Solving Puzzles with Professor Layton

I was finally able to finish Professor Layton and the Unwound Future on my Nintendo DS. I started playing it last year but was too busy with other things, so I forgot about it. The game is the third installation of the Professor Layton Series. It’s a nice puzzle game with a great plot.

Professor Layton and Luke (Image is from this site.)

The protagonist in the said game is Professor Hershel Layton, who always wears a top hat. I don’t know what he actually teaches, but whatever it is, I’m sure that he’s good at it (just found out that it’s archaeology). He’s very smart, you see. He can solve mysteries ala Sherlock Holmes, who, incidentally, is also from London (and fictional too).

In Unwound Future, Layton witnesses the explosion of a “time machine” that caused the disappearance of the prime minister and a scientist. To find out what really happened, he needs the help of people around him, who seems to have a liking for puzzles. So Layton wants to pass an alley? He has to solve first the puzzle that the man standing on the way will give him. So a door is locked? Surely, there is a puzzle on the lock that will open the door. Here are some puzzles that he, and his assistant Luke, has to solve complete the game. They earn picarats for every puzzle they solve. (Try solving them. Answers after the jump).

Puzzle No. 48. This one is easy. It's worth only 30 picarats.

Puzzle No. 64. This is a bit harder than the first one, but it's still fairly easy.

Puzzle No. 107. This one gave me a headache. It's worth 60 picarats.

Some great puzzles require the use of the stylus, so I can’t show them here. Screen shots are from this site.

Answer to Puzzle No. 48

Answer to Puzzle No. 64

Answer to Puzzle No. 107

There are more than 100 puzzles that will sharpen your brain.  Some puzzles are optional, which means that you can finish the game even without solving them. I still solve them though just to see how smart I am. Plus, according to Layton, a true gentleman leaves no puzzle unsolved. :P When I find a puzzle difficult, I use hint coins to get some clues. It’s amazing how these puzzles are incorporated in the game’s plot. You have to play it to know what I mean.

The first two games are also awesome. In Curious Village, Layton and Luke search for the “golden apple.” In Diabolical Box (this one almost made me cry), they unravel the mystery behind a box said to kill anyone who opens it. The game series is so remarkable that it has become one of the most successful Nintendo DS exclusive series, according to Wikipedia.

If you want to see Prof. Layton in action but you don’t have a Nintendo DS, you can watch the first Layton movie on YouTube before it is taken down for copyright infringement.

I don’t seem to have a friend who owns a Nintendo DS. Not sure. Didn’t ask. I feel special for not having the same hobbies as what others have, but it also frustrates me because I don’t have anyone to talk to about the things I like. I guess this is what my blog is for. :-)