Professor Layton and the Curious Village Critic Reviews

One of the finest debuts of a new IP in some time and does an incredible job of combining two areas the DS seems to have been made for: puzzles and adventure gaming. The addictive gameplay, twisting story, charming characters and beautifully drawn animation makes this a game that neither puzzle fans, nor adventure game fans should miss.

Whether or not Akihiro Hino and the crew at Level-5 built the world upon the foundation of the puzzles or vice versa, it melds into a cohesive miracle that's greater than the sum of its undeniably fantastic parts.

Professor Layton and the Curious Village has a certain warmth to it that makes it easy to love, even when you’re up against a particularly annoying puzzle. Personally, I found this first adventure so strong that I’m already getting antsy just thinking about the next game in this planned trilogy.

A very amazing piece of art merged with very unique, engrossing gameplay. Truly a unique experience that almost any gamer should give at least one go at. Other than very minor issues, this is easily one of the most well designed and enjoyable games ever made.

Professor Layton, like many of those other titles, has a level of polish and confidence that simply draws you in. It’s diverting in every way a video game should be. If you own a DS, you owe it to yourself to grab this title.

An excellent way to spend some quality time with your DS and genuinely worth the small investment from your bank account.

The surprise smash hit of the winter? We hope so, as this puzzler is one of the console's very best games.

A top-notch package that'll make you love puzzles as much as the game's designers.

A solid puzzle/adventure hybrid that is a lot more complex and difficult than it appears. This is a great alternative to the brain games and a must have for those who like to use their heard for more than a hat rack.

Marrying the current craze for brain teasing puzzles with a delightfully mysterious tale that entertains throughout works brilliantly and everything just smacks of pure quality.

Incredibly original and thoroughly entertaining.

Professor Layton and the Curious Village mixes an interesting story, challenging logic puzzles, and exploration into an extremely entertaining package that you won't want to put down.

An absolute joy to play and the variety of puzzles throughout the game keeps the experience fresh.

This is utter loveliness, embodying everything the DS has come to mean to me. Puzzles, high spirits, and an embracing of beautiful 2D artwork over complicated 3D fuss.

With a fantastic main quest that will keep you hooked to the end, extra tough puzzles to keep you thinking after the main story is complete and weekly downloadable content to be made available in the future, Professor Layton and the Curious Village is a very strong package indeed.

It's a Japanese import that is a little off the beaten track; a puzzle game with a story. Unfortunately, the concept and its curious title might cause the causal DS crowd to overlook it. It would be their loss.

This puzzle game with a heart is a splendid endorsement of the genre and the DS.

Perhaps the best puzzle game for the DS to date.

If you truly want to put your brain to work and have tired of strings of simple math problems or Sudoku, this is the game for you.

Professor Layton and the Curious Village looks a lot like old time adventure games – like The Adventures of Willy Beamish – with great hand drawn backgrounds and the occasional stretch of animation, complete with sound.