Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask
The only experience I have with Professor Layton games are the times I’ve seen other people playing them. I’ve always wanted to play them, but wasn’t a Nintendo 3DS/DS owner until recently with my purchase of the XL. Now, Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask is the number one game — right next to Animal Crossing 3DS, of course — on my must-buy list.
In my brief time with the game, I was impressed with the anime-style artwork, the voice work and the overall charm of the game. I was immersed in the world of Professor Layton from the get-go. Set in a carnival city called Monte d’Or, you need to solve puzzles as you investigate a mysterious villain known as the Masked Man.
Using the touchscreen and stylus, you can investigate different people and objects around the area you’re in. I found a man tangled in a bunch of balloons, and to have him help me, I had to help untangle him first. And thus, I was presented with my first puzzle. Swapping tiles that contain pieces of string, I had to get four individual, untwisted pieces of string — and it was not easy, even for a first puzzle. A couple of wrong moves and you could find yourself with multiple twists. That was only a taste of the things that lie ahead.
Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask is available at retail stores and in the Nintendo eshop on 10/28/12.
You can follow Movies and Culture Editor Lance Liebl on Twitter @Lance_GZ. He likes talking sports, video games, and the stupidity of celebrities. Email at [email protected]
In a small hands-on event with Nintendo, I was recently treated to some gameplay time with some upcoming 3DS games. From the Land of Ooo to solving puzzles, here are some of my thoughts on the games I played.
Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage?
What do you get when you mix the popular cartoon Adventure Time with gameplay from Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link? A pretty fun and funny experience, that’s what. Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage, besides having an extensive title, is a fun 3DS adventure that uses the time-tested action role-playing game framework of Zelda 2.
You control Finn and Jake as you traverse a top-down open world map in your quest to take down their enemy the Ice King. The Ice King is stealing all of the garbage in the Land of Ooo, and it’s your job to find out why and stop him. The combat is handled in side-scrolling levels and boss battles where Finn and Jake utilize an arsenal of punches, kicks, slide kicks and jumps. BMO is also along for the ride and serves as the touch screen hub handling the game’s inventory, maps, and Finn and Jake’s stats, which you can level up in typical RPG fashion.
I didn’t get too much time with the game, as there were a ton of things for us to try out, but I did notice some specific things about the game. For one, the typical Adventure Time humor is there. So while the game will be marketed toward a younger audience, probably seven to 12-year-olds, adults will find plenty humorous in the dialogue. The gameplay is not a cake walk, by any means, and it does feel a lot like Zelda 2. Also, you’ll pick up food to restore health. Food can be combined to restore more health and save room in your inventory. For example, combine pancakes with syrup to restore a large amount of hearts.
The visuals for Hey Ice King were done very nice, and it feels like you’re playing an episode of the cartoon. And the 3D? I usually feel a need to turn the 3D slider down to a lower setting, but with Hey Ice King, I never felt the need to.
You’ll come across more characters from the show in this funny RPG romp. Fan of the show or not, this action-RPG is well done and should definitely get some more hype when it releases on November 13th.
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