Review by: Brandon "Parrot Jim" Cackowski-Schnell

As a longtime fan of the Professor Layton series, believe me when I say that this is, hands down, the best game in an already exceptional series. This story is the most interesting one, the puzzles are as varied as always but tie into the action of the main story better than ever before and the small character touches written into the game flesh out the world and its characters even more, further establishing Layton and Co. as some of the most endearing characters to grace any system in quite some time.

As this is the third installment in the series for North America, the formula is well established and anyone looking for deviation from this formula is going to be disappointed, however the formula works so well it's hard to be upset over this. Professor Layton is a professor of archaeology and a puzzle master of sorts and along with his young assistant Luke they help out the citizens of this whimsical version of London with their puzzle solving needs. Sometimes the puzzle is something on a small scale like a man who needs help getting a garnet out of his overstuffed garment bag and sometimes the puzzle is on a much larger scale, such as the time traveling predicament our heroes find themselves in when the game starts.

At the game's beginning, Luke receives a letter from someone claiming to be a version of Luke from ten years in the future. According to the letter the future needs Professor Layton's help and our heroes, never being ones to turn down a request for help, head off to meet this strange future Luke in a nearby clock shop. Before the story starts in earners we flashback to a failed time travel experiement in London that results in the disappearance of not only the Prime Minister of England but several renowned scientists, including the inventor of the failed time machine. Not before long, Layton and Luke find themselves in a London that exists ten years in the future, and what a grim future it is. The streets are dirty, the population lives in fear of a gang called "The Family" and worst of all, the head of this gang appears to be none other than Professor Layton himself. It's a great story that starts quickly and has the usual twists and turns you'd expect if you have played the previous two games.

All of the Professor Layton games feature beautiful, hand drawn 2-D animation to tell the story, usually at the very beginning and end of the games however Unwound Future also sprinkles the middle sections of the game with liberal doses of the same well done animation, complete with truly excellent voice work. These little movies help to move the story along with developments that can't be provided with a logic puzzle as well as provide touches to further flesh out the characters. We get to see Layton in his younger days rocking a sporty red cap and sweater vest combo, before he obtains his iconic top hat. We also get to see how and when he receives said hat in a moment which quickly became one of my favorite moments in the series. Seeing the usually unflappable Layton as a shy man unsure about something as silly as a hat made him all the more human and all the more endearing.

The puzzles also tie into the story in more interesting ways making for a more cohesive experience. Oh sure there are still the various residents of London that need help figuring out what day 70 days from the day before yesterday is however more than ever you'll be putting your brain to the task of moving the story further along or removing an impediment to Layton and Luke's progress. My favorite has to be the MacGyver-esque moment that asks you to make a machine gun out of slot machine parts so that Layton and Luke can defend themselves during a casino shootout.