The World of Professor Layton Paperback – 3 Nov. 2015

I bought the original Japanese language version of this back when it came out, never expecting this (or any other Layton book) to be translated. Much to my surprise, UDON delivered!This book contains a lot of information about and interviews with the developer - Level-5 - and many related staff like the Japanese voice actors who play Hershel Layton and Luke Triton. The first portion of the book is given over to in-depth Q-&-A's with the developer as posed by Japanese fans, which offer insights into lots of the creative decisions Level-5 made, and difficulties they faced. Straight afterwards, comes lots of very interesting submissions from fans, recounting their favourite PL characters (and for what reasons), as well as gag comics! This section is really very very endearing.The book also contains an extensive catalogue of Layton merchendise made in Japan, right down to things like theatre programs and promotional chocolates (if you happen to be a collector, this could be very useful to you I imagine!).The real substance of the book though of course is the games and associated media. Rest assured that this book covers everything, though not in depth (I'll get to that later). Not only does it cover the six main titles, but also the spin-offs (like Layton Brothers and PL vs.AA), as well as mobile titles and reissued versions. Each title is displayed with its various covers, a summary of the plot, the main characters (including developer commentary about designing them!), plus a lot of interesting extra tidbits. Unfortunately the art is still a bit sparse, with very little of the environment artwork displayed, and many many NPCs not appearing at all. But it does cover all the main points of each entry in the series.As for how this book shapes up/differs from the original Japanese edition:So first things first, the translation is excellent. There's a note at the front of the book acting as a disclaimer of sorts, explaining that the book is a very literal translation and is of course based on the Japanese-language versions of the games, which differ signficantly from the European or US localised versions. I like this aspect a lot, since it means that the developer interviews are as close to "straight from the horse's mouth" as you can get, and there are many cultural references and in-jokes that would have been lost had UDON attempted to localise it further.The english-language version of this book is actually significantly larger than the original Japanese edition too, much to my surprise! The original is around C5 size I'd say (A bit bigger than A5, if you're unfamiliar with C5), but the English version is around A4 size. It's almost a whole format bigger, which is quite a jump. That means all of the artwork is bigger, which is a great plus.The print quality is great, and while it doesn't have a dust cover like the original, the English-language version still has lovely foil embossed text on it, all of the colours are sharp and crisp, and - dare I say it - perhaps even more vibrant than the original version.My final verdict:If I'm honest, I'm tempted to knock off a star or two because it does admittedly feel like too-little-too-late. Though this book has a lot in it, none of it really goes into depth, and as somebody who owns other Professor Layton books and merch that have more to them, there are times that this book doesn't feel like it's a huge amount better than simply reading a printed out version of a wiki. Not in terms of design (I commend the layout, it's a well-designed book), just in terms of information presented. There simply isn't a huge amount in this that hasn't already been in the other books and merch, if any.It misses the opportunity to go into depth about things like the movie or the novels, or the Deathly Mirror mobile game, all of which are fully contained Layton stories that are part of Professor Layton's "world". In fact that's a strange title, given that this book doesn't really talk much AT ALL about the locations, settings, and characters. Really, this book is more of a developer diary, with fan feedback and some bonus artwork. It's definitely a very send-off style product, closing the metaphorical book on the franchise. Perhaps "The World Of Professor Layton" is a misleading title to be honest!However, the fact remains that in the UK, this is the ONLY accessible (and english-language!) Professor Layton book. My response and review of this book is coloured by the fact that I have the other Layton books and merch, which contain more comprehensive maps and art of characters and locations in the universe. My review is likely more appropriately applied to the Japanese-language version as a result, and not really to this one.So in the end, I've given it full marks for what it is, and the context in which it's in: It's a carefully designed and beautifully printed book, with every single basic thing you expect from a book documenting the making of a video game franchise. A full history/chronology, interviews and commentary from the developers, fan responses, merch and events coverage, and introductions to all the main characters with a summary of each game. If you have never read any of the other Layton books, then this book IS extensive. In the UK, this is really the only opportunity to get anything that resembles an official Professor Layton artbook, and on that ground I thoroughly recommend it. It's a well-made and affordable product, and an admirable send-off to the series.---As an afternote:If you're a fan who owns the Japanese edition: I personally feel like the translation and larger format are worth the price of a second admission, at the current price (£20.39), but there is absolutely no content added or removed in this book. You won't get anything new for getting it again, so really this is all about whether you want an English copy of Level-5 interviews or not.

Bought as a present for a Layton fan and they were overjoyed with the extensive content.

This book is beautifully illustrated colourful and very interesting.