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I received this letter in my e-mail and was immediately intrigued. I had not heard of the Professor Layton series before, so I dug deeper. Like the Phoenix Wright series, this is another Japanese port. Japan is currently waiting for the third installment while the first comes out in North America on February 12th.

This game definitely looks like one I’m going to pick up on release day. Apparently, the two main characters, Professor Layton and his young apprentice Luke, are wrapped up in a murder-mystery. The only way to find out who-done-it is to solve the many puzzles the villagers love to give. Nearly all the villagers give you puzzles, though you only need to solve a certain number to move on and there’s a hint system available as well. The puzzles range in difficulty and kind and with the DS’s wi-fi ability, there is a new puzzle available to download weekly.

The reviews of the graphics are good, from those who have played the Japanese versions. From the looks of the screen shots, it appears that the game will be in mostly 2D, which makes me happy. The DS can handle beautifully done animation and graphics with two dimensions, but I really don’t think it’s capable yet of handling three very well. Most of the 3D games I have for the DS appear to be on the same quality level as my N64 or on a good day my fiance’s GameCube. Now some games are done better than others, I’m not denying that, and I’ve not played some of the newer games like Dementium: The Ward, so the graphics could be improving and that wouldn’t surprise me. Right now, I prefer to play games with 2D graphics because I think they look nicer and cleaner on the DS than the 3D graphics do. I digress. From what I’ve read on IGN, the graphics and animations for Professor Layton and The Curious Village look very well done and I’m glad that they’re 2D.

I’m very much looking forward to this game and writing a review after I’ve played it thoroughly.

Release Date: February 12, 2008