The Professor Layton series is my very favorite on the DS and should be considered all-time classics. The gentlemanly Layton and his eager apprentice Luke travel to the sleepy town of St. Mystere looking to solve the mystery of the Golden Apple for the Lady Dahlia. The game’s art design is endlessly charming and it was a blast to utilize the point and click style mechanics to meet all of the quirky characters throughout the game and inspect every screen for hint coins. The storytelling is really top notch and though later revelations get pretty wacky, I came to realize that’s in the nature of the Layton series and part of the charm. Layton and Luke ground the adventure through their wholesome interactions with each other and those around them. The game even has some beautifully animated cutscenes for many of the major story moments.

The Layton series is all about puzzles and Curious Village isn’t afraid to test your mettle with some real brain stumpers. While you can sort of brute force your way through them by spending the pretty copious hint coins, using them as a last resort makes for a more rewarding experience overall. Credit has to go to Akira Tago for designing so many unique and rewarding puzzles throughout the entire series.

I love Professor Layton and at least the first game is an absolute must play- it’s even been ported to the App Store so it’s more available to anyone than ever.