It seems even Professor Layton can’t solve the mystery of why Nintendo’s handheld 3DS is struggling so badly. So much so, that the popular puzzler (originally published by Nintendo itself) is making a well-advised leap to Apple’s iPhone for its next adventure.
The Professor Layton series of mystery-solving family-friendly games has been a DS exclusive since its release in 2006 with Professor Layton and the Curious Village. A prequel title Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle was released along with the latest portable Nintendo 3DS in Japan and the game was announced for a western release which has since been mysteriously absent.
Japanese publisher of the game, Level 5, has now revealed that a new title Layton Brothers: Mystery Room is being developed as an iPhone exclusive forsaking Nintendo platforms for the first time in the series history. This news follows the porting of popular Scribblenauts action puzzle game from Nintendo DS to iOS platforms – which is available now on the Apple App Store for £2.99 – the digital version bringing a £10 undercut on the physical format for the original DS portable. We are told, however, that there will be a Professor Layton/Phoenix game coming to 3DS in the future.
Nintendo looked set to get the disappointing 3DS back on track by slashing the price of the console to less than half of its original asking price just a few months after its public launch. It also looked to remedy a few user complaints by releasing an Expansion Slide accessory, bringing a much-desire second thumb-stick as well as 3D reducing filter on future versions.
Mr Iwata, President of Nintendo, pleaded for patience in June promising that popular faves such as Super Mario and Mario Kart were just around the corner, and that by no means will the company be forced into creating games for other platforms, in particular the growing trend of smartphone games.
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