Professor Layton and the Last Specter
Professor Layton and the Last Specter est un jeu sorti le 26 novembre 2009 sur Nintendo DS. Développé par LEVEL-5 et édité par LEVEL-5 et Nintendo, il s'agit du quatrième opus de la série. Ce jeu est une préquelle qui se déroule trois ans avant la trilogie originale, détaillant comment le professeur Layton a rencontré son apprenti, Luke Triton.
Le jeu propose plus de 170 énigmes et inclut un jeu de rôle supplémentaire, Professor Layton's London Life, accessible dès le début. Ce contenu, annoncé comme offrant plus de 100 heures de jeu, a été retiré des versions européennes pour éviter un retard de traduction. Classé dans les genres point-and-click, réflexion et visual novel, le jeu offre une durée de vie d'environ 13 heures pour l'histoire principale et peut atteindre 23 heures pour les joueurs souhaitant tout accomplir.
Avec un score agrégé de 79,95, l'accueil critique a été globalement favorable. La presse a salué le jeu, Modojo le qualifiant d'excellente addition à la série et l'un des derniers jeux de réflexion de qualité sur DS, tandis qu'Universo Nintendo y voit le début d'une nouvelle trilogie prometteuse. Cependant, certains joueurs ont exprimé des réserves, l'un considérant cet opus comme un pas en arrière par rapport à son prédécesseur, et un autre le jugeant comme un jeu d'aventure point-and-click simple destiné à un public plus jeune.
Médias
Avis des critiques et joueurs
Critiques de la Presse (Metacritic)
« Another fine addition to the celebrated series and one of the last quality puzzle games for Nintendo's DS. Don't miss it. »
« It is the beginning of a new trilogy that has the true potential to surpass the first one. Someone said that the DS was dead? Level-5 certainly disagrees. »
« I don't know that I'd necessarily recommend London Life as a standalone release, but as a freebie with a solid story-driven puzzler it's a no-brainer. In fact, the question of whether or not The Last Specter is worth a purchase is the easiest Layton puzzle answer of all. »
« The inclusion of Emmy is certainly a great idea, and the wonderful mini-games and side game of London Life are much needed diversions that help break up any monotony earned by just solving puzzles. »
« From top to bottom, this is the most expertly put-together Layton game in the series. »
« While it doesn't change much from Layton's previous adventures, the small tweaks (and the generous extras) make this my favorite Layton game to-date. The series is one of the few remaining champions of the graphic adventure, and, fortunately, they're doing a damn fine job of keeping that genre relevant for a modern audience. »
« Another top-quality game in a truly brilliant series. It challenges your mind in a way very few games seriously attempt to do, and the feeling you get when you solve a particularly difficult puzzle is less one of relief than it is a desire to leap ahead in the game and find the next one. Playing this game is its own reward, and we'd have it no other way. »
« Professor Layton and the Last Specter is a very solid game, especially for those who prefer thinking over reflexes in their games. »
Avis des Joueurs (Metacritic)
« The Last Specter is a bit of a step backward for the Layton series, while Unwound Future added more tension, pace, and more integrated puzzles to the story, the Last Specter seems to do the opposite. It's still a decent game mind you, but a lot of the puzzles and story simply aren't as up to par as the past two games have been. At the very least, Emmy is a great addition to the Layton cast, and I certainly want to see more of her and the professor. »
« Another Scooby-Doo style point and click adventure full of simple brainteasers aimed squarely at younger gamers. »
« 50/100 Spectre's Call timidly attempts at evolving the gameplay structure established by the original trilogy, both inside and outside of puzzles, by making environments slightly more dynamically interactive and hosting an appreciable amount of surprising puzzles with unexpected solutions that stimulate players to think outside of the box. That being said, unfortunately the game hosts what is possibly the least impressive puzzle selection in the series thus far: while still fun, greatly diversified and entertaining, most of the ones provided by the first half of the game are way too easy or simplistic to be rewarding, leaving only the second half to offer meaningful challenges, along with the traditionally nice variety of minigames. The new trilogy goes back in time to dive into the past of some historic characters, as they unravel the mysteries of a quiet, isolated town soaked in superstition, folklore and corruption, making for a refreshingly bleak atmosphere amplified by a beautifully brooding, **** soundtrack, balanced with some uplifting, more light-hearted new characters. Them, along with the unique tone, do a great job at giving plenty of charm to a plot that, while with good emotional weight, suffers from bland antagonists and mysteries that although fascinating are often too obvious or bizarrely solved. »
« Algo realmente extraño lo de iniciar una trilogía en una plataforma y acabarla en otra. Viniendo de la 3era entrega, la sensación es que esta se queda un poco pequeña. Pero claro, cuál no lo haría? »
« [SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.] »
« That's my fav video game I've ever played. I loved everything about it: the story, the puzzles, the soundtrack and the characters. This is one of those games that you have to play again and again. »
« My last NDS title bought to date. Great way to start connecting the pieces of the series' timeline! »
« Awesome game, as expected from Professor Layton. One of the best ways to end the DS era »
