Like the previous Professor Layton games, Katrielle begins her adventure in London where she has just opened her private detective agency. Quickly, the young investigator is joined by her assistant Oliver while Sherl, a dog capable of speaking, arrives in the agency in order to regain his memory. The opportunity for us to solve a first riddle and get right into it. After this first appetizer, Katrielle will have to investigate several mysterious cases that are shaking the English capital. If the previous games of the saga were organized around several chapters, linked to the main plot of the game, here the investigations are independent of each other, but will allow you to advance to the final plot. If in fact, it could have been really nice, difficult to derive any satisfaction from these cases. Indeed, apart from solving puzzles and collecting testimonies, you will have nothing else to do to solve an investigation. We don't necessarily ask to be in control of the case, but it would still have been interesting to be able to choose the culprit ourselves, even if it means making mistakes.
LYNX'S EYE
Fortunately, the investigative sequences will require a certain meticulousness which brings a real plus to Katrielle's adventure. Thanks to the tactile capabilities of the Nintendo 3DS, you will be able to scrutinize each setting in which you move. In addition to the various witnesses and suspects to interrogate, you will also have to pay attention to the multitude of bonus objects scattered throughout the game. Between SOS coins, collectibles and secret puzzles, which will allow you to obtain vouchers to buy costumes for Katrielle, players will have plenty to do during their investigations. However, if you are a little attentive to your surroundings, you will realize that the treasures are often hidden in similar places. Suddenly after a few hours of play, the search becomes a bit banal which can push some players to ignore this point. Nevertheless, it would be a shame to do without it as the SOS coins, which allow you to obtain clues during puzzles, will be invaluable to you during your adventure.
WARM UP YOUR BRAIN
As we said before, puzzles are the heart of The Layton Adventure: Katrielle and the Millionaire Conspiracy. Thus, during your journey, you will have to solve a multitude of puzzles in order to make certain witnesses speak while the other enigmas will be used to obtain very useful coupons if you wish to buy new clothes for Katrielle. In this new episode, the developers of Level-5 have revised their copy in order to adapt the difficulty of the title to the youngest. A good point for novices who would like to discover the license smoothly. However, while some puzzles can be solved in an instant, others will simply blow your mind. Not because of their difficulty, but because of devious statements that often lead to confusion. The regulars of the series should quickly get the hang of it, while the others risk being had very often. Fortunately, you can count on the SOS coins to obtain valuable clues and if a few puzzles will certainly make you fall into their trap, there is nothing insurmountable. In addition to this small defect, the game still benefits from an impressive number of puzzles, which should allow players to occupy themselves for long hours. The puzzles are varied and call on several logics of reflection, but we will still note a certain redundancy when we arrive at the end of the game.
In addition to the puzzles proposed by the various key witnesses in your investigation, many puzzles are scattered throughout the city of London, so you will have to go through every corner with your magnifying glass to find them. If these will have no impact on your main adventure, players who wish to significantly extend their gaming experience will find their account. Similarly, the three mini-games offered by Level-5 allow us to diversify our activities and break the monotony of the title. Like the game “Perfect menu” where you will have to compose a menu for a particular person. It will then be necessary to pay attention to what the customer wants and it will not be necessary to hesitate to question passers-by in order to know a little more about the tastes of the person. Add to that the possibility of customizing Katrielle's outfit, and the possibility of doing Feng-shui in her office, and you get a game with quite impressive content. On the other hand, the last two points mentioned are really outdated and they will only motivate you a little more if you want to complete all the puzzles in the game.
KATRIELLE GETS ON HER 31
Visually, the game remains in line with its predecessors and offers us a colorful and charming adventure. The different places in London (Big Ben, Scotland Yard, the Thames, etc.) are depicted to perfection and we immediately recognize the style specific to the series. The manga-style cutscenes punctuate our adventure in the best possible way, with a realization with small onions and quality French voices. On the other hand, the game having also been developed for mobiles, players will have to ignore the 3D function of the Nintendo console. An anecdotal point that will not change your experience in any way. The characters you will meet are all friendlier than each other and you can tell that Level-5 has paid particular attention to the game's dialogues. If, as usual, the game can seem talkative, above all, it allows you to discover more about the people you meet and if you have already played a Layton game you can even find many nods to previous titles of the license.
