Review: Professor Layton and the Curious Village

Hello again, everyone. I would like to take this time to review a game I have recently completed, which is none other than Professor Layton and the Curious Village.

I will be giving this game a review based on a scale of ten. There are six different factors that will be averaged into the final score, some of which I have adopted from a fellow NSM member, blueflower999. (He does reviews as well. Check him out!) These factors are:

1. Gameplay
2. Story
3. Controls
4. Graphics
5. Music
6. Replay Value

So without further ado, let's get started!

Gameplay: 7/10
Okay. I am not a big brainteaser person. However, I will say that Professor Layton has quite the variety of puzzles. I got stuck many a time, but a saving grace for me was the hint coins, which help out quite a bit. Unfortunately, the biggest problem with this game is that if you miss the puzzle a bunch, but get it eventually, you can simply turn off the system and turn it back on. From there, you can solve the puzzle on the first try as if nothing had ever happened. It seems like a huge exploit, and I hope that it doesn't show up on later Professor Layton titles.

Story: 10/10
This whole game is all about the story. It's fantastic. The cutscenes are all fully animated, and even include voice acting. I found myself pleading with God to give me answers to some of the puzzles so I could see what happened next.

Controls: N/A
If this was a game where controls REALLY mattered, I would probably give a score. All you do is use the touch screen to select your answers, basically.

Graphics: 9/10
As I said previously, the cutscenes in this game are fully animated, and they look great. Pretty much all of the game follows this nice, cartoon-ish style. This game also probably has the funniest looking NPC's I've ever seen in a game.

Music: 6/10
I find a lot of the music in this game to be repetitive. It might be just me, but a lot of it sounds the same. Also, there is such a thing as too much accordion.

Replay Value: 4/10
Once you finish the main game, there's really no reason to keep playing. Sure, there are post-game puzzles, but most of them copy the puzzles in the game anyway. There are also some Nintendo WiFi Connection puzzles that you can download, if you can manage to get on to Nintendo WiFi Connection.

OVERALL: 7.2/10
Professor Layton and the Curious Village is a great game for those who enjoy puzzle games. A brilliant story, beautiful graphics, and challenging puzzles really push a player forward if they are willing. However, if you play this game, be prepared for an abrupt end to your enjoyment after the main story. You also need to be prepared for lots of accordion.