I was at the height of my Nintendo fandom between 2004 and 2008. I believed in and supported the blue ocean strategy, which entailed making new types of software for untapped audiences. Nintendogs, Brain Age, Electroplankton… All these were new experimental games designed for a customer that would eventually leave Nintendo behind.
Professor Layton and the Curious Village was my first experience of seeing this philosophy working in person. I took the game on a family camping trip. Even if only one of us could play at a time, it was a collaborative experience. We ended up taking turns at each puzzle and passing the system around.
(Image Source: Nintendo)
Each of us contributed bits and pieces to solve all the villagers’ puzzles. While we weren’t able to finish the game by the end of the trip, we did end up working through the majority of it. Playing it by myself afterwords just didn’t feel the same. I ended up leaving Professor Layton on my shelf for years.
I don’t like sequels that retread the same ground. But even if I continued to pursue the series, I doubt my experience would be as satisfying as passing the game around the camp fire.
Eventually I set out to beat it… only to find out I had stopped on the last puzzle of the game. It’s a shame I don’t care more about the series, since I do really enjoy the franchise’s style and characters.
