Point Your Finger This Year With ‘Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and The Millionaires’ Conspiracy’
by Matt Reisine
LAYTON’S MYSTERY JOURNEY: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy (LEVEL-5)
Gather your Hint Coins, Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and The Millionaires’ Conspiracy is coming this year!
LAYTON’S MYSTERY JOURNEY: KATRIELLE AND THE MILLIONAIRES’ CONSPIRACY
Originally announced as Lady Layton, Katrielle and The Millionaires’ Conspiracy is the seventh installment in one of Level-5’s premiere franchises. This entry will star Katrielle Layton, the daughter of the series’ namesake. She’s accompanied by her talking dog, Sherl. Two of Kat’s friends, Ernest Greeves and Emiliana Perfetti, will aid her as the story unfolds.
Katrielle owns a detective agency, which she founded to locate her missing father. However, while she has yet to uncover the circumstances surrounding his disappearance, she at least gets a lot of work. Considering the grandiose plot twists the Professor Layton series is known for, I’m eager to see what’s in store!
The key staff on this project, some of whom should be familiar to Layton veterans, can be seen below:
- Puzzle Development: Iwanami Kuniaki
- Producer: Akihiro Hino
- Character Design: Nagano Takuzo
- Music: Nishiura Tomohito
- Animation: A-1 Pictures Inc.
Lady Layton’s debut will grace smartphones on July 20, with a Nintendo 3DS version coming in the fall. The complete press release can be read over at GoNintendo.
THE PROFESSOR LAYTON SERIES
The Professor Layton series began ten years ago on the Nintendo DS with Professor Layton and the Curious Village. The game was a success, and it resulted in two direct sequels, Diabolical Box and Unwound Future, which spanned a trilogy.
Professor Hershel Layton, archeologist and a “true gentleman,” is the series’ protagonist. His young sidekick, Luke Triton, accompanies him, and the duo always mingle with an eclectic cast in each game.
Last Specter, the fourth entry, began a prequel trilogy, which was concluded by its two 3DS successors, Miracle Mask and Azran Legacy, as well as an animated film. Furthermore, these titles also seemingly wrapped up the Professor’s adventures.
The Layton series blends the adventure game genre with many, many brainteasers, allowing it to appeal to dedicated gamers and more casual players. Notably, while Level-5 published the series in Japan, Nintendo handled the publishing duties in western territories, which speaks to Layton’s quality.
While the main series has been a highlight for the Nintendo DS and 3DS, spin-offs have been released, too. Layton Brothers: Mystery Room was set in the future, and it revolved around Layton’s son, Alfendi. However, it notably didn’t begin development as a Layton title; instead, it was (somewhat haphazardly) rebranded into one later. Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, for the 3DS, is also a notable side-story, pairing Level-5’s hero with Phoenix Wright from Capcom’s Ace Attorney series.
Layton 7 was, until the announcement of Layton’s Mystery Journey, the most recent entry. It initially had nothing to tie it to the previous games beyond its branding, although it was later reworked into something more akin to a Layton title.
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