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Professor Layton and The Miracle Mask |OT| This Is Another Layton Game (But In 3D)

duckroll

Member
So I now have Miracle Mask and badly want to play it. But I also have The Last Spector, which I haven't played yet.

Would I miss out on much story, characters, etc etc if I skip The Last Spector for now and jump right into Miracle Mask?

Yes. Don't skip it if you plan on playing it anyway. The games work well in the intended order. Only skip Layton games if you don't plan on playing them at all or don't own them and don't plan on buying them.
 
So, picarats...

My wife is convinced for some reason that you pronounce these as pee-carats.
I try to tell her that it is pronounced pick-a-rats.

As usual, she's firmly convinced I am dead wrong. Isn't this pronounced by the voice actors in the games as pick-a-rats?
 

Baron

Member
So, is the game still on sale for $20 at Sears? In-store at all, if not online? If not, I think I'll just bite the bullet and get the digital version from the eshop. Any issues with the download I should be aware of? How big is it, by the way?

I'm full of freakin' questions, heh.
 

Katzii

Member
I love the reference to Curious Village they made in the game in Chapter 5.

Emmy is talking to Puck, the clown with the balloons, near Jean-Paul's toy stall.

She wonders whether the rollercoaster will go into the sky, or the merry go round horses will go wild, or "What if the Ferris Wheel breaks off and goes rolling after people?"

Luke replies: "Rolling after people? Now that's just silly."

IF ONLY YOU KNEW WHAT YOUR FUTURE HELD, LUKE.
 
I love the reference to Curious Village they made in the game in Chapter 5.

Emmy is talking to Puck, the clown with the balloons, near Jean-Paul's toy stall.

She wonders whether the rollercoaster will go into the sky, or the merry go round horses will go wild, or "What if the Ferris Wheel breaks off and goes rolling after people?"

Luke replies: "Rolling after people? Now that's just silly."

IF ONLY YOU KNEW WHAT YOUR FUTURE HELD, LUKE.
Heh yeah, I liked that part. :)
 

Kazerei

Banned
A bit late to the discussion regarding chapter 6, but whatever.

I felt it started out slow, and then the puzzles got more interesting towards the end. So it did seem to drag on a bit, but mainly because the first third of the chapter was kinda boring. I did enjoy the chapter overall. Great idea to introduce new gameplay, while sprinkling in some traditional puzzles to break the monotony :p
 

Oxx

Member
I think I just saw a trade-in deal at GAME stores at the end of a Layton ad.

Something like give a DSi and an old Layton game, and get a 3DSXL and the new Layton for £110.
 

corn_fest

Member
Anyone have the passwords from the Last Spector or The Hidden Door?

So far, they're been tied to the hardware (you need to put both games into the same system), though they might have changed it for this one since it's the first on a different platform. Since the 3DS is backwards-compatible, though, I doubt it.
 

duckroll

Member
So far, they're been tied to the hardware (you need to put both games into the same system), though they might have changed it for this one since it's the first on a different platform. Since the 3DS is backwards-compatible, though, I doubt it.

Nope, definitely tied to hardware.
 
So, is the game still on sale for $20 at Sears? In-store at all, if not online? If not, I think I'll just bite the bullet and get the digital version from the eshop. Any issues with the download I should be aware of? How big is it, by the way?

I'm full of freakin' questions, heh.

I don't believe so.
 

duckroll

Member
Does that mean I'm screwed over if I've first used them in another system, or can I salvage it if I insert both games into my current system and get the codes that way?

I played Layton 4 on a DS. When got Layton 5, I just put 4 into the 3DS instead. The code generates on the fly, it's not tied to the save at all.
 

BowieZ

Banned
yeah i'm stumped on where to find a couple of the last of the 135 puzzles.

also, i completed the toy robot and shop main levels but how do i access the bonus levels? it's given me 3 extra puzzles but not levels
 

duckroll

Member
yeah i'm stumped on where to find a couple of the last of the 135 puzzles.

also, i completed the toy robot and shop main levels but how do i access the bonus levels? it's given me 3 extra puzzles but not levels

When you beat all the robot levels, the key in the middle of the map opens up to the dungeon. There are another 15 bonus levels there.
 

duckroll

Member
ohhhhh... cheers - and what about the shop? lol i can't find anything to access those...

There are no bonus stuff for the shop unfortunately. But if you talk to the shopkeeper who gave you the minigame after beating all the levels, you get a medal. Kinda lame. :/
 

Katzii

Member
I played Layton 4 on a DS. When got Layton 5, I just put 4 into the 3DS instead. The code generates on the fly, it's not tied to the save at all.

Oh sweet - I was forever perplexed as to why I couldn't get any of the bonus things to work in the first four games. Thanks!
 

BowieZ

Banned
There are no bonus stuff for the shop unfortunately. But if you talk to the shopkeeper who gave you the minigame after beating all the levels, you get a medal. Kinda lame. :/
yeah i got that. i was hoping i could use the shop collection items in my bonus puzzle house decor lol
 

M3d10n

Member
What is this password thing you all are talking about? What kind of bonus does it give?
Every Layton game (not sure about the first one) has a "secret area" where you have to input a password that is generated in the next game in the series' own secret area. This unlocks some bonus content like artwork and extra dialogue and also generates another password you input back in the latest game for similar content. I only did it between Last Specter and Miracle Mask.
In LS it unlocked some Last Diva artwork and going back to MM I got some dialogue in Layton's office and a quizz
 

jgkspsx

Member
I don't know about this polygonal shit. Not adding to my enjoyment. I do like the new exploration approach, no more tapping like an addict on every pixel for hint coins I don't need and won't use.
 

Boogiepop

Member
Just finished up the main game. I definitely like the new look, at least for me this is a very pretty game. The plot was okay here, but a few things felt like a bit of a misstep. Mostly I didn't like that
the "masked gentlemen" didn't plan out ANYTHING on his own, so it wasn't really HIS revenge. He was just kinda there. I mean, I'm fine with him getting the push and funding, but couldn't he have at least come up with the "dark miracles" by himself?
Oh, and I feel like it hurt the feel a lot that you started dissecting the mysteries so early. And the park's mystery was just lame. Not flashy in the slightest and immediately obvious.

Oh yeah, do the bonus robot levels and the horse minigame unlock anything or are they just there for if you feel like doing them?
 

Katzii

Member
In a spoiler tag, can someone tell me how many chapters this game has? I'm on Chapter 6 and, from the amount of puzzles I've done, I'm fearing I'm nearing the end.
 

gerudoman

Member
In a spoiler tag, can someone tell me how many chapters this game has? I'm on Chapter 6 and, from the amount of puzzles I've done, I'm fearing I'm nearing the end.

8 chapters and an epilogue, but the last chapters are so short that combined they wouldn't count as a normal one
 
You can miss them as you go since they are gained through completing certain puzzles I think but they certainly can't be missed permanently.
 

M3d10n

Member
Finally beat it. Damn, the
post-credits cutscene
was a nice surprise. Seems the 6th game will end up as crazy and action-packed as Unwound Future.
 

Katzii

Member
It's impossible for you to permanently lose a puzzle. They will always stay where they were hidden for the most part, or any that you can't access (because they were specific to a character or a chapter) will be at the little house in the hotel foyer. So don't worry about that!
 
I beat the game last night, and can't wait for Layton 6 now. I really like how the hidden puzzles didn't skip numbers like in previous games.

Also end game spoiler question:
How/when did Layton get the real Mask of Chaos? I think I must've missed something or remembered something incorrectly, because I thought Henry always had a fake mask that Angela later hid away, and Randall had the real mask the whole time.
 

Boogiepop

Member
I beat the game last night, and can't wait for Layton 6 now. I really like how the hidden puzzles didn't skip numbers like in previous games.

Also end game spoiler question:
How/when did Layton get the real Mask of Chaos? I think I must've missed something or remembered something incorrectly, because I thought Henry always had a fake mask that Angela later hid away, and Randall had the real mask the whole time.
Pretty sure he must of grabbed it after Randall revealed himself and threw it to the side. Which is pretty silly, because the guy almost died trying not to lose the thing, but whatever.
 

M3d10n

Member
I beat the game last night, and can't wait for Layton 6 now. I really like how the hidden puzzles didn't skip numbers like in previous games.

Also end game spoiler question:
How/when did Layton get the real Mask of Chaos? I think I must've missed something or remembered something incorrectly, because I thought Henry always had a fake mask that Angela later hid away, and Randall had the real mask the whole time.

I'm almost certain Descole swapped Randall's mask by Henry's fake at some point, since he needed the mask. Layton found the real one in Henry's study, alongside the real Angela
 

BowieZ

Banned
I really enjoyed the game, the story and the puzzles, but I didn't enjoy the mystery / resolution.

I guess I got spoiled playing Lost Future first, because although verging on utterly practically implausible, it still all made sense in the end, and had a sucker punch of 'wow' revelations.

Spectre and Mask both had relatively anti-climactic solutions IMHO.
 
I've tried researching this but apparently I suck at the Internets...

Right now I'm sitting at three daily puzzles downloaded. Every time I try to look for more, it tells me I'm up to date. I've seen people complaining that they had a problem in the UK but I have a US copy that I bought and I'm not finding a solution to this problem... am I just borked?
 
Have you tried deleting the add on data or whatever it's called in the 3DS data management menu?

That seems to have done it. I didn't think it created extra data on the card versus the cartridge. :/ I hope that doesn't happen again. Thank you! (Just saw it kept my puzzles as completed... that's good.)
 
I got impatient and started playing the Miracle Mask (was half way on the first game). I get that some characters are reoccurring but it does not feel any confusing. I recognize the assistant woman from Last Specter box art. So far I really like the game and I didn't expect the 3d transition to make such an impact on me. When I first saw the footage online of this game during the Japanese 3DS launch I thought it looked terrible, but in motion it is pretty great. The puzzle style can get very repetitive but the story hooks you and sometimes you play some satisfying puzzles. After I finish this game I will try to play the rest of the first trilogy and the last spectre. In terms of voice acting the English voices feel superior to the American ones. Despite that I will be getting the US versions of the games as I want that minigame of Last Specter.

Every Layton game (not sure about the first one) has a "secret area" where you have to input a password that is generated in the next game in the series' own secret area. This unlocks some bonus content like artwork and extra dialogue and also generates another password you input back in the latest game for similar content. I only did it between Last Specter and Miracle Mask.
In LS it unlocked some Last Diva artwork and going back to MM I got some dialogue in Layton's office and a quizz

Do you know if you use the same codes for different regions?
 

axisofweevils

Holy crap! Today's real megaton is that more than two people can have the same first name.
Finally re-starting this now, having completed the other 4 Laytons.
I really love the shoebox diorama style the game does in 3D.

So far, I've liked each Layton slightly less than the previous one. Maybe it's because I've played them immediately after each other. Hopefully, this will be the game that will be a return to form.

Oh, and as for Amazon reviews - there's now 13 (!) genuine one-star comments, all of them complaining about it being a 3DS game. Plus one troll that's making fun of the whiners by saying this game couldn't fit in his GameCube. Sigh.
 

jgkspsx

Member
Just finished. 27 hours. Shit.

I liked this one better than any since the first. Is that not the consensus?

The ending was dumber than it had to be, though. Not nearly as painful as Last Specter's gagged-with-a-spoon-mawkish ending, though. I liked that
there wasn't really a final boss/castle/chase/whatever
this time, though.

And the minigames were outstanding. Though I am stuck on the third-from-last robot level. Usually I put down a robot level and pick it up the next day and blast through it, though.

EDIT: LEATHER LUGGAGE TAG?!?! Why wasn't I told. Goddammit Nintendo.
 

jgkspsx

Member
Double-posting. Shoot me.

I just full-completed it except for Granny's house. It looks like this is the first Layton I actually finished since the first. Looking at the older Layton games... is it just 3DS stretching, or was the old font really terrible?

EDIT: Going through my old impressions to catch up on archival Club Nintendo surveys, this really stands out for length. For plot, I think CV > UF > MM > LS = DB. LS had an OK story for most of it, but the ending made it hurt. The plot of DB was horrible throughout. I guess this game reminded me of it, though...
 

Montresor

Member
The 3-D in this game was remarkable. I loved the graphics, art style, and the way the 3-D just popped nicely. It took me 40 hours to 99.9999999% it (I've done everything except for puzzles 148-150).

I'll have to play Layton #3 and Layton #4 for the first time, because I didn't understand anything that happened at the ending cutscene. Or maybe even read a synopsis of the first two games too (I played those a long time ago).
 
I'll have to play Layton #3 and Layton #4 for the first time, because I didn't understand anything that happened at the ending cutscene. Or maybe even read a synopsis of the first two games too (I played those a long time ago).

I'm not done with the game yet (Nowhere near, actually) but this worries me. I haven't played any other Layton game... I watched a walkthrough of The Last Specter, Watched Eternal Diva, and that was it. Will I be confused or lost at the end of this game? Or will I be missing out on anything? (Other than playing three fantastic games.)
 

corn_fest

Member
I'll have to play Layton #3 and Layton #4 for the first time, because I didn't understand anything that happened at the ending cutscene. Or maybe even read a synopsis of the first two games too (I played those a long time ago).

I doubt you're missing anything from Unwound Future, since Last Specter and Eternal Diva are part of the prequel trilogy, while UF takes place at the end of the series chronology.
Unless there's some really crazy shenanigans going on in the ending. I haven't played it yet.
 
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