So here we are. After six games investigating a world obsessed with puzzles, it is time for Professor Hershel Layton to hang up his famous hat. Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy represents the sixth entry into Level-5’s puzzling series; the third of a trilogy of prequels to 2008’s Curious Village. If you come into this game expecting something radically new, you’re looking in the wrong place. The core gameplay has remained unchanged, with Professor Layton and his sidekicks Luke and Emmy traversing a point and click world solving the brain teasers set by the inhabitants of the many regions visited by our heroes on their journey to solve the mystery of the Azran Legacy.

In terms of storytelling, this game presents some of the best of the series. The voice acting is top notch and the presentation is simplistic yet effective. The 3DS iterations of the Layton series have ushered in a slightly more polygonal world than the 2D drawings used in the first four games, but the charm given by the quirky european style animation remains.

The world is displayed on the top screen, with the bottom screen used to move your magnifying glass cursor around to find any points of interest - people to talk to, hidden artefacts, and the ever-useful hint coins. It is easier to take in the beauty of the world that Level-5 has created without having to frantically tap on every point of the screen like in the DS games in which the world was shown on the touch screen.

The 3D effect of the system gives a nice level of depth to the environments, making the scenery look more like a diorama than a cartoon, but you won’t miss out on anything if you are playing with a 2DS.

Azran Legacy is Layton’s most globe-trotting adventure yet, giving you the freedom to travel between nine different locations in the airship Bostonius, kindly loaned by Layton’s friend and colleague Professor Sycamore (unfortunately not visiting from the world of Pokemon).

The prologue throws you right into the story, with Layton and friends investigating a mysterious girl who has been trapped in a wall of ice for thousands of years. She holds the key to the Azran legacies, which tie together the story with mysteries set up in the previous two games in addition to the film Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. It’s a rip-roaring start, which even sees a strange third person shooter segment in which you have to shoot at the ‘odd missile out’.

Although the final part of the series, the game does just enough to explain what is going on to someone who may be a newcomer to the series, but overall, it is a game made for those who have been along for the ride since Layton’s early days, with plenty of fan service. Anyone can enjoy it, but long term fans will appreciate the details. At points the game does feel cutscene heavy but they are so beautifully done you won’t be reaching for the skip button.

Level-5 have done a great job at integrating the puzzles into the plot. Rather than just being a hindrance to slow down Layton on his quest, solving a puzzle will often be the way forward in the plot - for example if there’s a river that needs to be crossed, you must solve a puzzle in which you must jump across boats moving at different speeds without floating too far downstream. Of course there are the superfluous puzzles where a character wants you to solve a random person problem, but these are largely optional.

The main game contains over 150 brain teasers, which are mainly based on using logic rather than knowledge or arithmetic skill. You can finish the story with only 85 puzzles completed, if the plot is all that interests you, but if you’ve made it through the previous five games, Azran Legacy’s puzzles shouldn’t pose too much of a problem to you.

It is possible to skip puzzles if you are stuck, but there’s nothing like getting it right on your first try, and without using too many hint coins. Each puzzle will reward you with picarats, which decrease if you submit a wrong answer to a problem. Building up picarats will unlock bonuses in the secret area after clearing the game.

On top of the main quest, there is plenty more to do. Like all of the previous games, daily puzzles can be downloaded over SpotPass, giving longevity not many games can achieve. Layton has always been designed as a pick up and play game - each time you resume the story you are given a recap of the story so far - so it is nice to see this tradition continue. Many gamers will be saddened when these challenges finally run out. StreetPass is used to set other players the task of finding certain items hidden around the game world, for which you will be rewarded more hint coins, among other goodies.

If a story mode that should take at least 15 hours as well as a puzzle a day for the next year wasn’t enough, Layton’s trunk contains three mini-games for you to enjoy. Although they don’t provide the depth of the London Life RPG that unfortunately never made it to Europe with Professor Layton and the Spectre’s Call, they are fun little distractions which unlock as the game progresses, and are essential to complete if you want to collect all of the game’s goodies.

The first you unlock, Dress Up, gives you the task of creating a perfect outfit for various members of the supporting cast that you meet during your quest. In Nut Roller you play as a little squirrell who must push various items around a top-down grid to ensure that his acorn makes it safely to his home. Finally, Blooms and Shrooms is a gardening themed game in which you must plant flowers carefully to ensure they bloom in a bomberman-like fashion and cover the entire field, but avoid the nasty poisonous mushrooms which will turn your plants into weeds.      

If I was to have one main complaint about Azran Legacy, it would be that it is a shame that moving to the 3DS hasn’t really added anything to the Layton formula. The method of exploring the world has had a minor change, but there is so much potential for puzzles that could use the stereoscopic 3D on the 3DS, but with the vast majority of games on the system having 3D as optional, it is hard to criticise it too much for sticking to the tried and tested formula.

It is important to say that this formula still works - inventive puzzles held together with a story and world full of charm and character and a dash of humour. It is truly a product of the DS era, and after six games it is time to change things up a bit; but it would be a shame if Layton 7, which will not feature the titular Professor, forgets the elements that have made the series such a hit with both old and new gamers alike.

The ending of the prequel trilogy is fitting, with expected twists and turns which will leave you wishing to revisit the whole series once again. Luckily, with all the extras added in and the ability to just pick up and play for a few minutes every night, you won’t have to say goodbye to Hershel Layton too soon.