In 2009 I got the opportunity to go to Japan, where my Dad took me to Akihabara and let me run around with a few thousand yen to buy new and used games. I bought a copy of Heart Gold months before it was released in the US and felt like the coolest motherfucker ever. Anyway, when I was in Electric Town, they were showing a preview for this game on the TV and the only reason I didn't get it is because my father reminded me that I don't speak Japanese and I probably shouldn't get a logic puzzle game written in Japanese.

It's been about two years now since I last played a Layton game. A friend of mine has been asking me to play the prequel trilogy for quite some time now and eventually I just felt like playing it. I'll start by saying that it was a good idea to have let some time pass between playing Unwound Future and this entry.

Last Specter is chronologically the first adventure of Hershel Layton and takes him to the foggy hometown of an old friend, where he's supposed to investigate the rampage of a supernatural being. Together with his new assistant and the mayor's son, the team encounters eccentric figures like the mysterious hooded Black Raven and a girl who's suspected to be a witch, dooming everyone who comes close to her.

As in the other Layton games, the gameplay consists of point-and-click investigations and puzzle-solving. The puzzle quality in this entry is solid and the difficulty is fine. In case you can't find a solution, Last Specter practically showers you with hint coins. I had about 130 left at the end of the game, so don't feel bad about using them! I'm pretty sure the original trilogy didn't hand out such an abundance, but I might be misremembering here. Either way, why is everyone so obsessed with puzzles in this town in the first place?

The narrative itself is intriguing, although rather compact. Game has a lot of "this is a prequel" moments, where you can find a reference to some characters from the original trilogy and even some direct cameos. However, Last Specter doesn't really go much in depth with those and shifts the focus to new characters instead - like Emmy, the professor's assistant. In my opinion she's a welcome addition to the main cast and I'm looking forward to seeing more of her in the next games. Now, the twists are usually a big part of what I'm looking forward to in Layton games. They're usually a big shocker that's near unpredictable and totally alters your way of perceiving those games, but I can't say I had a moment like this in Last Specter. Without giving anything away, after a certain point in the story it's really easy to find out the twist by yourself, so at the part where the game explicitly tells you, it's not much of a surprise anymore. The reveal itself was alright, I just expected more out of a Layton game, especially after seeing what Level-5 did with Unwound Future.

Despite this, Last Specter is another well-rounded entry in the Layton series and now I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of the prequel trilogy.

Professor Layton has been somewhat of a surprise success. Originally released when everyone was crazy for Brain Training games, Layton grabbed the world with his British-Japanese charm and still remains hugely popular – he even had a (straight to Blu-Ray) film, created by the same people who makes the wonderful animation for the games. The Spectre’s Call is the Professor’s latest (well, earliest) adventure, bringing about it’s own set of bizarre plot twists and lovely characters.

Prof Layton and the Spectre’s CallThe Spectre’s Call is the start of a new trilogy of Layton games, and takes place before any of the previous three. If you’ve yet to experience Layton yourself, the fresh start makes for the perfect point to jump into the series. After getting a letter from his good friend Clark Triton, Layton and his assistant, Emmy, head off to investigate mysterious happenings in Misthallery. A giant spectre, supposedly controlled by a flute, has been attacking the city. Thankfully, with help from the predictions of Luke Triton, nobody had yet been hurt. It’s up to Layton, Emmy and Luke to hunt down all of the town’s secrets to find out who, or what, is behind all this.

The Spectre’s Call brings about a lot of character development, which is further expanded by short story segments called “Episodes” that you unlock during the course of the game and can watch at any time. On top of the story of how Luke and Layton met, you’re also introduced to new main characters: The Professor’s new assistant, Emmy, and a fiesty Scotland Yard detective Inspector Grosky. There are also many other characters that are important to the story with their own interesting back stories. Not to mention Granny Riddleton’s cat, who collects all missed puzzles throughout this adventure.

In terms of gameplay, The Spectre’s Call doesn’t bring anything new to the table. It’s essentially a case of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Many of the puzzles will seem somewhat similar, the same kind of puzzles but with different answers. Veteran Layton players will breeze through the majority of puzzles, but one or two will still catch you out. That doesn’t mean that the puzzles have lost their importance – they’re still very much an important part of the Layton franchise. The story simply wouldn’t be the same without the puzzles.

Prof Layton and the Spectre’s CallAs with the previous Layton games, The Spectre’s Call also includes a couple of more substantial minigames: Toy Train, Fish and Puppet Theatre. Toy Train Gives you a square grid with stations and obstacles. You have a limited amount of fuel (one piece of fuel equals one square of movement) to get the train through all stations and to the finish point. Simple enough to start with, but deceptively tricky with the addition of moving obstacles and longer trains.

In fish, you have to place bubbles in order to bounce fish into coins. You have to work out a course that will collect all coins in a very short amount of time. It’s simple yet surprisingly difficult – it’s also something you’ll want to try and try again until you get it right. The final one, Puppet Theatre, is frankly an insult to anyone over the age of 10 who has an understanding of the English language. The game tells you a story, and you have to fill in the spaces using a list of verbs.

So, while The Spectre’s Call doesn’t expand on the gameplay, it’s still a fantastic new story and setting for the Layton franchise. The music and voice acting are as great as ever and the lovely hand drawn graphics look great no matter if you’re playing on the DS or 3DS. The pre-rendered animated cutscenes still have their lovely art style and sadly, end way too soon, as always. If you like Layton, the choice to purchase this is a no-brainer. If you haven’t tried it before, then this is the perfect opportunity to jump on board.

I have such intense memories of playing this game as a child, every single moment felt like déjà-vu. I also have a unique fondness for Misthallery as a setting, the mist and what we in Germany call Kleinstadttristesse (like, the unique melancholy of a small town) really elevate the mood of the entire game, I think. Other than that, the puzzles are nice, the vibes impeccable and the story good enough. Standout character is still Descole, whose slow introduction over the course of the game makes him the actual spectre looming over Misthallery, it's sad they toned him down in the later games.