The Professor Layton series is probably the most silently successful in Nintendo’s arsenal. Despite not being considered one of the company’s elite franchises, it’s sold over 15 million copies since the first release in 2007. That doesn’t happen on accident.
Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy isn’t the first title in the franchise to grace Nintendo’s 3DS, but it’s the latest. It’s still developed by the widely acclaimed Level-5 studio, but has it retained the series’ puzzle solving magic?
Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy is a direct continuation of its predecessor. An ancient relic has been unearthed by Targent, an organization that Professor Layton and the gang don’t know much about.A great deal of the game is spent uncovering why the Targent are so interested in the Azran Legacies. Getting there requires a lot of puzzle solving, so hopefully you’ve brought your thinking cap.
As with other Professor Layton titles, Azran Legacy is all about puzzles. You spend some time moving around the game world using a map similar to Super Mario Bros. 2. In each location you’ll exchange dialog with residents of the virtual world, much of which skips banter and relates directly with the main narrative. You’ll also use an interactive mode to touch items in the game world to obtain Hint Coins and initiate puzzles. But when it comes down to it, all these things link back to engaging in a wide array of puzzles.
Solving puzzles is the highlight of Azran Legacy, and your interest in figuring them out will determine whether or not you love the game. What you need to know is there are over 500 of them, they vary wildly in form and function. While they don’t follow a consistent difficulty curve, they provide a healthy challenge. Hint Coins are plentiful, so in the event you aren’t a great puzzle solver you can work your way through them.
The game world is full of charm. Cell shaded visuals give the game a fresh comic look. 3D implementation is good, giving the game world depth without compromising the framerate. The soundtrack in particular is the best part about the presentation. It’s a little redundant, but has great tracks that accentuate the game’s mysterious narrative pieces and puzzle solving gameplay.
There are three mini-games which add great additional value. Nut Roller in particular is a joy to play, while the Dress Me Up isn’t structured very well. Between progressing through the game’s narrative, charging your head through puzzles, and dipping into side content, it always feels like you’re doing something new in Azran Legacy.
Given Azran Legacy‘s content-packed punch, you can spend anywhere between 16 and 20 hours before you complete the main story. If you’re a completionist it may take you another 10 hours to wrap everything up.
I enjoyed my time playing Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy. It’s a great game for playing in short spurts, making it a solid choice for gaming on the go. The story and character interactions are forgettable, but jumping between locations and swimming in a seemingly endless sea of puzzles and mini-games is enough to keep a smile on your face. If you enjoy Professor Layton, or solving puzzles, Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy is a safe buy.
Copy provided by publisher. The game is exclusive to the 3DS.
