I'm not a big fan of Layton games (I do know they're good, they're just not for me), but I am a big fan of mystery games, especially the Phoenix Wright series. So when I heard this was a mystery game with no puzzles I definitely wanted to give it a try, and I won't lie on the fact that it's definitely well done
But it has some major flaws.
Let's start with the good things: theI'm not a big fan of Layton games (I do know they're good, they're just not for me), but I am a big fan of mystery games, especially the Phoenix Wright series. So when I heard this was a mystery game with no puzzles I definitely wanted to give it a try, and I won't lie on the fact that it's definitely well done
But it has some major flaws.
Let's start with the good things: the characters are likeable and definitely interesting, especially Alfendi as he takes a lot of her father's "manners", and Lucy is very reminiscent of Luke's energy and willing to learn new stuff. The suspects are pretty well done, although you'll just talk with one for every case, and and the crime scene is pretty simple to explore (it's an IOS game afterall). Infact I dare say that the investigation part is bad due to how the 3D graphics are: they should've sticked with a 2D scenery instead.
The cases are interesting but only the last ones are somewhat connected and, overall, it's a very good game for IOS standards. But it has some major issues that make it very underwhelming.
For starters, the dialogue. They're well written and gives each character their own personality but I hope they didn't hire some writer from Square Enix or something, because they are unnecessarily quirky and - in my opinion - it destroys the immersion. Don't take me wrong: accents can be done well, but no character ever speaks with voices (this IS an IOS game afterall) so all of that "Ye Wot Mate" crap is just there to look "cool and dandy". If they just wrote the dialogue in the usual manner it would've been better: they are already well characterized and developed on their own. They simply did not need to this to make their characters better.
Secondly, the resolutive parts. The game is simple so I'm not expecting complexity from an IOS game, but the main gripe I have is mostly when the case is getting wrapped up: there is this interesting part where you have to talk to the suspect and show he or she's wrong, and that's actually not bad. But the bad part is the ending: as soon as you discover why or because he or she did this, what happens next?
Absolutely freaking nothing.
No explanation of the suspect backstory. No breakdown or defeat animation or something. No aftermath. No possible additions to the story, nothing. The case is over, everything is immediately forgotten (except for certain cases). "Wow dat case wus nuts, by the way mate 'ow ye and the prof doin'". It's so....SO underwhelming: I expect at least something for finishing a case, not just a "Mystery Solved!" Again I played PW games but I also played a lot of adventure games where mysteries are the main plot. This game just does the resolution very weakly and really leaves to be desired.
And for last but technicaly not the least, the graphics are good...but they really should've stayed with 2D for the crime scenes. I already said that but I say this again because, this isn't a 3DS or VITA game but an IOS game: the capacities of a phone doesn't always match a console (Although there are phones that have higher capacities, but we're talking of a generalize scenario). I just think that 2D crime scenes would've been more impactful. And less ridiculous.
Rant's over: do I recommend it? Yes, why not? It's good and has pretty much nothing going wrong, except for those things I mentioned. And even then, it's highly subjective. So give it a try!
PS: just remember that this isn't a puzzle based game, like the main Layton games!… Expand
Layton Brothers: Mystery RoomYour Score0 out of 10User Score
