I don't know if Professor Layton invented the detective solves a mystery by a solving a bunch of more-or-less-related puzzles, but that's the first one I encountered, so it's my standard I hold other games of the sort up to. Puzzle Agent is in the same genre. The graphic style of the game is very distinctive, based on the art of Graham Annable's Grickle. The puzzles are, as is common in this sort of game, sometimes only tangentially related to the plot. The plot is, delightfully, a little bit dark and odd—there's been a accident and a disappearance that need to be solved, but it seems like just about everyone in this snowbound Minnesota town is just a bit off. The game is a little short and the ending seemed a little abrupt, but I suppose it's good that I'm left wanting more rather than being worn down by a surfeit of puzzles.
FuzzyCo grade: A-
(Also available on Steam and also available on the iPad and iPhone [last two, iTunes links].)
