Review: Professor Layton & The Unwound Future

Level-5 has brought the ever charming Professor Layton and his enthusiastic apprentice Lukie back for another great adventure in Unwound Future. This time the pair travel to an unfortunate Time Machine demonstration which propels them into a seemingly never ending series of puzzles as they attempt to restore order to London – or at least a version of it.

The game is very similar to the others in the series, so series fans will be on familiar ground. Once again story plays a heavy roleThe mysterious story propels both Luke and Layton through a narrative driven mystery adventure featuring numerous puzzles to be solved, not all of which are mandatory. Unlike many puzzle games, this one does have a rich story which can be quite engaging and really motivates the player along.

The visuals are stylized delightfully similar to classic French animation aesthetics with music to match.  The still graphics are illustrated with care and accentuated by wonderful audio work and the occasional fully animated cut-scene. Where needed, the visuals are simplified for clarity’s sake but in general it is safe to say that this is one of the best looking and sounding titles available to date for the Nintendo Ds.

As for the puzzles themselves, they range in difficulty but none are onerously difficult. If you every do find yourself stumped you can buy hints to help  you along, to the point where most of the thinking is removed and you just have to follow the proverbial bouncing ball to the end. While this assistance mechanic exists to help prevent frustration, you will be resistant to use it as it tends to cheapen the experience and the player’s sense of accomplishment.

Unfortunately the puzzles are isolated and not incorporated very integrally to the story. They are occasionally an inevitable non-sequitur being presented for no narrative reason and existing just for puzzle’s sake. They’re fun but it would be much more interesting if the principal story arc existed as a sort of meta-puzzle rather than just a mystery which the player watches unfold through the course of the game.

Replay value is high here. While you won’t gain much by going through the story again, it is a visual treat that stands up to multiple viewings, and the puzzles remain engaging. What’s more – there are additional puzzles regularly offered up over Wi-Fi so you will always have something new to come back to at no additional cost.

If you like puzzles and a charming story then this is the title for you. Unlike many puzzle games which can get boring and stale fast, there is more to this title than just figuring things out so it’s much more likely to hold your interest and keep you coming back for more. Really, unless you hate solving puzzles, this title is a pretty good approximation of what a perfect Nintendo DS game might be like.