Vimm's Lair: DS Reviews - Professor Layton and the Unwound Future

Nintendo DS
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future

Graphics:
Sound:
Gameplay:
Overall:
9.37
9.51
9.44
9.41
Votes: 41
Reviews: 1


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Reviewer: Drew H. Date: Aug 18, 2018
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (or Lost Future for my fellow Europeans) is the third game in the Professor Layton series, the end of the first trilogy, and chronologically speaking, is the last game in the series (as in the canon Last Specter - Azran Legacy happen first, and Curious Village - Unwound happen last). Personally, UF is my favourite game in the series for its compelling story, lovable characters (except Bill Hawks, f**k that guy lol) and some of the best plot twists I've ever seen in a game.

Graphics: 8
Perhaps it's because it's a game made for the DS, but you're not exactly going to find stellar graphics in UF. Nonetheless, the game has its own simple, cartoony little style to it, and no two characters look the same. The graphics are simple enough, user-friendly, and set the mood for the game.

Sound: 10
Holy shit, the soundtrack for this game is amazing. Perhaps this is my own personal bias, but the soundtrack for the Professor Layton games never fails to swoon me. In fact, after beating the game you gain access to the entire soundtrack (given you have enough picarats) and once you get this option I urge players to have a listen through. In the series this is perhaps my second favourite soundtrack, the first being the soundtrack for Azran Legacy

Gameplay: 9
As for every Professor Layton game, the core of it all are the puzzles. Don't get me wrong, I'm a simple man and I enjoyed the puzzles the game had to give (though at times I threw the towel in and looked up the answer where I just couldn't work it out at all). That part makes up most of the gameplay - the rest is just walking around, dialogue, and cutscenes. It does get boring and repetitive after a while, but if you get stuck the game is kind enough to show your objectives on screen. The minigames offer a break from normal gameplay too, though personally I didn't pay much attention to them. If you're planning to 100% the game, you do have to go through them though.

Overall: 9
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future is a masterpiece of its time and the series in general is perhaps one of the best things ever to happen to the DS. This game made me laugh, made me cry, and made me plain infuriated at times. It's a simple game with a runtime of about 10-12 hours, but it made me about as emotional as an emo chick on her period. I would definitely play it again - and have - and I should hope anyone with a taste for problem-solving and a great plot play this game, and perhaps check out the other ones in the series.

I urge those looking to play this game and/or the Professor Layton series in general to play the UK version. The US version dumbs down the dialogue in places unnecessarily, I've found, and trust me when I say this, Luke's UK voice actor is way, way better. This was my first time playing the US version and wow, Lani Minella does a terrible job at voicing Luke. #NotMyLuke