[3][4] Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask Plus, an enhanced edition featuring new puzzles and added cutscenes, was released on the Nintendo eShop in Japan in February 2013.

[5] The game centers on Professor Hershel Layton, alongside his apprentice, Luke Triton, and his assistant, Emmy Altava, attempting to uncover the truth behind the "Masked Gentleman", a villain who is seemingly terrorising the city of Monte d'Or with supposed uses of "dark magic".

When the magnifying glass is hovered over something of interest, the player can tap the touch screen to inspect it, initiating conversation with characters or revealing a hint coin or puzzle.

'One-Stop Shop' requires players to arrange items on a shelf based on their type and color in order to entice customers to buy everything on display.

[6] Accompanied by Luke and Emmy, Layton arrives at the city of Monte d'Or to investigate some strange events occurring there by request of an old friend of his youth, Angela Ledore.

Randall's butler and surrogate brother Henry establishes a huge search operation to look for him, but to no avail, eventually discovering the treasure and using it to found Monte d'Or, marrying Angela a few years later.

The next night, Layton and his company arrive at the Reunion Inn, the establishment that is said to have provided Monte d'Or with enough money to become a city, where they confront the Masked Gentleman, who reveals himself as Randall.

After his fall eighteen years ago, Randall had lost his memories and was living with some villagers who rescued him until he received some anonymous letters that made him recover from his amnesia, but also misled him into believing that he was betrayed by Henry and Layton and inspired him to enact revenge as the Masked Gentleman.

Randall reconciles with his family and friends, and Layton and company set off on their next adventure, while Descole rejoices at having finally found the Azran vault he was looking for until he is attacked by Bronev and his organization Targent.

[9] The game was first announced as a Nintendo DS title at the official launch event for Professor Layton and the Last Specter, where it was scheduled for Japanese release during Q3 2010.

[12] At a Nintendo press event later in 2010, the first trailer for Miracle Mask, originally under the name The Mask of Miracle, was released along with screenshots, demonstrating the graphical and gameplay overhauls that had taken place over the system's switch to Nintendo 3DS; the previous games' hand-drawn 2D sprites had been replaced by 3D models, areas of the game could now be examined in a 3D perspective, and several puzzles took advantage of the 3DS' features, including its motion sensor.

An updated version of the game titled Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask Plus was released for the Nintendo eShop in Japan in early 2013.

[21] Her 2011 album Road Show features a music video for the song animated in the style of Professor Layton, adding her into cutscenes from the game.

[29][41] IGN said that the Japanese version was "perfect for a portable system"[8] and said that its puzzles remained surprising and well-designed despite being the fifth entry in the series; however, they expressed disappointment at the long wait for the game's localization.

Some force you to carefully analyze images, others are tricky riddles, and still others involve clever application of basic math skills -- but each one is different enough from the last that boredom never sets in.

Add in yet another engaging story filled with quirky personalities and several seemingly unsolvable grand mysteries, and you have a recipe for a very memorable Professor Layton adventure.

"[39] National Post gave it a score of 8.5 out of 10, saying that it "entertains without violence or scares, it provides a healthy workout for your brain, and it's suitable for most ages and both genders.

"[42] Digital Spy gave it four stars out of five, saying, "Its fascinating story and well-balanced array of puzzles means Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask is probably the best outing in the series since the ground-breaking original, and the new approach to visuals once again reminds you of the system's now forgotten selling point: its terrific 3D screen.