. The various compositions are a perfect accompaniment to the on-screen action and whether you are solving a puzzle, interacting with the various village inhabitants or even being perused by the Specter, you'll always want to have the volume turned up. In addition to the music, and appropriate sound effects, you'll also be treated to some of the very best voice acting in a handheld game. Not all the lines are spoken, of course, but there's more than enough expertly delivered dialogue to make you believe that they are.

Dual screen

Because the whole game relies on the touch-screen you'll require your stylus to hand at all times. That's right, there's no substituting for your finger or thumb as with some other games mostly due to the pixel-perfect interface. This not only allows you to pick-up the all-important 'hint coins' but also to control an impressive and varied amount of mini-games and, most importantly, to solve the puzzles.

Final comments

If you manage to overlook the fact that the London Life RPG is absent from the package (odd given that London is part of the UK) then there's still more than enough gaming here to satisfy fans of the Layton series and new adopters alike. It has more puzzles than ever, a handful of bonus mini games and the type of production values generally reserved for your average 'Tipple A' releases. In fact, you do get the impression that the first three titles were simply practice runs for this latest adventure and everything about it just seems bigger and better. It's not the end of Layton, of course, and the years end should present us with his first 3DS outing but until then you'd be advised to seek this one out, you're going to be playing in night and day for some considerable time to come.

Pro: Great Sound and Visuals, Engaging Storyline, Lots of Variety.
Con: No London Life!
Final score: 9.3

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