"Lost" Professor Layton game that only released in Japan 16 years ago is getting an unofficial translation after being discovered on an old phone

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All six chapters were found on a "junk" cell phone

Professor Layton and the Mansion of the Deathly Mirror
(Image credit: Level-5)

While fans wait for Professor Layton and the New World of Steam to release, a long-lost title from the beloved puzzle game series has been unearthed - after 16 years.

Professor Layton and the Mansion of the Deathly Mirror was first released as a Japan exclusive for mobile devices in 2008. It received a re-release just a year later, but it never made it overseas, and entire chapters have since been lost to time - until now, that is. A self-described "game preservationist" known online as Yuvi discovered the full game on an old cell phone "that looked like it survived a house fire."

Fellow game preservation enthusiast RockmanCosmo describes the mind-boggling discovery, explaining that "all six chapters were found on a junk F906i." Prior to Yuvi's one-in-a-million find, fans only had access to Mansion of the Deathly Mirror's first three chapters. Believe it or not, that's not even the most exciting part - for the first time, global fans will finally get to play the gem in full, as an English translation is in the works.

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RockmanCosmo reveals as much, saying "An English translation will happen in due time!" It isn't the only seemingly forsaken Japan-exclusive mobile game coming to light now, either. Yuvi has also successfully preserved other applications on the near-destroyed phone such as "Mr. Driller Aqua, a keitai-exclusive spinoff of the Mr. Driller series." Considering the state of the rescued cell as shown in photos, I'd say it's a miracle.

For impatient fans like myself, the original Japanese version of the full Professor Layton and the Mansion of the Deathly Mirror game is already accessible. A linked wiki contains all the information needed - as well as countless pages dedicated to other rediscovered titles. It's a welcome haven of once-forgotten mobile games, and I personally can't wait to explore them for a blast into the past.

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Anna Koselke
Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.