Professor Layton and the Last Specter

 DS
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 92 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 69 out of 92
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 92
  3. Negative: 5 out of 92
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  1. ZeoN
    Nov 28, 2017
    9
    Probablemente una de las mejores historias del Profesor Layton.Original y algo mas oscura de lo habitual.Sin embargo,eso no es un punto negativo.Puzzles con buena dificultad
  2. 4newsit
    Dec 13, 2011
    9
    Professor Layton and Spectre's Call is a great adventure for all owners of the Nintendo DS will not let go. With a good variety of puzzles some, thanks to unaa plot very engaging and small news, the series "Professor Layton" This year guarantees quality. Although fans will have a sense of déjà vu rather strongly, because of some of the ideas seen in previousProfessor Layton and Spectre's Call is a great adventure for all owners of the Nintendo DS will not let go. With a good variety of puzzles some, thanks to unaa plot very engaging and small news, the series "Professor Layton" This year guarantees quality. Although fans will have a sense of déjà vu rather strongly, because of some of the ideas seen in previous chapters, this latest chapter is a must for any fan of the Professor. The premise of the story, which serve as the prequel trilogy, the chapter ended with last year, Professor Layton and Lure of the spectrum is a particularly recommended for all those who want to know for the first time the protagonists of the series. While waiting for the next chapter for Nintendo 3DS, this chapter can be considered the best in the series, thanks to an ever increasing difficulty and prohibitive!

    http://www.4news.it/9906-recensione-il-professor-layton-e-il-richiamo-dello-spettro.php    … Expand
  3. thefrench
    Feb 2, 2012
    8
    Mysteries are once again very good and very (almost different to them some of the others. A novelty: there is a small quiz from time to time with 3 answers: and it is not always hollow out. Mysteries are often easy, but game is very good really.
  4. Funkymonk
    Jul 13, 2015
    8
    The Layton formula hasn't really changed since the first game and while you wouldn't want to change a winning formula too much, Layton veterans may be getting a sense of De ja vu especially when some of puzzles are repeated from earlier games in the series. However, I'll say what I've said about all the Layton games; if you like puzzles you'll love it and this is technically the best gameThe Layton formula hasn't really changed since the first game and while you wouldn't want to change a winning formula too much, Layton veterans may be getting a sense of De ja vu especially when some of puzzles are repeated from earlier games in the series. However, I'll say what I've said about all the Layton games; if you like puzzles you'll love it and this is technically the best game in the series.… Expand
  5. redTurtle
    Jan 18, 2012
    8
    This is an example of a puzzle game done right. It has a gorgeous art style and a fantastic story. However, at times it can get a tad story heavy, but I really don't think that it got too bad. Story: 9/10
    Gameplay 8.5/10 Controls: 10/10
    replayability: 4/10 Overall 8/10
  6. mailordermonstr
    Jul 17, 2017
    4
    I really wanted to like this game. I had heard so much positive talk from people whose opinion's usually line up with mine, but unfortunately this isn't the case.
    I like the animated bits and the voice work is good. The art style in general reminds me of a mix between 80's french cartoons with a side of anime. Looks and sounds great throughout. In fact, that's really the only reason I'm    I really wanted to like this game. I had heard so much positive talk from people whose opinion's usually line up with mine, but unfortunately this isn't the case.
    I like the animated bits and the voice work is good. The art style in general reminds me of a mix between 80's french cartoons with a side of anime. Looks and sounds great throughout. In fact, that's really the only reason I'm giving this game a 4. Without the care that was put into this game, it would've scored much lower.
    The problem with this game is the puzzles, which is very unfortunate for a puzzle game. When I used to visit my grandma's home when I was younger, there was nothing to do. No videogames, nothing on TV, and the parents were all talking about boring stuff. So in order to pass the time, I'd go through a book of 1,001 puzzles. The puzzles in Layton feel like they were ripped right out of one of those books. There's at least 150 different puzzles and none of them are very creative or original. Some of them are downright broken or explained so poorly that the only way you'll solve them is luck or by getting hints (4 hints are offered per puzzle, typically the last hint being the answer).
    If you're thinking about getting into the Layton series, make sure you check out the types of puzzles that you'll be faced with. I like puzzles, just not the generic back of a cereal box type of puzzle.    … Expand
  7. Anxo
    Jul 18, 2017
    10
    Mi segundo juego favorito de la saga y muy cerca del primero (futuro perdido). El cuarto de la saga en ser publicado, pero el primero de la cronología. Los puzzles perfectos como en el resto de juegos. La historia muy bueno e innovadora
  8. Mattia9336
    Jan 25, 2020
    9
    Awesome game, as expected from Professor Layton. One of the best ways to end the DS era
  9. skads7
    Nov 8, 2019
    3
    Una basura de juego. No tiene mas, de lo peor de Layton. Y el final de la historia ya bueno, una absoluta maravilla
  10. Mutty99
    Feb 9, 2020
    10
    My last NDS title bought to date. Great way to start connecting the pieces of the series' timeline!
  11. hector_bcn98
    Nov 7, 2022
    8
    Algo realmente extraño lo de iniciar una trilogía en una plataforma y acabarla en otra. Viniendo de la 3era entrega, la sensación es que esta se queda un poco pequeña. Pero claro, cuál no lo haría?
  12. pieber
    Mar 22, 2021
    10
    That's my fav video game I've ever played. I loved everything about it: the story, the puzzles, the soundtrack and the characters. This is one of those games that you have to play again and again.
  13. Reniachii
    Mar 9, 2022
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I am sorry, I genuinely did not liked this one.
    Professor Layton games usually have these very sweet stories full of empathy and lovable characters because they're cute in what personality refers to, even the main villain of the original trilogy is cool, you can compare it to Doofensmirthz from Phineas & Ferb, but Last Specter introduced one of the most cliché and boring villains with a cool design, which really is a shame because I was really looking forward to this guy, and to know I'll have to deal with him in 3 more Layton media.. damn, atleast I hope the story is better than this one, because I swear to god, the first three laytons had their own puzzle in the story, and the endings sequences were amazing but this time... The specter plotwist was really cool, I'll give them that, but everything else was really easy to find out and understand before it was revealed, and it lowkey tilted me that they were revealed so late because in the time It took me to reach there, I had a better conclusion on my mind, I even ended the game with a lot of questions which is unusual for a Layton game. It's the first Layton game that didn't made me cry because of how short and cliché the sad scenes were like, even ending the game with le female character giving a kiss to the male kid for "saving her" like come on, that was such a letdown and what made me give it a 4 rather than a 5, which is still very generous, as there are a lot of things bad with this game, like how majority of the puzzles are a downgrade of the other games, being almost all of them math and 3D perception puzzles. Near the end of the game, I was legit using a guide because of how boring those puzzles are.

    Now, by far the worst is that the events that succeded in the game not only had cliché moments, but also sexist, dark and even horny which is like... they really weren't really big, but as much as a character almost swearing and a girl making an adult joke, it's like come on writers, why are you getting horny on a **** Layton game...
    Emmy is also such a bad character, it goes against all the principles the series tried to conveil, and it's such a shame because as a girl, I really got excited when I saw there was a girl on the main cast but fr, she's so pushy and annoying, games went from "you can solve all with critical thinking" to "yeah, let's just **** them up with violence cuz why not lol" and like... I really wouldn't care if this wasn't a Layton game, but idk. I'm dissapointed, underwhelmed and mad because I expected so much of this series. It genuinely is a pity to see a bad game in a series you love so much.    … Expand
  14. ZangBang
    Dec 24, 2022
    5
    50/100
    Spectre's Call timidly attempts at evolving the gameplay structure established by the original trilogy, both inside and outside of puzzles, by making environments slightly more dynamically interactive and hosting an appreciable amount of surprising puzzles with unexpected solutions that stimulate players to think outside of the box. That being said, unfortunately the game hosts what    50/100
    Spectre's Call timidly attempts at evolving the gameplay structure established by the original trilogy, both inside and outside of puzzles, by making environments slightly more dynamically interactive and hosting an appreciable amount of surprising puzzles with unexpected solutions that stimulate players to think outside of the box. That being said, unfortunately the game hosts what is possibly the least impressive puzzle selection in the series thus far: while still fun, greatly diversified and entertaining, most of the ones provided by the first half of the game are way too easy or simplistic to be rewarding, leaving only the second half to offer meaningful challenges, along with the traditionally nice variety of minigames. The new trilogy goes back in time to dive into the past of some historic characters, as they unravel the mysteries of a quiet, isolated town soaked in superstition, folklore and corruption, making for a refreshingly bleak atmosphere amplified by a beautifully brooding, wistful soundtrack, balanced with some uplifting, more light-hearted new characters. Them, along with the unique tone, do a great job at giving plenty of charm to a plot that, while with good emotional weight, suffers from bland antagonists and mysteries that although fascinating are often too obvious or bizarrely solved.    … Expand
  15. Yojimbo2015
    Jun 3, 2023
    5
    Another Scooby-Doo style point and click adventure full of simple brainteasers aimed squarely at younger gamers.

Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Best DS Game of 2011
10
#10 Most Discussed DS Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 58 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 51 out of 58
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 58
  3. Negative: 0 out of 58
  1. Gamer.no
    Feb 6, 2012
    80
    Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call is, as the rest of the games in the series, a very entertaining way to keep your brain fit. 170 puzzles test your noggin on various themes such as visual memory, logic and mathematics, and it's all wrapped up in a beautiful package.
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  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 19, 2012
    80
    Maybe this puzzle-solving game is the last reason to find your long forgotten Nintendo DS – you will be amazed by the contents the developers were able to put on a single cartridge. [Christmas 2011]
  3. GameOver.gr
    Jan 12, 2012
    80
    Even though the prequel to professor's first three games is not as spectacular and the formula seems a little worn out, it can still deliver some great puzzle-solving hours. Oh, and the absence of the London Life mini-game from the European version is inexcusable.
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