Why, hello there! My name is Jordan and I'd like to welcome you to the town of St. Mystere, where an ominous tower looms overhead and the residents you'll meet are just as odd as the puzzles you'll surely find around every corner - and sometimes they're even more mystifying! Before we carry on with our little chat though, I have a little riddle of my own. What is the result when you combine a pinch of intriguing plot, a dash of unique cartoon style and a heaping spoonful of mind-bending puzzles and mix them all together? The answer, of course, is Professor Layton and the Curious Village - and it's a game that no puzzle-loving DS owner should be without.

Baron Reinhold is dead; summoned by the late Baron's will, Professor Layton heads for the aptly named town of St. Mystere in order to meet with the Baron's widow, Lady Dahlia. With his young apprentice, Luke, in tow, Layton must unravel the mystery of the Golden Apple, along with the many other anomalies around town, and solve a murder in the process. During this adventure you'll meet a unique cast of eccentric characters, including an abrasive detective, a bumbling butler and a pudgy bachelor who's insistent that puzzle solving is the key to a woman's heart. Though you'll most likely figure out the major plot twist a bit earlier than the game intends, the plot remains intriguing to the end and the story is left quite open; this, along with a screen in the Bonuses section that asks for a code from the sequel, bodes well for Professor Layton 2 coming to North America as well, which is very good news indeed.

While Curious Village may be a puzzle game at heart with a story wrapped around it for extra flavor, this doesn't stop the narrative from being quite engaging; with an interesting visual style that comes off as a European cartoon mixed with a Hayao Miyazaki (Grave of the Fireflies, Spirited Away) film, great voice acting in the impressive animated cut scenes and clever writing throughout, the story here will keep you pounding away at even the most frustrating puzzles in order to unravel the mystery surrounding the town of St. Mystere. The quirky dialog is aided further by the interesting graphical style present in the game; while it may not push the DS to its limits, it suits the setting well and draws attention pretty quickly. In fact, while playing the game during lunch breaks at work, one person or another was almost always looking over my shoulder. Usually the reaction I get when I answer what game I'm playing is "ah....." or something along the lines thereof; not so with Curious Village. Almost every time I showed someone the game they immediately became either involved with the puzzle I was currently working on or were drawn in by the appealing character art. After watching me play and helping me with some puzzles, onlookers almost uniformly asked the price of the game and would either pick it up soon after, or solemnly state "I wish I had a DS..."

Not to be outdone, the soundtrack is as intriguing as the visual style. The European influence is felt here as well; the music is filled with staccato pianos and xylophones, adding just the right amount of tension while still remaining extremely catchy. This is a good thing, as some puzzles are extremely mind-bending and you'll be working on them for a while. If the soundtrack was not as elegant and catchy as it is then the game would surely become frustrating; however, as it is, it accompanies the puzzles perfectly and adds a nice tone to the game.

Despite all of this, the core of Curious Village is still the puzzles, and the game doesn't disappoint here either. Almost every conversation you have ends with a puzzle being presented for Professor Layton or Luke to solve, no matter how inappropriate it is for the situation at hand. With over 130 of these puzzles at your disposal, many of which you'll be pondering over outside of the game - unless you're not strong enough to resist a look at a walkthrough - you'll be kept busy for at least ten to fifteen hours, depending on your analytical abilities.

The puzzles range from multiple choice questions to riddles to matchstick puzzles and many more, making them varied enough that you don't really get bored of any single type before moving onto the next, and most of the more difficult puzzles are optional. Should you choose to skip a particularly difficult puzzle, or you just miss it in your journey around town, it is saved at a special building and kept available should you wish to attempt it later, minimizing aggravation for gamers who just want to see the game through to its conclusion. If you're not so quick to give up on a puzzle though - or are just looking to gain more "Picarats" by solving puzzles in the fewest tries possible in order to unlock hidden extras such as a music and movie player - there is a hint system in place to help you along. Hints are attained by poking around each scene to see if you can find any hidden "Hint Coins", which are abundant. When you reach a puzzle that's got you stumped, you can use one to three hint coins to help point you in the right direction, with two hints usually being the sweet spot on difficult puzzles; using one usually just nets you an obvious "The puzzle isn't as it seems..." and the third hint pretty much throws the answer in your face, taking away any sense of accomplishment that you would have gained from solving the puzzle without help.

The content doesn't end with what's shipped on the cart though; on top of the puzzles included, developer Level-5 plan on releasing weekly puzzles! While there was only one puzzle available for download at the time of this review, it was quite difficult; if this is any indication of the puzzles to come, they'll add a fair amount of replay over the coming months.

With a fantastic main quest that will keep you hooked to the end, extra tough puzzles to keep you thinking after the main story is complete and weekly downloadable content to be made available in the future, Professor Layton and the Curious Village is a very strong package indeed. Whether you want an intriguing story, interesting characters or intelligent puzzles, if you think you've got the mental chops then you owe it to yourself to head over to the Curious Village; you might just be smarter than you think!

Reviewed by Jordan Wasilka for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).