Mini Games
In addition to solving puzzles, there is one more thing that players can do to entertain themselves and that is doing several mini games. Unlocked by doing collecting a certain item in the game, the mini-games that you can play are fun and it can give your brain muscles a little relaxation after all the puzzle solving that you have to do in the game. Some of the mini-games that you can do Miracle Mask is petting or training a virtual rabbit, guiding a Robot from one place to another while preventing the traps set on him, and a few others.
NOT
Same Old Formula
Long time fans that are seeking for new type of gameplay in Miracle Mask will not find anything new here. In the four games that they’ve released, I am sad to report that Level-5 didn’t add anything to make the gameplay somewhat unique. The story progression in Miracle Mask remains the same where players will have to watch a couple of minutes of conversation between the characters, use the touch screen to seek for hidden coins or items that contains puzzles, and the usual solving them to proceed to the next part of the story. If you found the four DS Layton games to be boring, your mind will not change on Miracle Mask as the formula remains the same, though it’s not the bad thing if all you’re seeking for are new puzzles and the quirky/mysterious story that Professor Layton games have.
VERDICT
Over the course of four games that have been released on the Nintendo DS, I must say that Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask is quite an upgrade and a step up in the series. The visuals are greatly improved where the environments and characters are more livelier, and new challenging puzzles that never gets old. However, one thing that might disappoint veteran fans of the series is that the formula that Level-5 used in the four previous games remains in Miracle Mask – though it’s not a really a bad thing as the game is still the Professor Layton game that everyone loved.
[Editor’s Note: Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask was reviewed on the Nintendo 3DS platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
