Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask[lower-alpha 1] is a puzzleadventurevideo game developed by Level-5. It is the fifth game in the Professor Layton series, the second in the prequel trilogy of games, and the first in the series to be developed for the Nintendo 3DS.[1]Miracle Mask was released as a launch title for the Nintendo 3DS in Japan in February 2011, becoming the best-selling game on the day of the system's launch. The game was later released worldwide in October 2012.[3][4]Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask Plus, an enhanced edition featuring new puzzles and added cutscenes, was released on the Nintendo eShop in Japan in February 2013.[5]
The game centers on Professor Hershel Layton, alongside his apprentice, Luke Triton, and his assistant, Emmy Altava, attempting to uncover the truth behind the "Masked Gentleman", a villain who is seemingly terrorising the city of Monte d'Or with supposed uses of "dark magic".
Like previous games in the series, Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask is a puzzle adventure game split across various chapters. Players explore areas and converse with characters to help solve the mysteries that lay before them. At various points in the game, the player will encounter puzzles that need to be solved. Solving these puzzles earn Picarats, used for accessing bonus content, with more Picarats earned for solving the puzzle without any mistakes. Hint coins can also be found which can be spent to unlock hints to help players solve a puzzle if they get stuck.
There are various changes made during the transition to the Nintendo 3DS, as characters and environments are now presented in 3D graphics. Unlike the previous games, in which players interacted directly with the environment on the touch screen, players now use the touch screen to control a magnifying glass to navigate the environment displayed on the top screen. When the magnifying glass is hovered over something of interest, the player can tap the touch screen to inspect it, initiating conversation with characters or revealing a hint coin or puzzle. Certain areas can be zoomed in to reveal more areas to interact with. Puzzles are still controlled on the touch screen, though many have 3D graphics displayed on the top screen and a few also utilise the 3DS' gyroscope feature. Players are given the option to have reminders of the puzzle description temporarily appear on the bottom screen, or stick it to the top.
Like the previous games before it, Miracle Mask has a set of unique minigames that are expanded upon as the player solves puzzles. 'Toy Robot' tasks the player with navigating a maze in order to reach a goal panel whilst avoiding enemies. 'One-Stop Shop' requires players to arrange items on a shelf based on their type and color in order to entice customers to buy everything on display. 'Rabbit Show' sees Luke taking care of a rabbit and training it to perform in the circus. As Luke converses and trains the rabbit, it learns new actions that must be used accordingly to follow a script in a play. In addition, there is a horse-riding minigame which sees players riding a horse, dodging barrels and collecting carrots to speed up. Midway through the game, there is a top-down adventure portion which sees a young Layton navigating an underground ruin. During this segment, Layton must solve puzzles such as pushing boulders and avoiding mummies, also digging up certain areas to reveal hint coins and hidden puzzles.
Along with the 150 puzzles found in the main game, players are also capable of connecting to Nintendo Network in order to download additional puzzles. These puzzles are made available weekly for a year following release, with seven puzzles made available each week; in all, 365 puzzles can be downloaded. Puzzle packages are downloaded automatically via the Spotpass function of the Nintendo 3DS.[6]
Accompanied by Luke and Emmy, Layton arrives at the city of Monte d'Or to investigate some strange events occurring there by request of an old friend of his youth, Angela Ledore. Once arriving, they have an encounter with a mysterious figure covering his face with an ancient artifact from the Azran Civilization called the "Mask of Chaos", calling himself the "Masked Gentleman", who is responsible for the events, which he calls "miracles", such as making paintings come alive and turning people into horses and statues. As the trio make their own investigation. Layton reveals to his companions that eighteen years ago, he explored some old Azran ruins nearby alongside his close friend Randall Ascot, who was Angela's boyfriend, following some clues Randall obtained by researching the Mask of Chaos. During the expedition, Randall falls in a trap and apparently dies, while Layton discovers a huge treasure that he neither reclaims, nor reveals its location to anyone in Randall's memory. Randall's butler and surrogate brother Henry establishes a huge search operation to look for him, but to no avail, eventually discovering the treasure and using it to found Monte d'Or, marrying Angela a few years later.
As he exposes the Masked Gentleman's "miracles" as elaborate magic tricks, Layton learns that Dalston, another friend of his who is the owner of a hotel chain that rivals Henry Ledore's hotels, is arrested under suspicions that he is involved with the Masked Gentleman and is attempting to frame Henry. An enraged Dalston states that Angela is the Masked Gentleman instead, who wishes to get revenge on Henry for leaving Randall to die. The Masked Gentleman attacks again, revealing that he will perform one final miracle in the next evening and Dalston is released after his name is cleared. Layton begins to suspect Angela and Henry are hiding something from him due to their suspicious behaviour. Furthermore, the team are pressed to search for the Mask of Order, another Azran treasure which is said to counteract the Mask of Chaos' power.
The next night, Layton and his company arrive at the Reunion Inn, the establishment that is said to have provided Monte d'Or with enough money to become a city, where they confront the Masked Gentleman, who reveals himself as Randall. After his fall eighteen years ago, Randall had lost his memories and was living with some villagers who rescued him until he received some anonymous letters that made him recover from his amnesia, but also misled him into believing that he was betrayed by Henry and Layton and inspired him to enact revenge as the Masked Gentleman. Randall detonates some explosives that threaten to bury Monte d'Or in sand. Layton deduces that both the Masks of Order and Chaos are part of the same set and solves an Azran puzzle with Angela's help that reveals the hidden Azran vault, lifting the town upwards to safety in the process.
With the city secured, Layton reveals that Randall was all along being manipulated by Jean Descole, whom at some point kidnapped Angela and disguised as her to make Layton help him unlock the vault, his deception discovered by Layton after he rescued the real Angela in secret. Once exposed, Descole flees. Henry confesses to Randall that he never stopped searching for him and that his marriage with Angela was forged to discourage other suitors, revealing that all of Ledore's assets are registered in Randall's name in preparation for his return. Randall reconciles with his family and friends, and Layton and company set off on their next adventure, while Descole rejoices at having finally found the Azran vault he was looking for until he is attacked by Bronev and his organization Targent. Descole evades capture, but Bronev's men secure the vault. He then states that this, along with The Gardens of Healing from Misthallery (which Layton found in the Last Specter), The City of Harmony from Ambrosia (which Layton found in the Eternal Diva), would combine to form the three Azran legacies, which he plans to use for his own gains.[7][8]
Development
Miracle Mask was overseen by Akihiro Hino, the CEO of Level-5, and directed by Jun Suzuki.[9] The game's puzzles were created by Akira Tago, author of the Atama no Taisō (頭の体操, Mental Gymnastics) series of puzzle books, who had also created the puzzles for the previous games in the series.[9]
The game was first announced as a Nintendo DS title at the official launch event for Professor Layton and the Last Specter, where it was scheduled for Japanese release during Q3 2010.[10] Hino promised that Miracle Mask would bring major changes to the series' gameplay systems, and said that the trilogy was imagined with a second movie to take place after Miracle Mask.[10] Although artwork, a logo, and the setting of the game's story were given, the game was not demonstrated at the event.[10]
After seeing the Nintendo 3DS, Hino systematically shifted projects from other systems to it, in hopes that Level-5 would be recognized as a firm part of the image of the Nintendo 3DS system.[11]Miracle Mask was one of these projects. Though the game was originally built in 2D, it was made to look "pseudo-3D"[11] for Nintendo's E3 2010 presentation. After seeing what other publishers had produced for the system, however, Hino decided to completely remake the game in order to use the systems's unique qualities.[11] He expressed his belief that the game would be the "best in the series so far", and that the game felt like "something completely new, something no one's ever seen before".[12]
At a Nintendo press event later in 2010, the first trailer for Miracle Mask, originally under the name The Mask of Miracle, was released along with screenshots, demonstrating the graphical and gameplay overhauls that had taken place over the system's switch to Nintendo 3DS; the previous games' hand-drawn 2D sprites had been replaced by 3D models, areas of the game could now be examined in a 3D perspective, and several puzzles took advantage of the 3DS' features, including its motion sensor.[13] Despite the game's new visual style, the appearance of the series' animated cutscenes remained intact, albeit rendered in 3D.[13][14] Another trailer was released at Level-5's 2010 "Vision" event, revealing the Japanese voice actors, the game's ending theme, the plans for the game's puzzle downloading service, and the game's second timeline, following a younger Professor Layton in high school.[9]
Release
Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask was first released in 2011 as a launch title for the Nintendo 3DS within Japan. It sold 117,000 copies in its first weekend, making it the system's best-selling title upon its release.[8][15] Ultimately, the title would be outsold by other Nintendo 3DS games, such as Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7, to become the sixth best-selling Nintendo 3DS game in the region during 2012 at 360,000 copies.[16] It was also the second best-selling third party title for the system, behind Monster Hunter Tri G, and the twenty-sixth best-selling game of the year overall.[16]
A tentative English title for the game, Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle, was provided along with an early demo at E3 2010; however, no other information was provided about its international release. In late 2011, a European trailer for Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call alluded to a fifth entry in the series being released for Nintendo 3DS in 2012; this was later confirmed in a press release, where the game received its second tentative title of Professor Layton 5.[17][18]
In May 2012, a trademark titled Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask (its final title) was filed by Level 5, hinting at an eventual U.S. release.[19] Despite this, no announcements were made at E3 2012.[20] The game was later released in Europe on October 26, 2012, in Australia on October 27, and in North America on October 28.
An updated version of the game titled Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask Plus was released for the Nintendo eShop in Japan in early 2013. It added new features to the original game, including more cutscenes, three save slots, and additional puzzles. It includes bonus tutorials and hints for younger players as well as all the downloadable content from the original.[5]
The game's soundtrack was composed by Tomohito Nishiura. Unlike the other titles in the series, no official soundtrack has been released for Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask.
The game's ending theme, entitled "Mysterious Flower", was composed by Yumi Matsutoya.[21] Her 2011 album Road Show features a music video for the song animated in the style of Professor Layton, adding her into cutscenes from the game.[21]
In Japan, the game got a score of 32 out of 40 in Famitsu, who praised the game's investigation mechanics but said that the puzzles did not make enough use of 3D.[29][41]IGN said that the Japanese version was "perfect for a portable system"[8] and said that its puzzles remained surprising and well-designed despite being the fifth entry in the series; however, they expressed disappointment at the long wait for the game's localization.[8] Andriasang stated that, despite the changes made to it, the Japanese version still feels like a Professor Layton game.[14]
Elsewhere, the game received "favorable" reviews according to video game review aggregatorMetacritic.[22]Common Sense Media gave it all five stars, saying, "Returning fans will recognize the style of many of the game's puzzles. Some force you to carefully analyze images, others are tricky riddles, and still others involve clever application of basic math skills -- but each one is different enough from the last that boredom never sets in. Add in yet another engaging story filled with quirky personalities and several seemingly unsolvable grand mysteries, and you have a recipe for a very memorable Professor Layton adventure."[39]National Post gave it a score of 8.5 out of 10, saying that it "entertains without violence or scares, it provides a healthy workout for your brain, and it's suitable for most ages and both genders. It will provide hours of entertainment for your son, your daughter, you, and your significant other (you'll need to take turns playing, but that's what multiple save files are for). Suffice to say we think Santa couldn't have chosen a better stocking stuffer for clever kids (or their parents)."[42]Digital Spy gave it four stars out of five, saying, "Its fascinating story and well-balanced array of puzzles means Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask is probably the best outing in the series since the ground-breaking original, and the new approach to visuals once again reminds you of the system's now forgotten selling point: its terrific 3D screen."[40]1Up.com gave the game a B stating: "The puzzles remain engrossing, but the story and world this time around miss the mark."[23]
Notes
↑ Known in Japan as Reiton-kyōju to Kiseki no Kamen (レイトン教授と奇跡の仮面)
Related Research Articles
Level-5 Inc. is a Japanese video game developer and publisher based in Fukuoka. The company was founded in October 1998 by Akihiro Hino after he departed from Riverhillsoft. Early in its history, the company enjoyed a close relationship with Sony Computer Entertainment, with many of its games then funded by and produced in conjunction with them. Level-5 began self-publishing its games in Japan by the late 2000s, with other companies such as Nintendo handling publishing worldwide. The company is best known for their Dark Cloud, Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven, Ni no Kuni, Yo-kai Watch, and Snack World franchises.
Professor Layton and the Curious Village is a puzzle adventure video game for the Nintendo DS system. It was developed and published by Level-5 in Japan and published by Nintendo worldwide. It was released in Japan in 2007 and worldwide the following year. It was re-released in Australia using the British English localisation and European artwork to replace the previously released North American localisation. Curious Village is the first game in the Professor Layton series, followed by Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box. An enhanced mobile port of Curious Village featuring additional cutscenes, subtitled "HD for Mobile", was released in 2018.
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, known in Australia and Europe as Professor Layton and Pandora's Box, is the second game in the Professor Layton series by Level-5. It was followed by a third game, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future. The game follows Professor Layton and his self-proclaimed apprentice Luke as they travel cross-country by train to solve the mystery behind a mysterious box that is said to kill anyone who opens it. An enhanced mobile port of Diabolical Box, subtitled "HD for Mobile", was released on December 5, 2018.
Professor Layton is a puzzle adventure video game series and transmedia franchise developed by Level-5. The property consists primarily of seven main video games, a mobile spin-off, an animated theatrical film, and an anime television series, while additionally incorporating an array of secondary titles and media, including a crossover game with Capcom's Ace Attorney series.
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, known in Europe and Australia as Professor Layton and the Lost Future, is the third game in the first trilogy of the Professor Layton puzzle game series by Level-5. It was first released in Japan in November 2008 and was later released in North America in September 2010 and in Europe and Australia in October 2010. In the game, Layton meets an older version of his apprentice, Luke, who brings him to a terrible future he wishes him to help fix. The game received critical acclaim by critics, praise for its story, puzzles, characters, soundtrack, and has since been cited as one of the best games of the series. An enhanced mobile port of Unwound Future, subtitled "HD for Mobile", was released on July 13, 2020.
Professor Layton and the Last Specter, known in Europe as Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call, is a puzzle adventure video game produced by Level-5 for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. Last Specter is the fourth game in the Professor Layton series, and is a prequel that takes place three years before the first trilogy, detailing how Professor Layton met his apprentice, Luke Triton and introducing Layton's assistant Emmy Altava.
Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva is a 2009 Japanese animated mystery film directed by Masakazu Hashimoto, written by Aya Matsui from a story by Akihiro Hino and produced by P.A. Works and OLM. The film is based on the Professor Layton video game series by Level-5, taking place between the events of the video games Professor Layton and the Last Specter and Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask. In the story, renowned opera star Janice Quatlane contacts her former teacher, Professor Hershel Layton, after encountering a young girl who claims to be the reincarnation of her dead friend. While Layton and his apprentice, Luke Triton, are attending one of Janice's performances, they get unwillingly pulled into a puzzle-themed battle royal where the winner will apparently receive "the gift of eternal life". According to Level-5, the film stays true to the games, with music, puzzles and characters.
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance is an action role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo 3DS, revealed at E3 2010. The game is the seventh installment in the Kingdom Hearts series and was released in Japan on March 29, 2012. It was released in Europe on July 20, 2012, in Australasia on July 26, 2012, and in North America on July 31, 2012.
Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition is a fighting video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo 3DS handheld game console. It was released as a launch game in all continents, but in Japan first on 26 February 2011. It is a port of the console game Super Street Fighter IV. The game has sold 1.3 million units worldwide for 3DS.
Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a visual novel adventure puzzle video game for the Nintendo 3DS, and was developed by both Capcom and Level-5, the latter publishing it in Japan while Nintendo published it worldwide. The game is a crossover between two games series from both developers, combining the puzzle and exploration elements of Level-5's Professor Layton series, and the general trial mechanics of Capcom's Ace Attorney adventure series, the latter enhanced by the addition of a few new elements. Shu Takumi, the series director for the Ace Attorney series, assisted with the scenario designs for the game. The plot focuses on Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright, along with their respective assistants, working together to solve the mystery behind a young girl that they both encounter separately, and a strange world they are brought to through her, with Layton focused on solving puzzles and finding clues to solve the mystery, while Wright focuses on defending people who are put on trial for being "witches".
Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights is an adventure game for the Nintendo 3DS. It was co-developed by Konami and Winkysoft, and designed by Zone of the Enders director Noriaki Okamura. The game is set in late 19th-century Paris, and follows the eponymous protagonist, archaeologist Doctor Lautrec, on his quest for a hidden treasure of the Bourbon dynasty.
Professor Hershel Layton is the eponymous main protagonist of the Professor Layton series, created by Level-5, in which he and his apprentice Luke Triton investigate mysteries while solving various brain teasers. He also appears in an animated movie, Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva, and has featured in manga and novels that have not been released in English. His birth name was revealed to be Theodore Bronev in Azran Legacy.
Super Monkey Ball 3D is a platform party game, part of the Super Monkey Ball game series. It was developed and published by Sega for the Nintendo 3DS handheld game console. Players can either use the Circle Pad or the internal gyroscope of the Nintendo 3DS to navigate AiAi and the others so they can collect as many bananas as possible within the time limit as in previous games in the series.
James Noir's Hollywood Crimes is a puzzle game developed by Ubisoft for the Nintendo 3DS and iOS. The game is set within a TV game show in the 1960s and the player must solve puzzles to defeat a mysterious criminal mastermind. The player takes on the role of a contestant working their way through 6 stages of a game show as Hollywood becomes the staging ground for a set of gruesome crimes. The game stars Elias Toufexis who played Adam Jensen in Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
Atamania (アタマニア) is a series of casual puzzle video games published by Level-5. The series comprises two, unrelated series of puzzle games. Tago Akira no Atama no Taisō is a collection of puzzles created by Akira Tago, a Japanese professor who has authored a series of books within Japan under the same name. Players read through stories and solve puzzles at their own leisure. Surōn to Makuhēru no Nazo no Sutōrī is based on the concept of lateral thinking puzzles, books authored by Paul Sloane and Des MacHale. The games have drawn comparison to the Professor Layton series, which is also published by Level-5.
Unchained Blades, titled UnchainBlades ReXX in Japan, is a 2011 dungeon crawler role-playing video game developed by FuRyu and published by Xseed Games for the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Portable.
Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy is a puzzle game developed by Level-5 for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the sixth entry in the Professor Layton series, making up the third and final part of the prequel trilogy of games and, according to Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino, it was intended to be the last Layton title to star Professor Layton himself as the protagonist. However, with the announcement of Professor Layton and The New World of Steam in 2023, this is no longer the case. The game saw a release in early to late 2013 in all territories except North America, where it was released on February 28 of the following year.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D is a 2015 action-adventure game developed by Grezzo and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS handheld game console. The game is a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, which was originally released for the Nintendo 64 home console in 2000. The game was released worldwide in February 2015, coinciding with the North American and European releases of the New Nintendo 3DS, to mostly positive reviews, with particular praise for its fast-paced gameplay, enhanced graphics, and quality of life changes.
Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy is a 2017 puzzle video game by Level-5. It is the seventh main entry in the Professor Layton series and follows a new protagonist, Katrielle Layton. It was released for Android, iOS, and the Nintendo 3DS, in 2017, and an enhanced port for the Nintendo Switch in Japan in 2018, and worldwide in 2019. A manga adaptation of the game drawn by Hori Oritoka began serialization on March 20, 2018, in Shōgakukan's Ciao magazine, and an anime adaptation, Layton Mystery Tanteisha: Katori no Nazotoki File, began airing on Fuji TV and other channels in April 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
