Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask

Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask is a puzzle adventure video game developed by Level-5. It is the fifth game in the Professor Layton series, the second in the prequel trilogy of games, and the first in the series to be developed for the Nintendo 3DS. Miracle Mask was released as a launch title for the Nintendo 3DS in Japan in February 2011, becoming the best-selling game on the day of the system’s launch. The game was later released worldwide in October 2012. 

Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask Plus, an enhanced edition featuring new puzzles and added cutscenes, was released on the Nintendo eShop in Japan in February 2013. Accompanied by Luke and Emmy, Layton arrives at the city of Monte d’Or to investigate some strange events occurring there by request of an old friend of his youth, Angela Ledore. Once arriving, they have an encounter with a mysterious figure covering his face with an ancient artifact from the Azran Civilization called the “Mask of Chaos”.

Calling himself the “Masked Gentleman”, who is responsible for the events, which he calls “miracles”, such as making paintings come alive and turning people into horses and statues. As the trio make their own investigation. Layton reveals to his companions that eighteen years ago, he explored some old Azran ruins nearby alongside his close friend Randall Ascot, who was Angela’s boyfriend, following some clues Randall obtained by researching the Mask of Chaos.

During the expedition, Randall falls in a trap and apparently dies, while Layton discovers a huge treasure that he neither reclaims, nor reveals its location to anyone in Randall’s memory. Randall’s butler and surrogate brother Henry establishes a huge search operation to look for him, but to no avail, eventually discovering the treasure and using it to found Monte d’Or, marrying Angela a few years later. Like previous games in the series, Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask is a puzzle adventure game split across various chapters.

Players explore areas and converse with characters to help solve the mysteries that lay before them. At various points in the game, the player will encounter puzzles that need to be solved. Solving these puzzles earn Picarats, used for accessing bonus content, with more Picarats earned for solving the puzzle without any mistakes. Hint coins can also be found which can be spent to unlock hints to help players solve a puzzle if they get stuck.