Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and The Millionaires' Conspiracy

While the story leaves a little to be desired, Layton’s Mystery still makes for an enjoyable entry into the puzzling series. A likable cast of characters persists despite featuring an entirely new crew and the ending manages to hint at a continuation for the series branching off from this title with a plot to draw players in. Those new to the series can easily hop in without needing to have knowledge of the previous stories, but it does make some welcome nods to previous endeavors Layton has gone through. Any puzzle fan should dive right into this title when they get the chance and look forward to what Layton’s Mystery Journey brings next.

While the storytelling is sub-par for Layton standards, the puzzle design is what you can expect from the long running franchise.

Laytons daughter is a fun addition to this beautifully designed series, but she does talk a lot. Thankfully there are many puzzles to distract you from that.

Yet another Layton game. This game with new characters like Lady Layton plays exactly like you expect it from a Layton game. It is very humorous, got awesome puzzles and there are a lot of new cases to explore. It just misses an overwhelming story.

Not many surprises here, but Layton's returns is still as entertaining as always. If you've enjoyed the series in the past, there's no reason why you shouldn't play this one.

A bright and breezy reboot that sticks with the same blend of tricky puzzles and charming animation.

The Layton formula is still working great, with more puzzles than ever, a new main character and the London setting. After ten years, though, the storyline is not as good as previous games, and puzzle design is not as imaginative.

There's nothing new compared to the original smartphone versione, but It still works pretty well and will make the fans happy.

I enjoyed my time with Layton's Mystery Journey. The puzzles and investigative work are enjoyable as usual, but that special sauce from previous Layton titles has been left out. The stage for a grander mystery is nowhere to be seen and the game stumbles to find its identity. That being said, the scenes found here are highly replayable and offer additional content if you decide to return. All of this results in a game that can be picked by anyone, but Layton's fans will need time to adapt.

The Layton franchise is back with an interesting spin off that, despite not introducing some important innovations, keeps the appeal of the main episodes of this saga with its feeling and good puzzles. Overall, this is a good entry in the series, but it feels not as remarkable as its predecessors.

Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaire's Conspiracy feels rather comforting, the video game equivalent of a warm blanket. For the most part it reverts to the core formula of the Professor Layton games, albeit with a new cast and by dividing the narrative into mostly lighthearted, charming 'cases'. All it lacks is the confidence to fully embrace its new setting, stopping short of expanding upon some of its ideas. That said, it still delivers the series' unique blend of storytelling and lots of puzzles with aplomb. It'll have fans and newcomers scratching their heads and smiling at the same time; here's hoping it's not Layton's final mystery.