Doctor Lautrec's 3DS screens scream Professor Layton, whisper loads of fun

Konami has revealed a slew of new screenshots and awebsitefor its upcoming 3DS puzzler, Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights. 30 picarats to the first personwho can guess what other top hat wearing, puzzle-loving intellectual the great doctor is being compared to.

If you wrote Professor Layton, congratulations! You've unlocked the “Potential Copyright Issues” puzzle in the main menu.

Set in 19th century Paris, the game stars archaeologist Pierre Lautrec, his pet monkey Kiki and his young assistant Sophie in an adventure that sees the trio pillaging the city's underworld for treasures and brain-bending puzzles. By description alone, Doctor Lautrec appears to be a self-made game, but the screenshots would suggest that this is one monkey and french baguette away from being a out-and-out copy of Level-5's Professor Layton series.

In its defense, the comparisons to the professor could very well be skin-deep. Our source Andriasang has pulled information from this week's issue of the Japanese Famitsu magazine which revealed rather unique gameplay tidbits from Doctor Lautrec, the details of which sound nothing like the professor has attempted in his previous titles. Highlights include making Doctor Lautrec fully controllable by the player, a heftier emphasis on exploration, and battle sequences that will see players wielding spirits on the human, bird and beast variety. The game is also said to feature interactive conversations and a a fully voiced narrative.

We'll have to see what developer Level-5 does with its 3DS entry, Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle, before making any firm accusations. That said, would it really be all that bad to have another Layton-esque experience?

Dec 17, 2010

[Source:Andriasang]

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Matt Bradford wrote news and features here at GamesRadar+ until 2016. Since then he's gone on to work with the Guinness World Records, acting as writer and researcher for the annual Gamer's Edition series of books, and has worked as an editor, technical writer, and voice actor. Matt is now a freelance journalist and editor, generating copy across a multitude of industries.