The game starts off quite slowly in the story sense but goes very fast into finding hidden puzzles with very little effort. Every screen more or less from the begining you can find a hidden puzzle, the puzzles are nearly very easy and remain so, despite the rating that the in game gives them. Yes I understand we want the puzzles easier to solve but most of these make you think, well was that a puzzle. I'm first to admit to being of non genius IQ status but it takes the biscuit when they practically give you the answer.
For instance most puzzles came across like this example..
puzzle: It's raining outside and kitty is wanting her raincoat, which coat is kittys? (you see a picture of three coats yellow, red, purple)
clues: 1, Kitty doesn't like the colour red, 2, Kitty's sisters coat is purple, which one is kitty's coat. This is not an actual in game puzzle but it bares the lack of imagination and effort message,
You will also find that unlike the previous games you don't need to constantly go back and forth for the story, so unless you want to find all the puzzles for yourself you may not notice your missing any as you play. They go to the missed puzzle house anyway which you can play them all at once.
The story unlike previous layton games feel rushed to finish and start off slow, sometimes you feel slightly irritated at the pace of the story. Or the lack of creativity it does however kick in on the final third of the game but this is over very quickly. It shows you how layton met luke but tells the story of such a strong friendship half heartrendingly. The characters lack interest and appear to be just a guy/women you need to press to proceed. In the other games the story was interesting and well written that you enjoyed reading it and developing along with the game itself. This one however you could practically skip along the story and you would still have the same idea of the story and characters as if you had read it.
This game doesn't have as many chapters as the last and you feel it as you come to the end and believe me you will go, 'oh is that it'. The mini game's in it are not the best, the have slightly recycled the last games ideas but instead of a car it's a train and instead of a bird a fish. The theatre mini game to me isn't what you would call a mini game. There's not real thinking involved just put the right word in place (sometimes it feels childish in planning).
Everything in this game is rushed and if you buy the uk version you will feel what I mean. Bad planning and half attempts make this game come across to me as if they have rushed it out to purely make a whole pile of money on it. To me this game is a cash in and if you haven't tried the other games go for anyone instead of this on...