Back in 2008, developer Level-5 hit on a winning combination with their Nintendo DS hit Professor Layton and the Curious Village. Offering a unique blend of mind-bending puzzles and a mysterious storyline, it seemed as though Layton was blazing the trail for a new breed of adventure game. But then a strange thing happened – or more accurately, no strange thing happened. Nobody tried to repeat their success. Nobody thought it was a formula they could run with. And with the exception of another Professor Layton release, the world of gaming hasn’t seen anything like it in the last two years. That is, they haven’t seen anything like it until now.
Back in 2008, developer Level-5 hit on a winning combination with their Nintendo DS hit Professor Layton and the Curious Village. Offering a unique blend of mind-bending puzzles and a mysterious storyline, it seemed as though Layton was blazing the trail for a new breed of adventure game. But then a strange thing happened – or more accurately, no strange thing happened. Nobody tried to repeat their success. Nobody thought it was a formula they could run with. And with the exception of another Professor Layton release, the world of gaming hasn’t seen anything like it in the last two years. That is, they haven’t seen anything like it until now.
The Jim & Frank Mysteries: The Blood River Files is developer 99Games attempt to follow in the footsteps laid down by Layton‘s crew. It tells the story of two friends, Jim and Frank, as they attempt to solve mysterious happenings in the town of Tinyville. The developers are promising more than 20 hours of gameplay, 70 different kinds of puzzles and tasks, and nearly 100 hand-drawn scenes.
The puzzles, which will range from visual to analytical in nature, will need to be solved for players to progress through the town. Should a certain puzzle prove too challenging, players can find a ‘eureka’ hidden in the scene to provide a hint for the puzzle at hand.
Based on what we know so far, the game sounds as though it will follow the formula placed down by Layton perfectly. Whether or not the game can manage to blaze its own trail is something we won’t know until the game has arrived. Expect to see The Jim & Frank Mysteries: The Blood River Files arrive on the AppStore soon.
