Review: Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

It’s finally here. The game that has been anticipated for the past few years by many 3DS fans. The ultimate handheld crossover game. Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. On paper it sounds like a kooky idea.

How on earth could a game marry the two very distinctive styles of these two very different franchises and make them work? How could a game all about Victorian era mysteries and puzzle solving possibly work with a game set in modern day Japanamerica which requires obscure logic to solve mind bending legal cases. The answer? Brilliantly. It’s all about the charm offensive.

Both series have always been about the characters and their journeys as much as they’ve been about their overarching mystery and narrative. PLvAA is no exception and is in fact the most character-driven of any game in either franchise. Without getting into any specifics regarding the plot — the fun is in the discovery — Professor Hershel Layton, Luke Triton, Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey are thrown together in a way that serves both series and still makes sense in either game world. Sure, there are a few leaps you need to make for things to make sense, but by the end everything comes together.

The Layton series trademark anime cutscenes kick off proceedings and very quickly the game kicks off, first following Layton and Luke as the investigate and solve puzzles. At the conclusion of their introductory chapter the game switches into Ace Attorney mode. Phoenix and Maya are thrust into a trail they know nothing about and which sets off many of the events to follow. The game follows an episodic structure that shifts focus between either Professor Layton gameplay or Ace Attorney gameplay. There are some minor overlapping elements, but for the most part the mechanics of each series are kept separate. It really works.

The strength of the combination is the characterisation. Being a fan of both series I was easily able to root for both sets of characters and really cheer and get excited when I saw them interacting for the first time. The moment you see both Layton and Phoenix pointing an shouting objection in unison, it’s pure fan service at it’s best. PLvAA is largely a Layton game with the trials from Ace Attorney slotted in at narratively appropriate moments. The format works really well though and both franchises get their time in the spotlight. Although it does appear at times that franchise fatigue has settled in.

For the most part, puzzles during the Professor Layton sections of the game seem overly easy and more of the visual type rather than the logic or brain teaser type the series has become known for. It may be that after 6 games there simply aren’t that many more puzzles to use, or that they were going for a different feel with PLvAA. Either way, the puzzles are a little on the easy side and can sometimes feel underwhelming. It’s not a constant issue, but if you’re a fan you will notice the difference.

The Ace Attorney sections on the other hand are as sharp as ever and thanks to some new additions are even more fun than ever. In PLvAA Phoenix doesn’t cross examine only one witness at a time. Oh no. Now he has up to 5 witnesses at once. The best part being that he can observe the other witnesses while another is speaking to determine if they can shed more light on the testimony.

Using one testimony to expose a contradiction in another is brilliant and really feels like a true Ace Attorney mind game. Pressing, presenting evidence and working out the game’s obscure logic are all stll present so Ace Attorney fans will be in heaven.

One thing that may be an issue for those players who are only familiar with one of the series is the very different approaches you need to solve the “puzzles.” In Professor Layton the simplest answer is usually the correct one. The puzzles are straightforward and logical. Oftentimes they will be challenging, but always include the answer in the puzzle or description.

Ace Attorney on the other hand relies on the game’s particular brand of logic, which is often anything but. To solve the puzzles of the testimony and get to the bottom of the cases players need to make absurd logical leaps that often require assumptions outside the evidence present or even what the game has revealed. Those fans of Professor Layton may find the Ace Attorney sections difficult, annoying and illogical and vice versa. Both games have merits and both work well together for the most part, but there will be fans who can’t stomach one or the other and for them, this game is not.

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I love both series and found that PLvAA was an excellent amalgam of the best of both. It’s easy to love when the characters are so damn charming and the story is surprisingly strong. PLvAA will provide around 20 hours or so and although a huge part of that revolves around reading and listening if you allow yourself to become enthralled those hours will fly by. If you’re not a fan of puzzles and reading, then you’ve probably given up on this review a few hundred words back, but this game is definitely not for you. If however, you’re a fan of reading, puzzles and absurd Japanese mysteries then PLvAA is something you need. Right now.

I promise you won’t have any “Objections!”

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