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80-418: The first three games follow the adventures of Professor Hershel Layton and his apprentice Luke Triton, while the subsequent three games and film are prequels, focusing on how Luke and Layton met and their original adventures; later installments also follow the escapades of Layton's children and their respective allies. Each title features a series of puzzles and mysteries provided by the citizens of locales that

160-602: A time machine . Professor Layton's drive to be a gentleman, and willingness to solve puzzles, come from these two events. At the start of Professor Layton and the Last Specter , Professor Layton receives a letter from a friend of his, Clark Triton, who asks for help regarding a specter terrorizing his town of Misthallery at night. On the way to Misthallery, Professor Layton is stopped by Emmy Altava, an energetic and headstrong young woman who has just been hired as his assistant at Gressenheller University. She joins him, and

240-510: A "Friendly Version", in which all weekly puzzles were unlocked and furigana , absent in the first two instalments, added. A release of Curious Village was produced for feature phones , while Diabolical Box was also included in the "Level-5 Premium Silver" and "Gold" collections on Nintendo DS alongside another Level-5 game, Inazuma Eleven . Miracle Mask later received a "Plus" edition, featuring exclusive puzzles, game events and cutscenes in addition to mechanical improvements already seen in

320-467: A "mystery challenge" mode, which adds new challenges to the game as a player progresses through the game's story mode. Both games were also made available on Level-5's ROID service, a gaming platform for mobile phones in Japan. Tago Akira no Atama no Taisō is based on a series of puzzle books of the same name written by Akira Tago, who has taken part in the development of puzzles in both this series and

400-591: A Time Machine ) . Players tilt the Nintendo DS system on its side to solve puzzles, so that the system resembles a book, comparable to the system used in Brain Age and Hotel Dusk: Room 215 . Each episode has about 400 puzzles, totaling over 1,500 puzzles within the series. The series has sold comparatively poorly: the first episode was the seventh best-selling game on Japan on the week of its release at 10,000 units, charting below Nazo no Monogatari despite

480-411: A collection, often in the form of a "Puzzle Shack" owned by a character known as "Granny Riddleton", or with the aforementioned Riddleton's cat, "Keats", which they can return to and attempt to resolve later. Curious Village contains a total of 135 regular puzzles, while Diabolical Box contains 153, Unwound Future 168 (the latter two having another special puzzle obtained via the use of codes found in

560-478: A crossover with Kaitō Royale , but have since become unavailable after their distribution services were closed. Another game, initially planned for 3DS and mobile, dubbed Layton 7 , was announced in 2013, featuring the Professor as a selectable avatar in a mafia -style social game. It was again presented at the 2015 Level-5 Vision, but failed to materialise within its release window and has since been removed from

640-419: A demonstration of a 'time machine', a failed experiment that leads to the disappearance of both the lead scientist Dimitri Allen and the prime minister , Bill Hawks. Ten years prior, Allen was responsible for the accidental death of Layton's fiancé Claire, who worked as the scientist's lab assistant. A week after the demonstration, Layton and Luke receive a letter purported to be from Luke himself, ten years into

720-412: A duplicate of London built beneath the original city. The future Luke then reveals himself as Clive, a wealthy young man who lost his parents in the same explosion that killed Claire and now wants to use his mechanical fortress to destroy the real London. With the help of Don Paolo (whom Layton explains was originally named Paul), Celeste, Inspector Chelmey, Luke, and Flora, Layton successfully deactivates

800-556: A full English dub of the film on home video in the United Kingdom on October 18, 2010, which Viz Media republished in North America on November 8, 2011. A second film was initially planned for release between the fifth and sixth instalments, but failed to materialise. An anime television series, titled Layton Mystery Tanteisha: Katori no Nazotoki File , starring the characters of Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and

880-667: A medieval town emphasizing " witch trials ". Though Professor Layton does not appear in the iOS title Layton Brothers: Mystery Room , the game focuses on his son, Alfendi Layton, who is a renowned detective for Scotland Yard and works in the eponymous Mystery Room with his assistant Lucy Baker to solve crimes. In the seventh main title Layton's Mystery Journey , Professor Layton disappears under mysterious circumstances, prompting his daughter, Katrielle Layton, to go looking for him. Professor Layton will appear in Professor Layton and The New World of Steam . Professor Layton

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960-476: A puzzle, the player is asked to complete a multiple-choice quiz with many possible answers in order to ensure that they have found the correct solution to the mystery. Nazo no Sutōrī sold 144,000 units within the first month of its release on May 21, 2009; it would receive a sequel the same year on September 3, entitled Surōn to Makuhēru no Nazo no Sutōrī 2 ( スローンとマクヘールの謎の物語2 , Paul Sloane and Des MacHale's Intriguing Tales 2 ) . Nazo no Sutōrī 2 introduced

1040-455: A thing, and be given the option of asking yes–no questions to figure out the answer. The player might then ask whether or not it rained the day before, and, if that were the case, eventually conclude that she was returning an umbrella that she had borrowed the day prior. In Nazo no Monogatari , the player is capable of asking questions by connecting two words or phrases, causing a question to automatically be generated from them. In order to solve

1120-495: A trap, which leads to the presumed death of Randall. Years later during his years at college, he meets the love of his life, Claire. Claire gives Layton his top hat as a present just before he becomes a professor of archaeology at Gressenheller University, ten years before the events of Professor Layton and the Unwound/Lost Future . Immediately following this exchange, however, Claire is killed in an accident involving

1200-605: A year-long daily puzzle service via the Nintendo Network . The series and its protagonists are based in and around an anachronistic contemporary London inspired by the 1960s, where antiquated technologies and vintage designs are still dominant. Each story features one or more original locales, each with their own unique geographies and local population. A common aesthetic element across these are urban areas and architectural landmarks in expressionist style . Each series of games and media feature narrative threads connecting

1280-536: Is a series of casual puzzle video games published by Level-5 . The series comprises two, unrelated series of puzzle games. Tago Akira no Atama no Taisō ( 多湖輝の頭の体操 , Professor Tago's Mental Gymnastics ) is a collection of puzzles created by Akira Tago , a Japanese professor who has authored a series of books within Japan under the same name. Players read through stories and solve puzzles at their own leisure. Surōn to Makuhēru no Nazo no Sutōrī ( スローンとマクヘールの謎の物語 , Paul Sloane and Des MacHale's Intriguing Tales )

1360-768: Is based on the concept of lateral thinking puzzles , books authored by Paul Sloane and Des MacHale . The games have drawn comparison to the Professor Layton series, which is also published by Level-5. A third branch of the series, entitled Mystery Room , was also planned, but the title was ultimately rebranded as a spin-off of the Professor Layton series, entitled Layton Brothers: Mystery Room . Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino stated in 2008 that more Atamania titles were under consideration, but aside from Mystery Room , none have since been announced. In Surōn to Makuhēru no Nazo no Sutōrī ( スローンとマクヘールの謎の物語 , Paul Sloane and Des MacHale's Intriguing Tales ) ,

1440-641: Is based on the idea of an English gentleman , and is a professor of archaeology at the fictional Gressenheller University in London . He was designed by Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino , who used Sherlock Holmes , Indiana Jones and fellow video game character Phoenix Wright as inspiration for his creation. He is voiced by Yo Oizumi in the original Japanese releases of the series, and by Christopher Robin Miller in English-language releases. Professor Layton

1520-492: Is called to solve various mysteries in different places, due to his connections to various people and his wide range of expertise. The Professor is accompanied by his apprentice, Luke Triton, a cheerful and curious boy who brings a touch of humor to the story of Layton. According to Hino, Layton is partly inspired by the character of Phoenix Wright of the Ace Attorney series. Assessing the "good points" and "bad points" of

1600-523: Is featured heavily in Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva , an animated movie based on the series that takes place between Last Specter and Miracle Mask . In Eternal Diva , Professor Layton goes to the fictional Crown Petone opera house and is tricked into solving puzzles in a contest to win an alleged Elixir of Eternal Life. Though the Elixir is proven to be a scheme by Jean Descole to unearth

1680-491: Is mainly directed toward children and features characters Luke and Flora trying to answer such mysteries as "what is under Professor Layton's hat"? Three volumes have been released, but none of them in English. The three novels based on the series prominently feature Professor Layton, though, like the manga, they have not been released outside Japan. Reiton-kyōju to Samayoeru Shiro ( レイトン教授とさまよえる城 , Lit. "Professor Layton and

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1760-461: Is temporary and that she will shortly return to the moment in which she was killed in the lab explosion. The two share a painful and sudden farewell. Layton comes to terms with this realization and, after Claire vanishes, takes off his hat for her out of respect. As the story comes to a close, Luke receives word that his family is moving away, and the game ends with Luke saying goodbye to Layton, hoping to remain good friends, followed by Layton receiving

1840-512: Is the eponymous main protagonist of the Professor Layton series, created by Level-5 , in which he and his apprentice Luke Triton investigate mysteries while solving various brain teasers . He also appears in an animated movie , Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva , and has featured in manga and novels that have not been released in English. His birth name was revealed to be Theodore Bronev in Azran Legacy . Professor Layton

1920-537: The Professor Layton series. In Atama no Taisō, the player reads through storybooks based on Akira Tago's puzzle books, and is presented with puzzles to solve at their leisure. If a player is not able to solve a puzzle in the game, they have the option of revealing the answer to the puzzle. There were four Atama no Taisō games released, in sets of two. The first set was released in Japan on June 18, 2009. It consisted of Dai-1-Shū: Nazotoki Sekai Isshū Ryokō ( 第1集 謎解き世界一周旅行 , Episode 1: A Puzzle-Solving Adventure Around

2000-558: The 33rd best hero in video games, saying Layton proves "that there's more to being a hero than brute strength". GamesRadar further placed him at number 22 in a list of the 50 best game characters of the generation. UGO Networks placed Layton first on their list of "The Coolest Helmets and Headgear in Video Games". Similarly, Game Pro included him in a list of "The 17 Best Pieces of Headwear in Gaming", placing Layton 15th. Since

2080-725: The Akbadain ruins eighteen years prior but had actually survived (albeit with amnesia ). Jean Descole soon appears, however, and reveals that the Akbadain ruins were the last of the Azran Legacies. Descole states he had planned for Professor Layton to solve the mystery of the Nautilus Chamber (Infinite Vault in the UK) of Akbadain, reviving the lost power source of the Azran Civilization. In Professor Layton and

2160-541: The Azran Legacy , which concludes the prequel trilogy, another archaeologist named Desmond Sycamore calls Layton to the city of Froenborg. This time, he and his companions investigate a 'living mummy' who appears to be a girl named Aurora. Layton then races against a crooked archaeology organization called the Targent, led by his biological father Leon Bronev, in search of the key to the ancient Azran sanctuary. Towards

2240-483: The Eternal Diva , was released in Japanese theaters on December 19, 2009. Produced by P.A. Works , the company responsible for the animated cutscenes in the original six games, it contains an original story which takes place between the events of Last Specter and Miracle Mask chronologically. The film was a general success in both Japan and Singapore, where it also received a cinema run. Manga Entertainment released

2320-572: The Illusory Forest") , take place during the prequel trilogy. Kaijin Goddo has Professor Layton investigating a series of art thefts performed by the eponymous "Phantom Deity"; Gen'ei no Mori has him exploring a strange village within the "Forest of Illusion" in search of his assistant, Emmy, who has been kidnapped. Professor Layton appears in a few episodes of Layton Mystery Tanteisha: Katori no Nazotoki File , an animated series based on

2400-518: The Millionaires' Conspiracy and featuring the original two series protagonists, began airing in Japan on April 8, 2018. The series was directed by Susumu Mitsunaka at Liden Films , with creative direction and series composition by Akihiro Hino and character design by Yoko Takada, and consists of 50 episodes. Humour manga intended for child audiences was serialized beginning in February 2008 in

2480-599: The Miracle Mask , Angela Ledore, an old high school friend of Layton's, calls Layton to the town of Monte d'Or to investigate the self-proclaimed Masked Gentleman who has been performing terrifying 'miracles' using the power of an artifact called the Mask of Chaos. Eventually, Layton deduces that the Masked Gentleman is Randall Ascot, his best friend from high school, who was presumed to have fallen to his death in

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2560-669: The Professor Layton series were also published, though they have only been made available in Japan. They consist of Professor Layton and the Wandering Castle ( レイトン教授とさまよえる城 , Reiton Kyōju to Samayoeru Shiro ) in 2008, Professor Layton and the Phantom Deity ( レイトン教授と怪人ゴッド , Reiton kyōju to Kaijin Goddo ) in 2009, and Professor Layton and the Illusory Forest ( レイトン教授と幻影の森 , Reiton kyōju to Genei no Mori ) in 2010. The Layton series has been

2640-539: The UK on the 18th of October, with a full English dub. Nintendo Power listed series mascot Professor Layton as their 10th favorite hero, citing his use of brains over brawn. The series went on to become one of the most successful Nintendo DS exclusive series, with the lifetime cumulative sales of the first four Professor Layton games standing at 10 million units sold in October 2010, and 11.47 million unit sales worldwide for

2720-445: The Wandering Castle") takes place during the original trilogy of games, in which Professor Layton and company try to solve the mystery of a floating castle believed to contain the people who had recently vanished from the city of London. The second and third books, Reiton-kyōju to Kaijin Goddo ( レイトン教授と怪人ゴッド , Lit. "Professor Layton and the Phantom Deity") and Reiton-kyōju to Gen'ei no Mori ( レイトン教授と幻影の森 , Lit. "Professor Layton and

2800-630: The World ) and Dai-2-Shū: Ginga Ōdan Nazotoki Adobenchā ( 第2集 銀河横断謎解きアドベンチャー , Episode 2: A Puzzle-Solving Adventure Across the Universe ) . The second pair was released on October 8, 2009; it consisted of Dai-3-Shū: Fushigi no Kuni no Nazotoki Otogibanashi ( 第3集 不思議の国の謎解きおとぎ話 , Episode 3: A Puzzle-Solving Fairytale in Wonderland ) and Dai-4-Shū: Taimu Mashin no Nazotoki dai Bōken ( 第4集 タイムマシンの謎解き大冒険 , Episode 4: A Puzzle-Solving Trip on

2880-429: The adventure game and "brain training" genres received mixed appreciation. Some reviewers praised the game for the successful combination with 1UP commenting on how the game's approach is much better than games where the puzzles were integrated into the environment. Other reviewers felt that these two genres do not merge well within the game; Game Informer noted that while the player is given numerous small puzzles to solve,

2960-680: The ancient civilization of the Azran. In an attempt to stop Descole's attacks on the town, Loosha, the last of a race of prehistoric sea creatures, drains the lake at the top of Misthallery by destroying the town's dam, flooding the town and destroying the machines. Within the lake, Professor Layton finds the gate to the Golden Garden, the first of the Legacies, which makes him famous across the world. Following this, Luke Triton asks to become his apprentice; Layton obliges. In Professor Layton and

3040-414: The character, he developed Professor Layton. Luke and Layton's character designs, including the latter's iconic top hat , were the work of Takuzō Nagano, whose brief included the requirement of recognisability by form and colour palette, particularly at small sizes. Japanese audiences have also received several revisions of previously released games. Both Curious Village and Diabolical Box were afforded

3120-434: The child named Hershel. Theodore's brother gave him his name and caused him to be adopted in his place. From then on, Theodore Bronev would be known as Hershel Layton. Then, eighteen years before the events of Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask , Hershel Layton is in high school and undergoes an archaeological expedition with his close friend, Randall Ascot. While the two explore the Akbadain ruins, they accidentally activate

3200-723: The company's website. Hino confirmed plans for another entry under the Mystery Journey banner prior to the release of Millionaires' Conspiracy , later suggesting that a game starring the Professor and based on his arc in the anime series would be the franchise's next installment. In February 2023, a Switch-bound game titled Professor Layton and The New World of Steam was announced in a Nintendo Direct presentation. The games employ an integrated structure of adventure-style exploration, dialogue sequences, and regular story-prompted puzzle solving. The player (as Professor Layton, Luke, and other characters) explores their environment in

3280-521: The end of the game, Sycamore reveals himself to be the man under the image of Descole, which he reassumes when he betrays Layton. After Descole rescues Luke from danger and finds himself on the brink of life and death, he states that Leon Bronev is his and Layton's father, and Layton remembers that he is Descole's younger brother. Also, the human race is put in jeopardy when Bronev's uncompromising attitude unleashes an Azran golem horde that terrorizes Froenberg. However, Layton and his companions are able to stop

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3360-408: The events of Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy, Theodore Bronev was born to Leon and Rachel Bronev and had an older brother named Hershel. When he was very young, a cultlike organisation named Targent kidnapped both of his parents for their knowledge of the Azran civilization, leaving Theodore and Hershel behind alone in the house. An elderly couple, Roland and Lucille Layton, came wishing to adopt

3440-422: The first three weeks after its release. After it was restocked in the UK, sales of Professor Layton increased 54%, moving it from 10th place to fourth place. Curious Village received generally positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator Game Rankings, the game had an average score of 86% based on 48 reviews. On Metacritic, the game had an average score of 85/100, based on 57 reviews. The combination of

3520-532: The franchise ahead of the release of Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask in February 2011. Later announcements expanded the figure to over 13 million copies sold in March 2012, 15 million unit sales in August 2013, making it the company's best-selling game franchise, and over 17 million shipments by June 2018. Professor Hershel Layton Professor Hershel Layton ( エルシャール・レイトン教授 , Erushāru Reiton-kyōju )

3600-461: The future, in dire need of assistance, and they are asked to go to a clock shop on the edge of town. When they leave it, they find themselves in the future London. They meet with a woman who claims to be Claire's sister, Celeste, who is trying to piece together what actually happened to Claire. After Layton exposes his presumed evil future self as Dimitri Allen, he deduces that he and his friends never traveled through time but instead were transported to

3680-595: The game Layton's Mystery Journey . In these episodes it becomes clear why Professor Layton disappeared. He and Luke are locked up in some coma-like state, inside coffins from what they called the Relics Treasure: a device that serves as a door to the future. It is also revealed that Katrielle Layton is not the professor's biological daughter. Katrielle was born on a sinking ship and was rescued by Luke, who brought her to Professor Layton. The professor decided to adopt her. Nintendo Power said that Professor Layton

3760-447: The game a score of 8.5 and also their Editor's Choice Award. The series was popular enough to inspire a feature-length movie called Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva . It has been released in Japan, Singapore, France, Germany, the UK, Spain, the US, and Canada. It received primarily positive reviews and is considered one of the better video game adaptations into film. It was released in

3840-478: The game's final puzzle in the mail from Luke some time later. Several spin-off titles have been released for the series featuring the character, including social network game Professor Layton Royale and Nintendo 3DS title Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney . In the latter, Professor Layton teams up with Phoenix Wright from the Ace Attorney series to solve mysteries in Labyrinthia,

3920-419: The game, such as Yo Oizumi being chosen to voice Professor Layton within Japan. For English-language releases in the series, Nintendo selected American voice actor Christopher Robin Miller. Both have reprised their roles for each successive game in the series as well as the animated movie, with Miller being the only cast member who reprises his role in the games' European releases. About thirty years before

4000-598: The girl under his wing, leaving St. Mystere. In Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box , Layton and Luke take the Molentary Express in an effort to find out what was responsible for the temporary coma of his teacher, Dr. Andrew Schrader , who was found "dead" in his office with nothing but a train ticket without a destination, and the artifact he was investigating, the Elysian Box, missing. This

4080-504: The golems before any more damage is caused. As Bronev is apprehended by the police, he tells Layton that his given name is Theodore Bronev, but Layton refuses to accept this as his real name or recognize Bronev as his father. Nevertheless, he hopes to meet Bronev again one day as a friend and fellow archaeologist. In Professor Layton and the Curious Village , Layton and Luke are called by Lady Dahlia of St. Mystere to investigate

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4160-445: The international releases. Internationally, Millionaires' Conspiracy was rereleased as an enhanced Nintendo Switch port boasting new puzzles, exclusive costumes, and all previous DLC. An enhanced mobile port of Curious Village featuring additional cutscenes and unlockable content has also seen a worldwide release, followed by mobile ports of the second and third games. Several mobile games were made available in Japan, including

4240-576: The latter having been released several weeks earlier. At the company's annual conference in 2009, Level-5 announced a third branch of the series, entitled Mystery Room . In Mystery Room , the player would follow the lives of Poccho and Sly, two genius detectives in the fictional Brewster Detective Agency, the top-rated agency in the United States . The two worked in the "Final Investigation Room", and would solve crimes based solely on information they have gathered from other detectives. The game

4320-402: The main characters explore. It is not necessary to solve all the puzzles to progress, but some are mandatory, and at certain points in the game a minimum number of puzzles must be solved before the story can continue. Layton series of games had sold over 18 million units by March 2023, retaining the title of Level-5's best-selling game franchise. The idea behind the Professor Layton formula

4400-404: The manner of a point-and-click adventure game, using the touch screen to talk with non-player characters, learn more about the environment, or locate hidden secrets such as "hint coins" that may be used during puzzles. Often, when interacting with a person or object, the player will be presented with a puzzle, valued at a certain number of "picarats", a type of point system within the game. Solving

4480-480: The music can get annoying". Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box was considered to be a major improvement from the original. According to Famitsu , the game had sold 815,369 copies in Japan as of July 9, 2008. The UK's Official Nintendo Magazine awarded the game a score of 92% (and consequently their Gold Award medal), praising the increased number of puzzles, animated scenes and voice acting, but complained that it could be slightly repetitive at times. IGN gave

4560-525: The mysteries of the main plot are basically solved for the player. The game was noted to have little replay value; once all the puzzles were solved, there was no point in playing through them again. The presentation of the game, including both the general European art style and cutscene animations, was appreciated by reviewers. Hyper's Darren Wells commends the game for its "clever concept, with plenty to solve and unlock as well as its fantastic presentation". However, he criticizes "some puzzles feeling tacked on and

4640-431: The player is tasked with solving lateral thinking puzzles, a type of puzzle created by authors Paul Sloane and Des MacHale . In lateral thinking puzzles, the player is given bare details about a strange circumstance, and the goal is to deduce what happened through a series of yes–no questions . For example, a girl takes an umbrella to school, knowing it was sunny outside. A player would then be asked why she would do such

4720-423: The player to bring up a translucent memo screen they can write on, using the stylus, to work out their answer before submission. If the player is stuck, they may spend one hint coin to receive a hint. Each puzzle has three regular hints available, and, from the third game onwards, feature "super hints" that tend towards nearly solving the puzzle for the player, but which can only be bought with two hint coins and after

4800-489: The player to complete specific puzzles in the game to receive items and/or challenges within the minigame. For example, in return for solving particular puzzles, characters in Curious Village will award the player with an item of furniture, which then must be placed within a set of apartments to Layton's and Luke's exacting desires; the minigame cannot be completed until all the furniture has been collected. Completing

4880-533: The previous game), Last Specter 170, Miracle Mask 150 (165 in the "Plus" edition), Azran Legacy 165, and Millionaires' Conspiracy 185. The puzzles take the form of brain teasers, most of which are only loosely tied to the plot, developed for the first six games under the oversight of Akira Tago, famous for his best-selling Mental Gymnastics series. They encompass a diverse range of styles, from logic puzzles to lateral thinking problems , mazes, math problems, sliding-block puzzles , and others. The games allow

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4960-487: The puzzle correctly will earn the player the full number of picarats, but a wrong answer will reduce the points by small increments with each attempt, until it reaches a minimal picarat number. In order to progress the plot, the player is required to solve specific puzzles, or to solve a minimum number of puzzles. If the player permanently leaves an area or otherwise significantly progresses the plot, puzzles they have yet to find and/or solve are regularly compiled and placed into

5040-561: The release of Curious Village , Professor Layton has been compared with several new characters from later titles, including Henry Hatsworth (of EA Tiburon 's Nintendo DS title Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure ) and Doctor Lautrec (of Konami 's Nintendo 3DS title Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights ). Noriaka Okimura, the person who designed Doctor Lautrec, stated that, while inspired by Layton, it

5120-532: The second of the Azran Legacies, the lost kingdom of Ambrosia, Professor Layton is the one who ultimately unlocks the city by discovering and playing a Song of the Sun, along with two other harmonious melodies. Aside from Eternal Diva , Professor Layton has also appeared in manga and in novels. The manga, Reiton-kyōju to Yukai na Jiken ( レイトン教授とユカイな事件 , Lit. "Professor Layton and the Cheerful Mystery") ,

5200-409: The special edition of Bessatsu CoroCoro Comic . The manga, titled Professor Layton and the Cheerful Mystery ( レイトン教授とユカイな事件 , Reiton-kyōju to yukai na jiken ) , covers many mysteries in the story. Several chapters are based on the games; most of the others are original stories with little relation to the game canon. The chapters also included puzzles for the readers to solve. The complete series

5280-456: The stories together, but only the prequel sequence of Last Specter , Eternal Diva , Miracle Mask and Azran Legacy features a plot-important arc. Other games and media do not have any overarching structure, but do follow a chronological order by way of the appearance and development of recurring characters. As part of the "second series" of the franchise, a feature-length anime film directed by Masakazu Hashimoto, titled Professor Layton and

5360-510: The story and minigames also unlocks a series of especially difficult puzzles, known as "Layton's Challenges". Prior to its cancellation, players of the four DS games could use the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service to connect to the internet and access a "weekly puzzle" service, whereby they could download a new puzzle for each week following a game's release for a set period; later mainline 3DS games would expand on this with

5440-472: The subject of several playable experiences and live events, featuring standalone scenarios involving characters such as the Professor and Katrielle. The Professor Layton series has been generally successful in the UK, the US, and Japan. Professor Layton and the Curious Village sold over 700,000 units in Japan in 2007. The game was also the top selling game for the Nintendo DS in the United States in

5520-425: The three other hints have been revealed. The puzzles are not timed, though some require correct timing, and others, such as mazes and sliding puzzles, may challenge the player to achieve completion in a limited number of moves. Each game features an additional set of three unique meta-puzzle minigames that can be accessed when the player has access to the pause menu "Layton's Trunk". These minigames generally require

5600-421: The two proceed to Clark's house, where Clark's son, Luke, the one who actually wrote the letter, shows the ability to foretell attacks from the specter. Luke sneaks out of his house to assist Professor Layton, and the three of them investigate the specter, eventually finding it to be an excavation machine created by Jean Descole, a masked scientist searching for various ruins (known as the "Azran Legacies") left by

5680-418: The weapon and saves the real London from further destruction. As Clive is apprehended by the police, he thanks Layton for helping him snap out of his criminal insanity. Finally, Celeste reveals to Layton she is in fact his true love Claire, and that the lab accident ten years prior successfully sent her ten years into the future. Claire explains that despite Allen's best efforts to save her, her trip through time

5760-553: The will of the deceased baron, who had mentioned an artifact named the Golden Apple for whom the bearer would be entitled his entire fortune. They slowly manage to unearth the truth about the strange village, but they find that the only person who can show them the apple is none other than the baron's daughter, Flora Reinhold, who had been hidden away in the village for years as part of the baron's plan to find someone smart and kind enough to take care of her. Layton obliges, and takes

5840-456: Was a direct result of series creator Akihiro Hino 's childhood love of Akira Tago 's popular Atama no Taisou series of puzzle books , which have sold more than 12 million copies to date in Japan . The main character of the original Layton games is Professor Hershel Layton, a renowned archaeologist and professor at Gressenheller University, as well as a polite and well-spoken gentleman . He

5920-591: Was also derived in part from Phoenix Wright (from Capcom 's Ace Attorney franchise). Hino examined what he believed to be Wright's good and bad points, and designed Layton by overcoming what he saw as Wright's bad points. The idea to voice the characters, despite the idea being uncommon on the Nintendo DS at that time, came about as a means to attract casual players who had purchased Brain Age but were skeptical about playing other, more complex video games. Level-5 enlisted television personalities to voice characters from

6000-700: Was collected into four volumes, released between November 2008 and June 2012. Tokyopop has released all four volumes in German under the name Professor Layton und seine lustigen Fälle . The series has also been released in Spanish under the name El Professor Layton y sus Divertidos Misterios by Norma Editorial, in French as Professeur Layton et l'étrange enquête by Kazé Manga and in Italian as Il professor Layton e i misteri buffi by Planet Manga. Three books based on

6080-434: Was designed by Akihiro Hino, CEO of Level-5. When designing the game, he thought about what kind of character would make an "interesting lead". What came to mind was the concept of a famous detective and his assistant, in the manner of Sherlock Holmes. From this idea, he created Professor Layton and his young apprentice , Luke Triton. The English setting of the games was also inspired by these mystery stories. Professor Layton

6160-482: Was not his intention to make the two look alike; he felt it would be awkward for a 19th-century gentleman to not be wearing a hat like Layton's. Kyle Gray, creator of Henry Hatsworth, was more aggressive, stating that Henry Hatsworth is the man you'd call to "save the world from an impending collision with an alternate dimension", while Professor Layton is the sort of person to call "if you need someone to find your missing cat.". Atamania Atamania ( アタマニア )

6240-462: Was one of their favorite new characters during their 2008 award, with writer Justin Cheng saying that Curious Village 's characters, especially Professor Layton and his apprentice Luke, were a reason why the game was so memorable and engaging. GameSpot has referred to him as the "Sherlock Holmes of puzzles", and said that his voice acting was "welcome and familiar". In 2012, GamesRadar ranked him as

6320-465: Was proven to have been taken by Don Paolo, earlier at the start of the game, before Dr. Schrader was found. The two of them, later joined by Flora, go to the towns of Dropstone and Folsense, eventually finding the true purpose of the Elysian Box and reuniting a long-broken family. Finally, in Professor Layton and the Unwound Future , which wraps up the original trilogy, Layton and Luke attend

6400-513: Was to be played by selecting a crime from a list of options, and then using the touch screen of the Nintendo DS to examine materials. The game was originally planned to release in 2010, but the title was not released and all but its trailer was removed at the last moment from Level-5's 2010 presentation at the Tokyo Game Show . The title was later given a "Spring 2011" release date, but it would again be delayed indefinitely to "deliver

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