Professor Layton and the Unwound Future

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
North American box art
Developer(s)	Level-5
Publisher(s)	Other regions: Nintendo
Series	Professor Layton
Platform(s)	Nintendo DS
Genre(s)	Adventure/Puzzle game Interactive novel
Mode(s)	Single-player

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (レイトン教授と最後の時間旅行, Reiton-kyōju to Saigo no Jikan Ryokō, Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel), known as Professor Layton and the Lost Future in Europe and Australia, is the third game in the first trilogy of the Professor Layton series by Level-5.

Gameplay

As with previous Professor Layton games, Unwound Future is an adventure game where the player solves puzzles offered by local citizens to progress the story forward, through dialogue and around 32 minutes of full motion video. The player moves about the game through still images of locations. The player can use the DS touchscreen to tap on non-player characters to start a dialog or to obtain a puzzle, and also can search anywhere on the background for a hint coin or secret puzzle. Puzzles are brainteasers of many varieties, including visual, math, and logic. There is no time limit to solve puzzles, and the player can get up to 3 hints at a cost of one hint coin each; a new feature in Unwound Future is a "super hint", costing 2 coins, that can only be bought after the other 3 hints have been revealed, but that nearly reveals the puzzle's solution. If the player is correct in solving the puzzle, they gain a number of "Picarats", a form of currency within the game. Guessing the incorrect answer will reduce the number of picarats the player can get on subsequent attempts.

As part of rewards for solving puzzles, the player may play one of three mini-games that support additional puzzles in Layton's Trunk that can be attempted at any time. One mini-game is based on sticker books, placing the correct stickers at locations in the book to make the story make sense. Another requires training a parrot to carry items to a character using a series of ropes to act as perches or rebounding walls. The third mini-game is a toy car that the player must drive across specific tiles on a map using a series of directional indicators. Layton's Bag also contains details on the story, characters, and a list of completed puzzles the player can review and try again.

After completing the game, several other puzzle challenges become available in the game's bonus features, many more difficult than the main game puzzles. When the player has completed all the puzzles within the game, a final puzzle is revealed.

Plot

Template:Fixbunching Template:Professor Layton chronology Template:Fixbunching Layton and Luke are invited to witness a demonstration of Dr. Alain Stahngun's Time Machine. Dr. Stahngun asks for the Prime Minister, Bill Hawks, to volunteer as a traveler. The experiment goes awry, and the machine is destroyed, and both Dr. Stahngun and Bill Hawks have disappeared. Over the next few weeks, there are reports of missing scientists. Some weeks later, Layton and Luke receive a letter purporting to be from Luke ten years in the future. The letter directs the two to a quaint clock shop in the London back alleys. Inside, the old couple show the two another time machine, and activate it. After a bit of disorientation, the two find themselves in a drastically-changed London ten years from their present. They follow more clues and eventually meet with the future Luke.

Luke from the future explains that some years ago, Layton changed, becoming the head of a mafia-like mob called the Family and taking control of London. Future Luke helps the present-day pair to learn more about what has transpired since. Layton promises to help Future Luke, and he and present-day Luke return to the present. There, Layton collects his own personal files and files from Inspector Chelmey relating to a case ten years prior in which his love, Claire, died in a laboratory accident. His encounters with Chelmey and Flora pique their interest and they follow Layton and Luke back to the clock shop, and return with the duo to future London. While Chelmey tries to figure out what is going on, the others regroup with future Luke, and determine they must confront the future Layton in his puzzling tower. During their explorations, young Luke is reminded that he and his parents are soon to move to, and comes to appreciate his time with Layton more.

Eventually working their way past the family, the group ascends the tower, but are caught in a trap at the top. There, the future Layton reveals himself to be Dr. Stahngun still alive and holding Bill Hawks prisoner. Dr. Stahngun finally admits his true identity, Dimitri Allen, and that he, Bill, and Claire, his love, were attempting to discover time travel themselves. Dimitri was unaware that Bill was paid handsomely by a large company to steal the technology, and was returning to the lab on the day Claire died due to Bill attempting to test the unit prematurely. Bill used his considerable financial power to cover up the accident and eventually entered into politics. Now in future London, Dimitri is trying to create a time machine himself to return to that point in time and stop Claire's death.

The trapped Layton is revealed to be a decoy, Don Paolo in disguise, and the real Layton arrives to free the others while Dimitri escapes with Bill. The others are surprised to find Don Paolo helping until they learn that he too had a secret crush on Claire and is helping Layton resolve her death. They are soon joined by Celeste, Claire's younger and near-identical sister, also eager to help. The group travels to Dimitri's base where they believe he is building his time machine; inside, they find several of the missing scientists from the present, and secret weapons research unrelated to time travel. Again, Dimitri escapes, sending the Family to block Layton and his allies. The group splits up and rejoins at a restaurant, the Thames Arms, opposite the base. Layton reveals that Dimitri has disguised himself as the Barkeep, but further that Dimitri has been a pawn in a much larger game, pointing to the future Luke as the manipulator.

Layton recounts that this supposed-future London is a fake, a large set created underneath the real London, and the supposed time machine was just a large elevator. Future Luke is really a young adult named Clive; as a boy, he lived with his parents in the same building where the time machine accident occurred; the explosion killed his parents but left him alive. Seeking revenge, Clive built the fake London and used the story of it being the future to convince the kidnapped scientists to work for him, creating a gigantic fortress from which he plans to take out London. Clive grabs Flora and escapes to the fortress and activates it, threatening both the real and fake London should its power source, connected to Bill, become disrupted. As Chelmey works to evacuate the underground city, Layton uses his car, repaired and modified by Don Paolo, to get himself and Luke to the fortress and free Flora. Later joined by Celeste through Don Paolo's flying machine, the group manages to free Bill and reverse the power flow in the robot, causing it to start to overload but heading for the hole in the underground city. Clive is knocked out, but with Layton and Celeste's help, he is saved from the collapsing fortress in time before it falls into the hole and destroys the underground city.

As everyone safely regroups, Clive is put under arrest but promises to atone for his crimes, thanking Layton for comforting him as he did the day his parents were killed. Layton learns of one more secret: Celeste is really Claire; the accident ten years ago truly resulted in time travel, sending Claire forward to the present and found by Dimitri. He realized that her presence was unstable and bound to return her to the moment of the accident, which furthered his efforts to recreate the time machine. Claire and Layton have an emotional final reunion as she feels herself being pulled back to the past. Some time later, Luke and Layton say their good-byes before Luke boards the ship. After Luke has settled in, he sends Layton a letter informing him of a mystery tailor-made for Layton's skills.

Main characters

Professor Hershel Layton- His main passions are solving puzzles, and enjoying a nice cup of tea, but Hershel Layton is also a highly regarded archeology professor. His most prized possession is the top hat that was given to him by his sweetheart, Claire.

Luke Triton- The self-proclaimed apprentice to Professor Layton. He is very bright with puzzle-solving skills that rival most adults. His appetite is legendary, and his ability to communicate with animals has been key in more than one investigation.

Flora Reinhold- Layton's protégée and devouted follower, Flora refuses to be left behind on the professor and Luke's expeditions. She's even trying her hand at puzzle solving this time around!

Don Paolo- A brilliant scientist who claims to be Layton's archnemesis. Don Paolo's appearance change forever when he found out that the girl he loved, Claire, was seeing Hershel Layton. His skill as an inventor is matched only by his mastery of disguise.

Inspector Chelmey- The mere mention of Inspector Chelmey has the London underworld quaking in their boots. His strong sense of justice means he will do whatever it takes to put criminals behind bars, but at home with his wife he is the model of a loving husband. After wrapping up a case, he loves celebrating with his wife's home-made cakes. Delicious!

Constable Barton A placid bon vivant, Constable Barton is the perfect foil for Inspector Chelmey. His love of the chase is dampened only by his recurring hunger pangs, which he satisfies by frequent visits to local eateries.

Future Luke- An older version of Luke from 10 years in the future who requests Layton's help in eradicating the evil rampant in his London. Though more grown up than Luke, he retains a genuine love of puzzles.

Celeste- A young woman who claims to be Claire's sister, Celeste has taken it upon herself to solve the mystery of her sister's death, scouring the future London in search of clues. It is finally revealed that she is in fact Claire herself, and she must soon go back to her own time.

Dimitri Allen- A researcher in the field of time travel, Dimitri loved Claire so much, to try to save her from her fate, he abducted scientists to build a time machine. His genius is undisputed, but blinded by a desire for revenge, he became a pawn in Clive's plans.

Bill Hawks- The prime minister of the United Kingdom, Bill once worked with Dimitri on the development of a time machine. However, Bill betrayed his friend, which helped him reach his current position. Even after being kidnapped by Dimitri, he remains unremorseful.

Spring- When she's not working in the clock shop, Spring is a shameless celebrity follower who knows all about everyone. She's an expert at embroidery, though the dim clock shop is hardly the best setting for needlework.

Cogg- The owner of the clock shop, Cogg used to work for the Dove family. Cogg played the part so well that he developed a genuine love for the art of clock making. All the clocks in the shop except the giant one are his handiwork.

Doctor Andrew Schrader- This time around, Dr. Schrader was actually Don Paolo in disguise. The likeness was perfect, but the mask slipped a little when Dr. Schrader wasn't surprised to see young Luke in the future.

Dean Delmona- Another uncanny disguise by Don Paolo. He gave himself white hair to indicate that Delmona had aged 10 years, but this proved to be his undoing. The real Dean Delmona is the head of Gressenheller University and is a kind man who is loved by all the students.

Shipley- Shipley is the postman who delivers the letter from the future to Layton. He was once quite slender, but his love of fine cuisine at the restaurant has left him somewhat the plumper. He started out as a gardener at the Dove household.

Granny Riddleton- Puzzle savant Granny Riddleton used to store puzzles that Luke and Layton missed on their adventures, but she has passed on these duties to her granddaughter Puzzlette and gone on vacation. The elusive lady now pops up in the most unexpected places.

Puzzlette Riddleton- Granny Riddleton's granddaughter and her successor as the guardian of missed puzzles. Though she is a bit spacey, she also has a certain innocent ruthlessness. She despises bees a keeps a vast collection of swatters. It seem like there's more to her than meets the eye...

Beasly- A bee with a taste for puzzles and chitchat, Beasly was the guardian of lost puzzles until Puzzlette assumed the role. No one knows exactly how he got the job in the first place, though.

Parrot- This clever parrot was a knack for learning words and using them at just the right time. From his humble beginnings in Dimitri's test labs, he became adept not only at memorizing words, but also at imitating voices. According to Subject 3, this Parrot was Subject 2.

Subject 3- A rabbit with an attitude, Subject 3 developed a profound mistrust of humans after being subjected to experiments by Dimitri's science team. Once an ordinary wild rabbit, he has acquired the ability to walk on two legs.

Soundtrack

Like the previous two games, the game's music was also released onto an album. This album was called Layton Kyoju to Saigo no Jikan Ryoko Original Soundtrack. The ending theme from the game was omitted from the soundtrack for unknown reasons and instead was replaced with an instrumental version.

The album scored higher than the previous two on most websites. Squareenixmusic.com gave the album an 8 out of 10 calling it the "best and most entertaining album in the trilogy, but criticized its "lack of memorability and entertainment outside of the game."[1]

Tracklist

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Unwound Future (Live Version)"	3:39
2.	"Puzzles Reinvented"	2:12
3.	"London Streets"	3:04
4.	"Searching for Clues"	1:53
5.	"Tension"	2:23
6.	"More London Streets"	3:51
7.	"A Quiet Town"	1:58
8.	"The Gilded 7 Casino"	2:42
9.	"Sorrow"	1:49
10.	"Suspicion"	2:34
11.	"Chinatown"	1:58
12.	"Puzzle Battle"	1:47
13.	"Memories"	3:00
14.	"The Towering Pagoda"	2:13
15.	"The Professor's Deductions"	2:39
16.	"Crisis"	2:49
17.	"The Research Facility"	1:52
18.	"Puzzles Reinvented 2"	1:59
19.	"The Mobile Fortress"	4:00
20.	"The Picture Book"	1:58
21.	"The Toy Car"	1:55
22.	"The Parrot"	2:15
23.	"Time Travel ~Piano ver.~ (Instrumental)"	3:15
24.	"More London Streets (Live Version)"	3:14
25.	"The Research Facility (Live Version)"	2:33
26.	"The Mobile Fortress (Live Version)"	2:58
27.	"The Towering Pagoda (High Quality)"	3:56
28.	"The Toy Car (High Quality)"	3:17 Disc length 73:43

Release

The game was released in Japan on November 27, 2008, and was the 15th best-selling game in 2008. A western localization of the game was revealed at E3 2010, with a September 20, 2010, release date for North America, and an October 22 2010 release date for Europe. An English trailer was also shown. The North American release date was later pushed forward to September 12, 2010.

Reception

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	88

Review score

Publication	Score
Eurogamer	9/10

External links

• Official website
• Official website Template:Ja icon
• E3 2010 minisite