Ah, revisiting Layton in HD is amazing! Sharp, full resolution graphics and sound make a huge difference. It's amazing that we can see the game in this way, it's the video game equivalent to a movie recorded on film getting a modern release at full resolution. No new art, the same but finally at the highest quality. Also, having all puzzles (weekly downloadable puzzles + hidden door + game's own set) in one place is awesome. I'm glad they didn't leave anything out.
Other than the HD upgrade, there are very few new additions. The memo pad has wider array of tools, there's an options menu with a playguide and volume adjustments, some very minor puzzle adjustments to accommodate for mobile... and that's about it.
While there wasn't much room for improvement over the original, I'm disappointed by a few choices. First, the most grievous error is in the one functionality that was updated: the memo pad.
The original DS release's memo pad was extremely bare bones: you could write in black, and you could clear the screen. But it did the job most of the time. The HD version added: colors! stamps! pen sizes! an eraser! undo/redo buttons! And yet somehow they really screwed it up. It's already hard enough to write memos with a fingertip (next time I will definitely use a pen with a touchscreen nub), but the memo pad's functionality will make you want to use it as little as possible. To write anything other than in the thinnest pen size in black, like let's say, in a second color, you have to: press the colorpad, choose a color, press the pencil icon, tap the screen, and then you can begin writing. It's hard to understand how frustrating this is unless you experience it yourself. Note-taking can be so crucial in many of the puzzles and it was turned into such a chore for no good reason.
Another weird decision was: they actually added an an accommodation for writing on a touchscreen with your finger! Awesome! It is used on one single puzzle. What. On puzzle 68, and only on puzzle 68, a magnifying circle appears besides where you tap and shows where you are drawing your line. I almost wish they never added to that puzzle, because every puzzle after that I kept thinking how a magnifying glass would be so useful. I just don't understand why that wasn't a game-wide option.
Overall, while I think this is the best way to play the game, I wish they did just that little bit more to make the definitive version.
Other than the HD upgrade, there are very few new additions. The memo pad has wider array of tools, there's an options menu with a playguide and volume adjustments, some very minor puzzle adjustments to accommodate for mobile... and that's about it.
While there wasn't much room for improvement over the original, I'm disappointed by a few choices. First, the most grievous error is in the one functionality that was updated: the memo pad.
The original DS release's memo pad was extremely bare bones: you could write in black, and you could clear the screen. But it did the job most of the time. The HD version added: colors! stamps! pen sizes! an eraser! undo/redo buttons! And yet somehow they really screwed it up. It's already hard enough to write memos with a fingertip (next time I will definitely use a pen with a touchscreen nub), but the memo pad's functionality will make you want to use it as little as possible. To write anything other than in the thinnest pen size in black, like let's say, in a second color, you have to: press the colorpad, choose a color, press the pencil icon, tap the screen, and then you can begin writing. It's hard to understand how frustrating this is unless you experience it yourself. Note-taking can be so crucial in many of the puzzles and it was turned into such a chore for no good reason.
Another weird decision was: they actually added an an accommodation for writing on a touchscreen with your finger! Awesome! It is used on one single puzzle. What. On puzzle 68, and only on puzzle 68, a magnifying circle appears besides where you tap and shows where you are drawing your line. I almost wish they never added to that puzzle, because every puzzle after that I kept thinking how a magnifying glass would be so useful. I just don't understand why that wasn't a game-wide option.
Overall, while I think this is the best way to play the game, I wish they did just that little bit more to make the definitive version.