Of all the possible games, series, and franchises that could have been ported to mobile over the years, one of the ones that made the most sense has been a no-show until now. Level 5's Professor Layton series of puzzle adventures, which debuted on the Nintendo DS in 2007, seemed like a great match for mobile both in terms of its game design and demographic appeal. For whatever reason, however, the platform seemed to get passed over for a mainline Layton game even as the occasional spin-off popped up. Well, no matter what the reason was, Level 5 seems to be ready to take a chance with the latest game in the series, Layton's Mystery Journey [$15.99]. This is a full Layton game in the traditional style, packed full of puzzles, a wild and woolly story, and plenty of tapping on everything for hint coins you'll never use.
For those unfamiliar with the Layton games, picture a straightforward adventure game where every obstacle is a page torn out of one of those puzzle books you used to find in every gas station. Need to get access to a guarded building" Arrange these matchsticks to create a word. Want to get a broken-down machine going again" Turn on these lamps such that they light the entire board without overlapping each other. There's a river in the way" Tell me the smallest number of trips you'd have to take to ferry these foxes and chickens across and I'll help you out. In addition to the mandatory puzzles that move the story forward, there are also a ton of...