LogFAQs > #895913351

62. Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Raka_Putra)


About a year ago, I watched the original trailer they released when this game was first announced, and it's kinda crazy how different it was from the finished product. It was a lot darker and presented Phoenix and Layton as actual rivals who don't see eye to eye (which the "versus" implies) instead of being friendly partners like they were in the actual game. Part of me wonders if that would've been better than what we got, although the ending probably still would've gone off the deep end. This is half a Professor Layton game, after all, so it probably wouldn't have fixed one of the game's bigger problems. I hadn't played a Layton game before this though, so I didn't totally understand what I was getting into the first time around! Regardless, I had a good time getting introduced to the world of Professor Layton through the lens of Ace Attorney.

I really enjoyed the premise and the setting of this game. Team Layton and Team Ace Attorney are both transported into a medieval world where witches are feared above all else and a man known as the Storyteller has the power to turn anything he writes into reality, or so it seems. As I said in the Unwound Future writeup, nothing is ever as it seems in a Layton game! However, like I said, this was my introduction to the series, and Ace Attorney does have some supernatural elements to it, so I didn't know what to expect from the story. The court segments are pretty wild though, as you might expect from a literal witch trial. You have multiple witnesses testifying at once and changing their testimony on the fly, a gallery that's more like an angry mob than anything else, and convicted witches being sent to the flames as soon as the trial ends. The game does a great job on selling the fact that this is a totally different world than the characters are used to, and that the deck is completely stacked against them, which makes their repeated victories all the more impressive.

Most of the cases are decent but not great, but the environment and atmosphere are strong enough to keep you invested, as I said. However, the game's best case is excellent, and I'd argue that it's a borderline top ten contender for the entire Ace Attorney series. It has a really solid cast of characters, a few unexpected and well done twists, and an ending that tugs at your heartstrings in more ways than one. Speaking of the cast, one of the biggest appeals of the game (at least for me) was the fact that we got Phoenix and Maya back together for the first time since the original trilogy, and they certainly don't disappoint. As per usual for a Layton game, a lot of the characters you interact with are mostly there to give you puzzles, but it does have a few really good ones. My personal favorite unique characters here are Darklaw, Barnham (the two prosecutors/"inquisitors" for the game), and Emeer, who is essentially medieval Larry Butz if he were a raging alcoholic.

The game is very good at having fun at its own expense. There are several "bonus episodes" you can download (for free) once you beat the game, and they just mercilessly destroy the fourth wall the whole time, as well as poke fun at some of the more ridiculous elements of the story. Also, I mentioned before that Ace Attorney Investigations is probably my favorite soundtrack in the series, but this game isn't far behind. It's all orchestrated, and hearing some classic tunes redone in that style is fantastic. Overall, Layton vs. Ace Attorney is a clearly flawed game, but it's also very self-aware of its own shortcomings, so you're still able to have a really good time with it in spite of them.

Bonus Question: What is your favorite crossover?
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