My Top 100: #96 – Professor Layton and the Curious Village

 

Once again, a game on my countdown makes an appearance simply because it is the first in its series and best of its kind.

In any case, Professor Layton and the Curious Village isn’t just a ton of puzzles thrown together without reason – it’s a ton of puzzles all wrapped up in one fancy little package with a great presentation that’ll have you hooked before you know it.

After borrowing the game from a friend of hers, my wife is actually the one who played this game first and then suggested it to me.  We were in the back seat of my sister’s car, leaving the Hollywood Casino in Bangor, ME, when I decided to see what it was all about.  After all, I was on a lengthy road trip to Connecticut, which (to me) is a prime time to occupy the mind with puzzles.

 

 

Professor Layton and his trusty young assistant Luke travel to the town of St. Mystere , where quirky characters they meet along the way seem to have nothing better to do than to present them with various puzzles.  The stories behind the puzzles all relate to the characters somehow, and the challenge ramps up with every one you complete.  You can look around the map and find Hint Coins to use if you really get stumped, but I did my best to save them all for the latter parts of the game when it gets pretty tough.

The animated cutscenes are great, and there are plenty of secrets to those who look thoroughly enough.  For that reason, Professor Layton and the Curious Village separates itself from the rest of the puzzle pack enough to get the only spot for such a game on my countdown.