Alongside the launch of the Nintendo 3DS in Japan, developer Level-5 released Layton-kyouju to Kiseki no Kamen (Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle), the fifth title in the Professor Layton series. The game received praise from many different media outlets and has been one of the best selling titles on the 3DS to date in Japan. While there is no word on when this game will be released outside of Japan, we here at Nintendo World Report have gotten our hands on Level-5's latest Layton adventure and can let you know what you can expect on the 3DS.

The game features everyone's favorite professor, Professor Hershel Layton, who is once again accompanied by his apprentice, Luke Triton. Mask of Miracle also features a character not so familiar to Western audiences named Emmy Altava (Remi Altava in the Japanese version) who made an appearance in the fourth Layton title, Professor Layton and the Spectre's Flute and the animated film, Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. The three characters travel to the city of Montdol in response to a letter Professor Layton received from an old friend about the Mask of Miracle. Shortly after the group arrives in the city, a mysterious man disrupts the Montdol town carnival by bringing down a huge inflatable clown and somehow turning a number of the townsfolk into stone. From here, the crew tries to find the stranger and search for more clues about the mask of miracle.

Emmy, Layton and Luke.

The biggest difference between past Layton titles and Level-5's latest offering can be found in the visuals. While the previous titles featured a two dimensional cartoon-like art style, Mask of Miracle uses three dimensional cel-shaded character models. It is a pretty big difference, but the updated visuals are a wonderful improvement and still uphold the original style and feel of the series. To top everything off, the wonderful soundtrack and exceptional voice acting make this a top notch experience on the Nintendo 3DS.

The 3D effect comes into full force in the game and can really give the locations a sense of depth. It is not an absolute necessity, but the implementation of 3D works very well throughout the game. Some media outlets have complained that reading the text on the 3D screen is straining to the eyes. After spending more than six hours with the game, I did not find this to be the case. The text is generally placed inside of a text box. The text box and the text inside are at the same depth, making it relatively easy on the eyes to read. Even if this is potentially an issue, the 3D depth slider can always be adjusted accordingly to alleviate any discomfort it may cause.

This is the jerk we're looking for.

What would any Layton game be without a vast amount of puzzles? Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle features plenty of puzzles to keep you busy throughout the main story in the game. Not only this, but Level-5 is offering gamers one new puzzle everyday for an entire year starting from the release of the game (February 26). Even if you finished the game, you still have something to look forward to every day from the developer.

Layton's bag is back in Mask of Miracle as well, this time offering a few interesting additions. You can view all of the information you know up to that point in the game about unraveling the ensuing mystery, play completed puzzles, and of course save your game. There is also an “episode list” that features various events that the main characters go through apart from the main story. These episodes provide you with more detailed information than what you would find by simply breezing through the main part of the story.

In Layton's bag, there are three mini-games which are sure to provide gamers something to come back to. The first mini-game you unlock puts you in control of a robot as you are managing to find your way through a maze. The mazes are filled with mechanical mice who move in various patterns at the same time as the robot. If you touch one of these mice, you start over. After navigating the robot to a red space symbolizing a goal, the puzzle is complete.

Oh yes, we get a glimpse into the professor's past.

The second mini-game puts you in charge of a small shop. Your goal is to organize the merchandise in a manner that is visually appealing to the customers so they will choose to purchase everything you set out on the shelves. This is accomplished by placing either the same color items (green to green, yellow to yellow) or the same kind of items (apple to apple, pineapple to pineapple) touching each other. If the customer can follow the connecting items either by color or type, you clear the puzzle.

The third mini game is perhaps one of the cutest that you will find in the entire Layton series. In the story, Layton and Luke run into a circus worker who is looking to get rid of some ridiculously cute rabbits that he feels are useless. Luke talks the worker into giving him a rabbit, claiming that he can understand the rabbit language. Surprisingly, Luke actually can mostly understand what the rabbit says and vows to train the rabbit to be good enough to do a circus performance. In this mini game, you can pet and train the rabbit to show the circus worker that he was wrong about Luke's furry friend.

Level-5 has certainly provided another hit with Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle giving Japanese gamers a ton of content and offering one of the meatiest experiences on the Nintendo 3DS. Unfortunately, gamers in the West will likely have to wait a little while on the game to be localized, as the fourth Layton game has not even been officially announced. Regardless of when Mask of Miracle leaves Japanese shores, gamers all around the world are in for a treat.