Layton’s Mystery Journey

A puzzle game made of riddles

$15.99 From Level-5, laytonseries.com Made for iPhone, iPad Needs iOS 9.0 or later The Layton games, usually found on Nintendo’s 3DS system, revolve around solving logic-based puzzles as the main character, Professor Layton. Now, for the series’ second outing on mobile, the character focus shifts to his daughter, Katrielle, and with it, the puzzles go from requiring logic and thought to being more like riddles.

However, nothing has been lost in style. The developer, Level-5, is known for its beautiful, Ghibli-esque animation, and this game does not disappoint, with animated cutscenes and background art depicting an imagined pastel version of London. Although the puzzles are a bit of a letdown, the rest of the game — from its wacky plot involving a cult of millionaires, to its music and its aesthetics — is pleasant enough to justify its rather large price, and the iOS version is a lot less costly than the $40 version for 3DS.

Aside from the main action, there are also minigames that are unlocked as you progress, and although these are few and far between, they offer satisfaction that the puzzles don’t quite offer.

The controls are adapted to the iPhone’s small layout, but the way of moving the character around can feel fiddly and repetitive from time to time.

While this title is a shadow of previous Layton games, by no means is Katrielle’s first outing a bad one. It’s charming and beautiful, though perhaps not as suited to mobile as it is to Nintendo’s consoles.

the bottom line. Cinema-quality animation, let down by disappointing puzzle-style riddles. Kate Gray

Puzzles are occasionally obtuse, sometimes silly, and quite often trick questions.