Last year, I decided that I was going to replay all the Professor Layton games in order to fully appreciate the story and narrative. I'd played CV close to launch, as with DB - but then I didn't pick up another one for years. I'd watched LPs of the few other games but never managed to finish them. So I went out and completed my collection and decided to replay them.

I intend to play PLvAA - I watched an LP of that years ago, and I loved the AA franchise like a son when they were releasing too. I also intend to play the Katrielle (daughter) game after that, which I'm going into blind - so please, no spoilers on Katrielle*. And no, I didn't save scum for max picarats. I just used a guide. Sad truth is, I'm an adult now and I don't have the free time to play story games without assistance because I don't have hours of time to spare anymore. I solved most of them on my own then checked the answer to see if I was right - judge as you want.*

Anyway, a good gentlemen doesn't keep Reddit waiting. and also, spoilers for the series.

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Professor Layton and the Curious Village

I first played this game around its launch - maybe a bit later. 2009? And it absolutely blew me away. The story was great, the puzzles were great (for the most part. Those block sliding ones and the "Calculate this math" ones I'm not keen on.

And the mystery was great too. The plot twisted and turned at every point, yet it all still made sense and was easy to follow. And it was very unlikely you would figure out the mysteries until Layton did too - which is something I've noticed the later games struggled with.

It might have seemed a little left field to have a town filled with robots, and for Layton to leave the town to it's own devices - but you have to remember this comes straight off the heels of Azran Legacy, timeline-wise. And if you're familiar with how that ends, then it makes perfect sense for Layton's character.

Things that are great about CV in particular:

The music - I'm willing to bet good money you can still hum this games puzzles' theme. I imagine the xylophone-chiming is still stuck in your head.

The minigames - sorting furniture out for Layton and Luke was a fun, if easy puzzle. The painting was likewise fun, especially when you've assembled most of it and you realize it's upside down. Gizmo the dog was fine, too. More of a "collection" that the later games would focus on.

Final verdict:

CV is a great game. And I don't think it's fair many people put it on the bottom, or near-bottom, of their ranking lists. I think this game suffers heavily from first game syndrome - just because it's vanilla doesn't mean it's bad. Vanilla is tasty.

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Pandora's Box

In the UK, it's called Pandora's Box, but I'm calling it DB for clarity and ease. Also, why not just the Elysian Box? That's the name of the bloody thing.

Another great Layton game I played around its launch. It's exactly what fans wanted - more of the same, elsewhere. I don't enjoy this game as much, as I feel the first half wants to both rush you out of Dropstone to Folsense yet drag along so you don't miss the important story foreshadowing. It's an awkward pace - like when you're trying to overtake someone.

And again, you couldn't predict the main mystery too early - even though it made sense once it was explained. Although some of the smaller mysteries (if they deserve to be called that) are pathetic, in my opinion. That "missing little baby"? I knew it was a dog the minute I saw the woman - you could just tell the game was setting up a bait-and-switch. Layton immediately assuming it was a boy was not only fallacious (considering his previous experience - he's solved four mysteries at this point) but entirely out of character.

And so was him missing Flora's Team Rocket Disguise, yet calling her out on it later on. The only reason I can think these mysteries are as simple as they are is so they didn't exclude the people who heard Layton was good and picked up Game 2 before Game 1. I get it - but I don't like it.

Anton was great though. That whole final bit escaping the castle was just as tense as the first time, and I knew what was coming. Bloody brilliant character - and it's a shame he only got so much screentime. More could have been done with his character and relationship with Sophia.

Things that are great about DB in particular:

The tea minigame - I like the Danny DeVito hamster. His minigame isn't fun but he is. The camera minigame is... fine. But the tea minigame was great. Figuring out which teas are worth a damn, figuring out who wanted what drink. It was great. The only thing this needed was a way to offer people tea without having to wait 'til they were thirsty. Otherwise, it's perfect.

The setting - Folsense, in particular, is fantastic. While it feels a bit awkwardly paced as most of the story seems to take place over one night, it nevertheless feels great to explore. I remember where most everything is in Folsense all these months after beating it.

Final verdict:

I like DB. I like DB more than I like CV, if I'm honest. But I don't think it's better. I think a lot of people rank this above CV only because it does more with the setting. Some of the puzzles are harder, more taxing - which is great for returning players, but the newbies who might have joined the bandwagon wrong will likely get frustrated with some of them. Yet, if they should be playing CV first then this one, why have the easy bloody mysteries at the beginning? It just seems weird to me. Of course, that's just my opinion, and you might have a different opinion, well then:

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Professor Layton and the Lost Unwound Future

In the UK, it's called Lost Future, but I'm calling it UF for clarity and ease. Lost Future makes more sense, but Unwound Future just sounds better.

I missed this one at launch. I watched an LP of it around 2013 and yes, this game is exactly as good as people make it out to be. Layton gets a letter from a Future Luke Triton, who invites him to the London of tomorrow where Hershel Layton has become the Crime Boss, the MVP, the man to fear, of London.

It's a great story that deserves to be experienced blind. It really is. Every character completes their character arc in this game - some I didn't realise had arcs set up. The game a a bit of a letdown in the minigame department this time round - I didn't like the car game much - just a reskin of the hamster one. The picture book one, I enjoyed a little. Don't like the parrot one, though. But the game made up for those with strides in regards to the story. I think it speaks for itself, and there's nothing I can add that hasn't already been set.

Things that are great about UF in particular:

The story.

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\"You don't have to say anything at all.\"

The setting - Future London is nifty, but navigating it is a bit odd. It's nice to be able to explore London, though, for once. Layton games take place in a weird futuristic Victorian era bubble where everyone drives around in Model T's but they've landed on the moon? That's one puzzle I've never figured out. But it's nice that they expanded it as I imagine many players were waiting to see it in game - and the fast travel options are a lot nicer for end-game puzzle-hunting, too. Not needed, but welcome none-the-less.

Final verdict:

I can see why people think of this as the best game in the series. I'm inclined to agree, but there's something in my heart telling me that some of the goodwill I feel to this game is peer-pressure from everyone else. It's longer, meatier and better than both the previous games. I think it does deserve the title of Best Layton game, honestly, even if I can't put my finger on why.

Professor Layton and the Last Spectre's Call.

In the UK, it's called Spectre's Call, but I'm calling it LS for clarity and ease. I don't care either way in terms of the names.

I imagine someone here has taken umbrage with my opinion that Diabolical Box is worse than Curious Village. Those people should stop reading.

In my own, personal, absolutely infallable opinion which if you disagree with well then that's anti-soviet behavior and the courts find you guilty and sentence you to be shot - I like Professor Layton and the Last Spectre's Call more than Unwound Future.

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[Actual screencap of my inbox right now.](https://i.redd.it/p1tacqtwuce31.png

Maybe that's not objectively true. The story in LS is far weaker than UF. But I don't love this game for the story, if I'm honest. No, what UF is to plot, LS is to characterisation, in my humble, irrefutable opinion. It's nice to see how Luke met Layton. It's nice to meet a cast of new characters. I like Aldus more than Stachenscarfen - he's funnier and it's nice to see a tutorial character break the fourth wall by essentially pulling a Tuxedo Mask "My job here is done," "But I already knew that.". It fits the series humour. Emmy is great. She's probably my favourite character of the series at this point - she's essentially a mix of Layton and Don Paolo's best traits. And her humour is damn near spot on for the series. Layton has his moments but being a gentleman he won't do anything beneath a gentleman. Luke also has his moments, but they're only so many times a child squaring up like he's ten fucking men only to hastily back out on the raise is funny.

Emmy, on the other hand, is exactly what the Layton duo needed. She sees herself as Layton Lite but is more than willing to stoop to Luke's level.

Emmy: Professor, this reminds me of a puzzle... from an insane asylum.

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Layton: Emmy, please don't do that. I don't want to explain to Clark that we broke down his son's door because we couldn't solve a puzzle.

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Emmy: Put the back of the back back so that the back's back is facing back. Professor, I think my brain just exploded.

She's the breath of fresh air this game needed, considering it's now the same gameplay four times in a row. I honestly think gameplay fatigue weighs heavily on people's minds here, as the incremental improvements to the game begin to slow down quite a bit. What the writers did to her in Azran Legacy should be considered a war crime - they had two games to write her out of the corner they knew they were in, and what they went with was awful. A heroic sacrifice, to explain why she was retconned. Or maybe she was injured in the finale of AL, so she had to sit out the original CVDBUF trilogy. Something that didn't irredeemably betray her character, seeing as she spent two and a half games built up as a pseudo-sister to Luke and pseudo-daughter to Layton. It just saddens me, honestly.

Also fantastic is Descolé - I realize it's not accented, but it should be, really. Anyway, Descolé. What a magnificent bastard he is. He's mysterious, charming, suave - he's a foil to Don Paolo, who was quite hot-blooded and impulsive. Descolé is cold, calculating, and although he does have some "heart-of-gold" moments, he's very clearly on the side of Descolé. Sometimes that opposes Layton, sometimes it doesn't - it just depends on what Targent are up to. More on them in a bit.

The story's a lot more bog-standard this time round - it's weaker than Curious Village, and that's the game where they were just finding their feet with plots. That Loosha whale thing was an ass-pull that existed only for a teary moment at the end I couldn't help but laugh at. Seamus actually being a young man in costume, like the dog in DB, was a twist so blatantly sodding obvious I sincerely hope no one was expected to take it seriously. Also, what was up with his fucking accent? I promise you now, not one human being alive on this earth talks like that, and certainly not in England. And again, some of the story beats don't really seem to go anywhere. The witch storyline, the corrupt cops, I don't know. There's a lack in the payoff, that's for sure.

The minigames are also lackluster, again. Which is a shame. The train one was good, but the puppet show one was boring, and I ended up giving up with it until the very end. when I had the words. Fish one was again, just... there. And the mice game. What was up with that? Is it a little bit of fun? Yeah. But awarding 100 points per mouse max, and wanting me to get 1,000,000 points by grinding again and again? fuck off, mate.

Things that are great about LS in particular:

The music.

Misthallery's Many Canals.

Puzzle Theme.

A Strange Story.

The Black Market.

Foggy Misthallery.

The Train Theme.

Descole's Theme.

The Final Battle.

The Golden Garden.

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OH MY GOD. SO MANY GOOD THEMES.

Final verdict:

Layton has always had some stellar songs, but LS certainly has the highest density of absolute bangers. This game's music, as well as it's characters, absolutely rise above the story. Not to the heights of UF, no. But that was a tough act to follow - be a new UF, AND set up a new trilogy? You try it.

I honestly don't think the game deserves the rap it gets. Alright, no one says they hate it - but I really do think things like fatigue and UF weigh on people's judgement of the game, especially if you're shotgunning through the series like I did.

Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva

This is the bit of the trilogy where you get to watch Eternal Diva, spoiler free. It's fantastic, although I didn't this time round because I wasn't able to find the DVD I bought. I have seen it, and it's great. All the VA's return, and it really does capture the spirit of the games while also throwing in all sorts of references for the fans. I don't remember much of the story, as I thought it was a little confusing, but that's not really the film's fault. Video game films can be good - Eternal Diva proves it. Get it cheap on eBay or Amazon or somewhere. I wouldn't pay more than a few bucks/quid for it, though. $10/£10 seems fair. If you're a fan of the cutscene bits in Layton, you'll love this. And also, it helps flesh out Descolé, which is a nice plus.

Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask

The series moves to 3DS for it's fifth installment.

I own a DS but not a 3DS. Is it worth picking one up for these two games?

Yes, it is. Get a 2DS, because the 3D effect is nice, but only really adds a bit of depth in the cutscenes. Also, 2DS is cheaper. They're essentially the same console, except you can fold one of them. And many games never ended up doing anything with the 3D after 2012 anyway.

The jump to 3D improves the series substantially - no longer is movement awkward and fiddly (did you know you can drag the shoe and suitcase across the screen, if you're lefthanded? I didn't. But I kept bloody doing it in DB, UF and LS.) but instead you click the spot on the map you want to travel to. The graphics improve, with Layton, Luke and Emmy as well as the other characters sporting 3DS models. They look great, and would be improved on again in AL, even though I thought they were good in MM.

I think there's something charming about MM's models - but AL's do look nicer.

Anyway, this time around the Masked Gentleman is running around and destroying the city of Monte D'Or, where we get to learn more about Professor Layton's backstory. We meet characters like Angela and Henry LeDore, who both knew Layton as a teen with best buddy Randall Ascot, who tragically disappeared in the Akbadain Ruins when he and Layton explored them years ago.

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Series veterans, at this point, will likely be able to see some of the big reveals coming, which only gets more and more subtle (spelled with sledgehammers) as the climax approaches. I enjoyed the story, and some of the mysteries were intriguing. The shop minigame was interesting, and the robot one was fine. I didn't much like the rabbit play one, though - it was too much trial and error if you chose the wrong move, and considering how some of the hints are worded, that was infuriating. The horse one, likewise, was good but infuriating when going after all the flags. Don't bother - I didn't.

Once again, the characters are funny and likeable - Aldus makes his return, and Emmy continues to bring much needed levity to the darkening plot begining to unfold. Like the bit where she sees the comment cards in the town hall:

Emmy: I'm tempted to write silly things on them!

Layton: I would advise agai— Oh, she's already started. [pulls hat over his eyes]

Or the bit when they go to the theme park.

Luke: Look, Professor! Families get thirty percent off all the rides!

Layton: Yes, Luke. Emmy. I know what you're thinking.

And she's more than willing to kick down the fourth wall for us fans to have a good laugh.

Luke: A ferris wheel chasing people around? That's just silly, Emmy!

Things that are great about MM in particular:

The puzzle design really improves in this game - the 3DS gives it much more in way of options for the puzzles. That trek through Akbadain was great for someone who never got to play LS's London Life. Who the fuck thought getting rid of that for Multiple language support was a good idea? You've already released the game in six languages, just have one language per game you shitheads, I bought the English version of the game for fuck's sake so I'm not exactly looking to play it in hablo Espanol am I? Cunts.

The daily puzzles were great, too, and I definitely prefer these batch to AL's, even though half of them end up in that game anyway.

Final Verdict:

The story's far better than LS. It's a bit predictable, it's a bit Friendship is Magic, but it's also exactly what you'd expect from Professor Layton. It ends on a happy note, which might not fit with the events that unfold in the climax, or the tragedy of the story before the ending, but I'm okay with that. I'm reminded of the last lines in Harry Potter Six, where it goes something along the lines of:

Tomorrow, Harry will have to begin his search in earnest. He will have to confront his fears, his past, Voldemort. He will have to leave everything he loves behind. But that was for tomorrow. Today, was for Harry to enjoy. The tears would come tomorrow.

I may have butchered that. It's been a long time since I read that book. All in all, I don't really have a lot to say about MM since most of my time was spent with the Daily Puzzles - it's all sort of blurred together, like an artist mixing paints until it all goes a bit grey.

Also, am I the only one who thought it was odd the ending credits had steel drums solos and other island-themed music for a game set solely in a desert? Not complaining - the song is cheery and good to listen to if you need to perk up. Just seems a bit out of place.

Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy

And here we are - the end of the hexology. Azran Legacy does for the world of Professor Layton what UF did for London - expands the world and the lore and makes it feel a more complete universe. Many new characters are introduced, but many are forgettable as a result. There's this one guy, Mackintosh, who I only remembered because I thought he looks a bit like Where's Waldo:

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Which made it all the more funnier later on when he goes fucking missing.

Aurora was fine, but again, we've all seen the monotone, dead-eyed little girl tropes before. Her arc was an unexpectedly expected reveal, and her story ties back into the plot of Curious Village in a nice way (that bookend of the drive to St. Mystere was brilliant and I loved it). Bronev, and Targent on a whole, however, was quite a bit of a letdown for me - Bronev shows up out of nowhere at the climax of MM, and he's nowhere to be seen or heard about in LS (as far as I know). He's foreshadowed very poorly through the trilogy and while I like the idea of Layton-Descole-Bronev all sharing a past, it certainly isn't built up enough. Again, like with UF, I don't want to spoil the story as I feel you really deserve to see it for yourself if you haven't.

The only thing I'll fault the ending on is, as I said, what they did to Emmy's character. Her being a double agent feels like an ass-pull the series writers of HIMYM came up with. All her characterisation, undone in an instant. I really hope they write a repention arc in for her in the Katrielle game but don't tell me if they do - no spoilers.

Things that are great about AL in particular:

Desmond fucking Sycamore! My god, and I thought Emmy was a breath of fresh air!

If you paid attention to the ending of MM then the big twist regarding Sycamore should be apparent. And yet, unlike the other predictable twists, it doesn't feel forced. In fact, noticing that Descolé's pal Raymond is the same guy as Sycamore's servant feels more a reward for paying attention, especially when you imagine the year gap between releases. Sycamore is just a great character - he's essentially Descolé but in the Layton party. Also the name is great - Desmond Sycamore. Des Sycamore. Des-ca...more. Descolé. That's what tipped me off the first time I watched an LP of this game. Also the fact they're both voiced by Walter Rego.

Also, the Daily Puzzles are back! And they're great. Almost perfect! Apart from this one little achievement they've got where you have to do at least one daily puzzle every day for fifty days which can fuck off from wherever the people who ruined Emmy and thought London Life would flop in Europe fucked off to. I did it. It took me four fucking hours to reset my 2DS time every five minutes, more if you count the time I forgot to save on a 29-day streak so essentially did 80 days of constant puzzle solving for a shitty little flute.

Final verdict:

Azran Legacy was great, as were all of these games. Getting to see different locales was brilliant, seeing as I often got cabin fever towards the end of the other five games seeing the same areas over and over again. Someone below has made the argument that AL doesn't build towards a grander theme because of scattered locales, but I think for one game it's a nice change of pace. Layton ain't an exploration game by design so getting to explore felt like a reward for sticking with the series. I'm glad I did this.

Now, onto PLvAA and the Katrielle game. I'll do my thoughts on them, too, if you like. All in due time. I'd like a cup of tea first.