Omg this game is amazing! Its the best game ever! I love it I love it I love it! Okayy now I’ve got that burst of excitement out the way lets get on too a proper review. Professor Layton and the Last Specter is the final game to be released on the DS and the first of the prequel trilogy. The story goes back to Professor Laytons first real interaction with Luke, he knew him as a baby but that doesn’t really count now does it. It introduces character Emmy Altava whom you may know from the film Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. A film already reviewed for the site so if you have yet to read it, I highly recommend you do. Emmy Altava accompanies the Professor on a trip to Misthallery, after being summoned there by Luke Triton. A specter is terrorising the town and Luke asks his father’s close friend to help unravel the mystery.

The game also introduces Jean Descole the villain for this game and may I just say what an excellent villain. The voice acting for Descole, performed by Tim Curry, is so well done. You get tingles when you here his voice. He sounds evil, but not in a way so commonly used by actors. He sounds sophisticated and knowledgable whereas many villains can just come off as quite butch. You don’t want to cross him because you know how clever and cunning he is. Jean Descole is an amazing antagonist for the series. Descole is a clear antitihesis to Don Paulo, villain of the earlier games. Don Paulo is a bit of a joke, his character is humorous, he’s a very shall I say camp villain. Descole on the otherhand appears to be an actual threat. So yeah I’m very pleased with Descole as a character.

Emmy Altava is a nice addition and much more enjoyable as a character than Flora. Don’t get me wrong Flora is a nice character however Emmy has a more engaging personality. Maybe it’s because there is more of a mystery to Emmy, little is known about her or how she came to be the character she is. She has a high level of combat skills, clearly intelligent and she has this past with Layton that we wish to learn more about. Within the game there is a feature called episodes in the trunk which displays cut scenes not experienced within the game but gives us an insight to events that have occurred to the characters. One cut-scene involves Emmy showing her first meeting of the professor however it left me on edge to find out more, to discover how that meeting effected her life and decisions. Obviously it did as when she was asked to work alongside Layton, by Dean Delmona, she took the opportunity straight away. She is such an intriguing character and I look forward to seeing her presence in the upcoming games.

Next thing to discuss is Layton and Lukes first mystery. This is essentially an origins story of the beloved pair. This origins story is conceived so brilliantly. Luke’s naivety really shines through but so does his eagerness to learn. Layton becomes a surrogate father figure for Luke, as his own father is much too busy dealing with other events and issues. The foundations of their bond are strongly placed within this game.

Anyway I think that is enough discussion of the characters, let us discuss the puzzles. Now I’ve heard many reviews of the game series make comments about the puzzles. This game seeks to rectify some of those comments. Some of the puzzles in this game are directly linked with the narrative of the game. One such example is where Emmy is required to cut a wire to disable a machine. So essentially the puzzle is which wire do you cut, however it is directly linked to the game as it is imperative that Emmy disables the machine. I really enjoyed those puzzles, not because the puzzles themselves where spectacular but due to the way they interacted with the story. It made getting the puzzle correct more important than answering the puzzles have been before. I truly worried that if I got the puzzle wrong it would be game over. It made me that little bit more anxious and on edge for the correct answer. So the puzzles themselves become more thrilling and slightly less relaxed than before. The game series traditionally has Layton revealing every last detail of the mystery however this game makes you more aware and consider the mystery in the narrative that little bit more. Sequences within the game depict Layton go to reveal the mystery but then you have to make the choice, between three options, the answer to the mystery. One such example I could give is Layton asks Luke how the sound of the Flute travelled across the city, you as the player had to answer that question from as mentioned three different choices. So anyone who dares to complain that the games narrative and the puzzles are totally separate from each other, really needs to play this game again because that clearly is not the case.

The music within this game is again spectacular, I love the music from the Layton series, it reminds me of film music. In that sometimes you don’t overtly notice its presence but the effect that music has on you is clear. I loved how the music intensity would heighten as situations became more intense and dangerous. It truly moved me and the music of the flute was again well composed. The attention to detail within these games is what perfects them.

Everything about this game is an improvement on the earlier three. Granted I love love love future Luke aka Clive from the third game series and I thought the narrative itself was superb. This game improves on it only by offering something different. Had this been set after the events of the third game I somehow feel it would not have been as good. This latest instalment offers something new in how it introduces the beginnings of Professor Layton. The characters we know, Luke and Layton, gain a stronger definition of the personality through this new addition to the series. I applaud the people who worked on this game for the efforts they have put in. If the Layton series continues to grow and develop like they appear to be doing so then I honestly don’t see Layton ever becoming, a dull, tired series. I seriously recommend people to play this game because it really is something special.