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Laytons Mystery Journey |OT| iOS/Android now, 3DS JP only until Fall

the ipad version is just a blown up version of the iphone version which in turn feels like a blown up 3ds emulator. Doesn't even support landscape outside of cutscenes. I quickly switched to the iPhone which I feel looks better and plays just as well. Fortunately you can transfer saves (even to android -- dlc aside) although that is a cumbersome, manual process

That is disappointing blegh. I do not want to buy it on the phone :(.
 

Tizoc

Member
This game is heating up my iPad ToT
Still I am enjoying it but it does feel slow progressing through it.
 

blazeaire

Member
I wish they could make the top screen more touch friendly like being able to just click areas instead of having to move the cursor around but otherwise it's fine, Kat certainly is more sassy then Hershal lmao
 

Gradly

Member
Never played these games before but this looks cool and I love the design, gonna buy this game on iOS tonight.

I wish Ace Attorney series be like this in terms of graphics quality :(
 

aravuus

Member
I wish they could make the top screen more touch friendly like being able to just click areas instead of having to move the cursor around but otherwise it's fine, Kat certainly is more sassy then Hershal lmao

You can do just that. You either move the cursor by dragging your finger on the lower half and tap once to interact with whatever the cursor is on at the moment, or just directly tap something on the upper half.
 

blazeaire

Member
You can do just that. You either move the cursor by dragging your finger on the lower half and tap once to interact with whatever the cursor is on at the moment, or just directly tap something on the upper half.

Ooh yes you're right my bad, the magnifying glass doesn't move so I assume it doesn't pick up on them but it does
 
iPad version is just fine and I doubt anyone would feel shortchanged playing it? Not that I've had anything else to compare it to, but it looks very good imo. I'm about 2 hours in and it's definitely a Layton game. Decent writing and somewhat engaging even for me, and I get bored really fast in lesser games of this ilk.

Edit: Oh actually, the 3D models could have been rendered in native resolution instead. They are quite jaggie now. But I didn't even remember it when first making this post so clearly it doesn't bother me in this game.
 
I like the puzzles so far but they are separated by a lot of reading story dialogue. I am interested in the story but I've done just three puzzles in the 50 minutes I've played.
 
Didn't know this existed, and now I want it. It's been far too long since my last Layton adventure.

Will wait for 3DS physical version, need to complete the collection.
 

takoyaki

Member
I like the puzzles so far but they are separated by a lot of reading story dialogue. I am interested in the story but I've done just three puzzles in the 50 minutes I've played.

Don't worry, Layton games typically have a slow start. Opening cutscene, character introductions, long tutorials that gradually open up all the features, etc. take time. Previous games had 150+ puzzles and average playtimes of 20/25h, then there's the mini games and daily puzzles. Once they get going, Layton games have a good puzzle-story ratio.
 
Don't worry, Layton games typically have a slow start. Opening cutscene, character introductions, long tutorials that gradually open up all the features, etc. take time. Previous games had 150+ puzzles and average playtimes of 20/25h, then there's the mini games and daily puzzles. Once they get going, Layton games have a good puzzle-story ratio.
Generally there are also extra puzzles at the end, which are quite a few, and quite tough as well.
 

Shiggy

Member
Kotaku has some impressions: http://kotaku.com/5-hours-with-the-new-layton-great-writing-weak-puzzle-1797076176

Although it initially seems like there’s going to be some Phoenix Wright-style detective work that you have to do to solve each mystery, it turns out that the mysteries solve themselves as you walk through the story, just as long as you solve the required logic puzzles along the way. (So far, anyway—I’m about three and a half mysteries deep into the game’s dozen stories.)

(That's how it's always been, odd comment)


I’ve solved around 50 puzzles so far and have found them, as a group, to be weak tea at best. Layton puzzles are at their strongest when they’re about lateral thinking—you ponder the wording of a puzzle or the arrangement of a mysterious picture until you get that a-ha! moment and an inscrutable imponderable instantly makes sense.

So far there hasn’t been much of that in Mystery Journey. The puzzles I’ve solved have involved a lot of rearranging shapes, plotting out pathways, and other sorts of play-with-the-pieces puzzles. They’re already starting to get repetitive. Some of the logic puzzles are so ridiculously easy I wouldn’t even call them puzzles. One puzzle is written in such a way that there are two viable solutions, but the game only recognizes one of them as being correct.

It could be because I’ve already played six Layton games plus the Phoenix Wright crossover, but I’m not impressed by the puzzling so far. It all just feels a little loose and sloppy, a little underwhelming.


The script is a high point. While those previous Laytons were localized by Nintendo, this one was handled by Level-5 itself, and specifically by noted translator Richard Honeywood, who did Ni no Kuni and various Dragon Quest titles. If you’ve played those, you’ll find Mystery Journey’s rich British accents and wordplay-heavy comedy quite familiar. The writing is playful and funny, and the characters all have distinct ways of expressing themselves that clearly define their personalities.
 
Really happy with the Android port. Not perfect; I've had one crash, but the game autosaves regularly enough that it saved me any trouble. The resolution bump on both cinematics and character dialogue, compared to 3DS, is much appreciated. My biggest concern was battery life; some recent releases cook my S5, and drain the battery within an hour, but Mystery Journey runs really well on it. It doesn't get my phone toasty, and I managed to get a good three hours of playtime before I went to plug in my phone (and even then, it had barely hit 20%). And of course, the writing is fantastic. The tone is surprisingly gentle compared to what little I've played of Layton, but I don't mind at all. Also, as someone who isn't aware of the story in the previous games, this seems like a great entry point, which I found a relief.
 

blackw0lf

Member
Do we know if Akihiro Hino did the story for this, like he did the others?

(Actually I don't know if he did the last game on the 3DS).
 

takoyaki

Member
from Gematsu
Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy will launch for 3DS in the west in October, developer Level-5 announced.

The puzzle adventure game launched worldwide today for iOS and Android, as well as for 3DS in Japan. The iOS and Android versions are available on the App Store and Google Play, respectively, for $15.99.
 

maxcriden

Member
Really happy with the Android port. Not perfect; I've had one crash, but the game autosaves regularly enough that it saved me any trouble. The resolution bump on both cinematics and character dialogue, compared to 3DS, is much appreciated. My biggest concern was battery life; some recent releases cook my S5, and drain the battery within an hour, but Mystery Journey runs really well on it. It doesn't get my phone toasty, and I managed to get a good three hours of playtime before I went to plug in my phone (and even then, it had barely hit 20%). And of course, the writing is fantastic. The tone is surprisingly gentle compared to what little I've played of Layton, but I don't mind at all. Also, as someone who isn't aware of the story in the previous games, this seems like a great entry point, which I found a relief.

Jus curious, but what do you mean by the tone being gentle? I've only played three previous Layton games but all were on the exceedingly gentle side in terms of tone.
 

takoyaki

Member
Metacritic (no score yet)


First English Review on Digitally Downloaded 4/5
I can go on infinitely about how much I am enjoying Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy. The game present little truly new to the series' gameplay, but since it already shone in past titles that's a great thing. The characters are lovable, often with dry wit and secret pasts (or presents). Whimsy combines with reality, creating a fantastic believable world. The game promises at least dozens of hours of gameplay with limitless expansion potential, and I'm excited to see where it goes.


Review-like impressions from The Verge (no score)
The biggest changes have more to do with the new lead character than the new platform. Whereas Hershel Layton was a puzzle-loving archaeology professor who solved mysteries in his free time, Katrielle is a budding detective. So instead of one big, ongoing mystery, the game is divided into a series of cases, each focused on a specific crime. You'll do everything from solve a possible murder to rescue a millionaire's beloved cat. This structure lends itself well to mobile, as you can make a lot of progress in a short time. Most cases only take an hour or so to complete. But it lacks the big payoff that comes from finally figuring out the secrets behind the lengthy mysteries in previous Layton games.

Even with these changes, The Millionaires' Conspiracy still feels like a full-fledged Layton adventure, the kind that would feel at home on a dedicated game system. That comes at a cost: the game is $15.99 on both iOS and Android, which is a lot less than a typical 3DS release, but also quite a bit more than most mobile titles. Depending on your perspective, it's either a great deal or terribly overpriced.


Destructoid (Review in Progress)
So far, Layton's Mystery Journey is very routine for a Layton game and please don't think of that as a disparaging remark against it. I adore the original concept of the franchise, that my wits and fortitude are relentlessly tested by the citizens who haff twelve metchsteek. I only hope the new focus on solving individual cases rather than one overarching story arc will help make up for the more tired trends that continue to cling to the series like a barnacle on a blue whale.
 
Jus curious, but what do you mean by the tone being gentle? I've only played three previous Layton games but all were on the exceedingly gentle side in terms of tone.
I've only ever played the first Layton, so maybe it lightened up as the series went by. Not in an uninviting way, but I recall the general atmosphere being a little grimy, almost suspicious. The setting and characters in Mystery Journey are a stark contrast from that. Didn't mean it in a negative way, either. I loved the first, and I'm loving this one as well. It was just a little observation I felt like throwing in.
 
Finally glad to see new Layton games, just bought it! And now I'm stuck on the first puzzle.

On the bright side I'm glad we got this versus what Layton 7 was originally going to be.
 

duckroll

Member
Thanks for posting your impressions. Are you finding the puzzles easier than in past games or about the same difficulty? I ask because a poster on the last page indicated that.

I've finished chapter 1 so far and started on chapter 2. I find the puzzle density lower than previous games so far, but maybe it's because of the way the chapters are structured. Instead of getting "lost" in a sea of optional puzzles while navigating around, so far it's hard to miss any puzzles. The actual puzzle quality is a mix, there are some troll logic puzzles, some good ones that actually require effort to solve and get right, and the free gimme puzzles where you can trial and error without failing until you solve it. I have not run into any truly tough puzzles yet though. There's nothing like those super annoying "get the ball out by sliding the blocks" ones. I like the puzzles presented and they definitely still have the quirky humor and flavor that Layton puzzles tend to.

So uh question for people playing it:

Does the game reference Alfendi from the spin off game at all? I'm very curious.

Nope. It's like that game doesn't exist. Lol.
 

Sora_N

Member
Do I need to have played the other games first? I played a bit of PWvsL and that's it.

Holy moly $22 on Canadian store.
 
Definitely wanting this game but will not pay $15 for an iPhone game. After super Mario Run bombed at $10...how can they expect this to sale at 50% higher price?

That said. I'll get it on 3DS
 

duckroll

Member
Definitely wanting this game but will not pay $15 for an iPhone game. After super Mario Run bombed at $10...how can they expect this to sale at 50% higher price?

That said. I'll get it on 3DS

This doesn't make much sense. You want the game but will not pay $15 to play it on a device you already own, at higher quality, but you will wait 3 months and pay more than twice that for the same game at lower resolution on an additional device you have to carry around?
 
Definitely wanting this game but will not pay $15 for an iPhone game. After super Mario Run bombed at $10...how can they expect this to sale at 50% higher price?

That said. I'll get it on 3DS

To be fair, I'd imagine their sales goals are very different from what Nintendo had in mind for Mario Run. It's priced pretty similarly to Capcom and Square Enix's mobile ports, so I think there is a market for this kind of game on mobile. And in any case, they have the 3DS release to fall back on.
 
How in the hell do you do the first puzzle? I made a K using the negative space between the triangles but it won't accept it. I hate the puzzles in these games where there's no way to be sure whether you're doing it right but you don't have it set up in the exact right way or if you're not even in the ballpark. Bummer this game started off with one.

Edit: Ugh, I looked up the answer and lo and behold, I knew what I was supposed to do almost immediately but didn't have the pieces in exactly the right place.
 

duckroll

Member
About to buy. Does this require an internet connection though?

Internet connection is used for cloud save upload/download if you link a Level5ID account, and for daily puzzle downloads. The game itself does not have online DRM check, you can play it offline.
 

OMG Aero

Member
So uh question for people playing it:

Does the game reference Alfendi from the spin off game at all? I'm very curious.
At the start of the game Katrielle is writing a letter to someone called Lucy, and Alfendi's assistant was called Lucy Baker so that could be her, but I don't expect the game to ever elaborate on that and I doubt Alfendi will show up which is a shame because I liked the characters from that game.
 

duckroll

Member
At the start of the game Katrielle is writing a letter to someone called Lucy, and Alfendi's assistant was called Lucy Baker so that could be her, but I don't expect the game to ever elaborate on that and I doubt Alfendi will show up which is a shame because I liked the characters from that game.

Oh, I didn't make that connection. But it seems odd that she wouldn't mention her brother if she knows she has one, given the ongoing connection the game has to Scotland Yard. Only in the middle of chapter 2 though, so who knows.
 

OMG Aero

Member
Oh, I didn't make that connection. But it seems odd that she wouldn't mention her brother if she knows she has one, given the ongoing connection the game has to Scotland Yard. Only in the middle of chapter 2 though, so who knows.
Granted I'm not even at chapter 2 yet but with how Layton Brothers was only tangentially a Layton game while this one is a continuation of the main series in which Professor Layton himself will presumably have some role (unless his location is just used as a cliff hanger) I think the most you'll get is small references like that. Maybe later on you'll examine an object and Kat will make a throwaway line about having a weird brother off doing his own thing, or maybe Chelmey's assistant will show up as the head of Scotland Yard since that was established in Layton Brothers.
How worth playing is Alfendi's game? I never actually got very far in it.
I had fun with it. It's more like Ace Attorney-lite than a Layton game though so if you're just looking for a traditional Layton style game it's not that.
 

wrowa

Member
Gotta admit, I don't quite like the DS-like screen setup they're using here. It feels weird and kinda claustrophobic. Makes everything seem smaller than it should. Also, the way the game handles the transition from portrait to landscape mode feels rather bad to me. The game looks great on my phone, but at the same time this weird setup makes it feel somewhat cheaply ported from 3DS -- which is rather weird considering the smartphone version seems to be the game's flagship version.

Anyway, apart of that I'm enjoying my time with it. I'm still in chapter 1 and while the few puzzles I had to solve so far were frankly not very interesting, characters, atmosphere and story are once again really charming. I hope this won't bomb completely (I kinda fear it will), so that this will mark the start of a new Layton franchise.
 

webrunner

Member
Is it just me or does the music that plays when you get a new clue almost identical to one of the "make a choice" style bgms from Ace Attorney?
 
Played it a bit now and solved 4 puzzles. I stuck at the first one and used tips, lol.

Runs okay on my Samsung Galaxy A 2016 10.1, I reduced the resolution from 1080p to 720p, now it's much better. The only thing 1080p in this game are just the 3d models and some kind of text in the "previously in" video, rest is blurry 720p anyway so not much of a difference.
 

PittaGAF

Member
I'm playing on both iPhone (6S) and iPad (Air) syncing progresses with the Level5 account system and tbh It's glorious on both.
Super crisp, super fluid, easy on battery.....it's everything I never dared to hope and then some.
Just completed the first case (3 hours).

If you are bothered by the change of orientation on iPad you can force cutscenes on portrait (I'm not bothered at all so I'm leaving the default).

The only (very minor) fault I found is that it seems you can't disable subtitles (unless I'm dumb). No biggie anyway.

I hope it's a huge success for them and eventually they'll port past Laytons and consider future Ninokuni or Inazuma Eleven titles.

I can't imagine people with an iOS or Android device and a 3DS waiting months for this to get a lower res version, so the commercial strategy seems a bit questionable to me, but I'm surely not complaining.
If someone told me one year ago I'll be playing a mainline NEW Layton game on my iPhone, before the game was out on a 3DS, I would have LOL-ed.
 
I wish they would just say if North America was getting a physical release of the 3DS version or not. I'd be happy to buy the Android version now but I'm not double-dipping, especially not at Canadian prices, and I've seen how expensive Layton physical copies get up here so I'd rather snag one at release than attempt to pay 1.5x the price for a used copy down the road if I decide I want it.
 
Sounds good on iOS and Android.

I'd get it but the hurdle for me is the game's 1.6GB size, which is just too large to justify deleting a lot to fit it on my 16GB device
 
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