Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaire’s Conspiracy  Review  helps kids practice and improve the following skills:

Focus: Sustaining energy for short-term and long-term tasks. 

Playing puzzle games like Layton’s Mystery Journey requires both short-term and long-term focusing skills. The puzzles you are asked to solve in the game are short and only require a limited amount of attention; once they are solved, the player can move on with another part of the game. But because this game is also part visual novel, there is a great deal of reading that does not have accompanying voice acting. The player needs to focus on what they are reading in order to determine who the culprit is at the end of each case. The mini games also require focusing skills. For example, when you are choosing the perfect menu for a client, you need to listen carefully to what they are telling you to choose the appropriate dishes. If not, you will be marked off-track and will have to start over. For players who struggle with focus, playing the game for a set amount of time and then taking a break to do some non-screen play can be a way to reset and come back to reading and puzzle solving with fresh eyes and a renewed interest. 

Flexibility: Trying new things. 

The puzzles in Layton’s Mystery Journey require the user to think outside of the box. Some puzzles require math while others require logic or critical thinking skills. The player needs to be willing to try new approaches to the puzzles until they feel that they have reached the correct solution. Getting the answer wrong will decrease the amount of picarats you receive so trying to get the puzzle on the first try is important. For players who struggle with flexibility, there are hint coins that can be found by exploring the various environments. These are, however, limited so the player needs to be sure they are truly stuck before spending them.