Is Professor Layton Prequel Trilogy Good?
It has two trilogies, with the one that takes place later coming out before the prequels. Nope, I’m not talking about Star Wars, that doesn’t have a gentleman with a hat (that I can remember at least). Professor Layton is an incredibly charming series of puzzle adventure games that seemed all but dead until the recent announcement of a new game coming to Switch. In anticipation of this, I decided to play through the entire series properly, as I had never played the prequels before. And it is safe to say these games left quite an impression on me. So without further ado, let us see what puzzles lay in wait in this quaint little trilogy.
10. Visuals
Layton at its prettiest in the final game, complete with its heroine older than pretty much everything
Unlike the original trilogy, the prequels each have a rather distinct art style. Starting with The Last Specter (or Spectre’s Call, depending where you live), it is still the charming sprites of the original games. Not the flashiest by any means, but they definitely do their job of making it feel unique and whimsical.
As the series moved to the 3DS with Miracle Mask, the sprites became 3D models and… became ugly. This game is the worst Layton has ever looked with its jarring models that just don’t look right, and really took some getting used to. Not a dealbreaker by any means, but certainly noticeable.
At least it went out on a higher note in this regard with Azran Legacy. Here the 3D models remained, but the team must have learned from their mistakes, as they are no longer hideous. Quite the opposite, they looked rather nice outside of the sometimes awkward cutscenes. I’m not sure if it looks better than the timeless sprites of the originals, but going out on pleasant models is easily better than the alternative.
9. New Content
Layton and Layton (younger) present daily puzzles
This was a side of the games I barely delved into, but it is (sort of) there for people who want it. Each of the Layton games has a Hidden Door as it is called, where you input a password from another game in the series in order to view a special scene. These are 100% optional but are kind of neat.
The other thing here is Daily Puzzles. These lasted for quite some time in each game they were in, and were…. Fine? They weren’t quite as creative as the main game’s puzzles, but if you wanted something more to do they did the job just fine.
The only catch here is you can’t really access them anymore. Since the eShop for 3DS was taken down recently, and DS communications have been down for a while longer, the only way to play this content is if you already had it downloaded. Not a huge loss in this case, but it is disappointing that bits of games can be just lost like that.
8. Music
Another pic of Azran since music is coming
I would call music one of the three core components of the Layton games, along with puzzles and story, because it is that good at mood setting.
If the story requires something calm and serene, the music delivers. If it's a frenetic action scene, the music is spot on. And if it's a sad and emotional climax, which the series is full of, the music is right on target.
Here are a few major themes from the series as a sampling. The puzzle theme does change between games, but featured here is the Last Specter’s version. Meanwhile, Layton and Descole’s themes have remained the same excellent tracks since their introductions, perfectly highlighting their characters.
Professor Layton and The Last Specter - Puzzle (Extended)
7. Sound Effects
The grand organ from the movie about to play something
There is a fair bit of iconic sound effects throughout Layton, but they are largely simple clips. Such as feet treading on paths when moving, or doors creaking open. The more notable ones are definitely the ding of finding a Hint Coin and the blip of finding a puzzle.
I will use this section to throw attention to the movie, Professor Layton and The Eternal Diva, with its singer and pipe organ central to its plot. It takes place between Last Specter and Miracle Mask and is an essential part of the “trilogy”’s story.
In a sense at least. Its events and most notably the location of its climax are referenced in Miracle Mask and Azran Legacy as part of the overarching plot. So some knowledge of it is needed to understand the full story, but this small grasp can be attained without watching it. It is a goodish movie that fans of the games will definitely enjoy, but not entirely mandatory viewing.
6. Exploration
Roaming the smashed streets of Misthallery
Now we come to the puzzles and exploration of these puzzle adventure games. Exploring in these games is really quite simple. You move between areas of the map, using the touch screen to poke around for bits of banter, hidden puzzles and/or hint coins, people to talk to, or other secrets.
The 3DS games add some extra layers by having you zoom in in certain areas, allowing you to see behind trees or inside buildings for a few examples. These games also require you to enter investigation mode in order to search areas, whereas the DS games it was all one mode. It's just a simple matter of tapping an icon to enable/disable this mode, but it did get annoying when it didn’t need to be.
From the murky village of Misthallery to the carnival oasis of Monte D’or, there are a great many intriguing places to explore in these games. And that’s not even getting into the world tour that is Azran Legacy, which really served to make the world of Layton feel alive.
This all makes exploring in the Layton games one of the best parts. These games have many quirky locales and characters, and sometimes you would be utterly shocked by what you see next. Such as a tiger giving you a puzzle.
5. Puzzles
Layton has a lot of puzzles, and some suck (this one’s alright)
You know it was coming, puzzles are the heart of this series after all. And with so many of them throughout the games, surely it would be hard to make them all consistently good right?
Well… yes and no. While very few exist I would call outright bad, there are still some (looking at you, sliding block puzzles) that are a real pain to solve. Thankfully those were more common in the original trilogy and not so much here, so they did learn from their mistakes.
The rest are about what you’d expect. Give them some thought and they shouldn’t be too hard. It should go without saying these games are not for people who don’t like puzzles in games, but for those who do, the ones in Layton are mostly of very high quality.
And there’s quite a lot of them at that. With roughly 150 in each game (more or less), it can take some time to get through all of them. Although it should be said that only about 80 or so on average are required to beat the main story. The rest need to be solved if you want 100% completion and access to everything in the gallery, but that’s it.
4. Minigames
Layton’s London Life, a totally original game and not an Animal Crossing ripoff in any way
Well sort of, there’s also the minigames to consider. While these are introduced as part of the story early on, after that they become entirely optional. Just with the catch that certain elements required to finish them are unlocked by completing certain puzzles.
There’s some variety here, from dressing customers to their liking to training a rabbit to perform in plays and even robot and train courses. Personally, I found these to be just alright, but once again they are required for 100%, as the final puzzles are locked behind finishing them.
And then there’s London Life. An entirely separate mode only in Last Specter, this is… basically Animal Crossing with Layton characters. Many people from Last Specter and the entire original trilogy will show up, and it's… fine? I didn’t spend much time in this mode, but it's fairly fleshed out and not bad if you want that sort of thing.
3. Fun Factor
“Checks title” Yeah, carnival town of Monte D’or feels right here
If you enjoy exploring interesting locales, meeting quirky characters, solving intriguing puzzles, and/or experiencing fascinating and at times sad stories, chances are you’ll enjoy the Layton games. They can be a bit slow at first, but once the mystery picks up they don’t let go. And with the main story, all the side puzzles, and the minigames tacked on, there’s quite a lot to do as well.
2. Characters
Layton, Emmy, and Luke, the main trio of the prequel trilogy
If puzzles are the heart of Layton, then its characters and story are unquestionably its soul. And at the center of its characters is the main trio. The titular professor himself, Hershel Layton, his apprentice Emmy Altava, and his young assistant Luke Triton. Ever the gentleman, a girl who can beat up grown men, and a boy who can talk to animals respectively, these three make quite the leads.
The likes of Inspector Grosky, a barrel-chested police officer who can outrun cars, help to broaden out the cast of recurring characters as well. Plus there’s Aldus, a bizarre man who always seems to follow the gang to introduce mechanics in the various games. File him into the “How do you get here so fast?” category.
There’s a lot of other quirky and interesting characters in these games, but I’ll stop here since they are best experienced fresh. Some get annoying sure, but most of them are delightfully fun individuals who make the world of Layton feel truly unique. Especially when the stories are taken into account.
1. Story (this section will contain some spoilers for the prequel trilogy’s story)
Major villain Descole, because what is the point of all the Star Wars comparisons without a Darth Vader comparison character
The story of Azran Legacy centers around a million-year-old girl from an ancient civilization frozen in time.
Yep, Layton isn’t afraid to go places with its story. This is a series that thrives on making something seem fantastical, only to have a perfectly reasonable explanation as the mystery is unveiled. If you’re picturing Scooby-Doo from that description, you’re not the only one.
Azran Legacy does diverge from this formula a bit, but it was such an enjoyable story I wouldn’t dream of spoiling it. Just know the mysterious Descole, major villain of the trilogy and one of the only characters other than Layton himself to get his own theme, is very important here.
At their core, the stories of Layton are well-crafted mysteries, and almost every game in the series kept me guessing until the very end (except for Miracle Mask, there had to be one). This may vary for different people of course but from my experience, it was well done.
This does have the side effect of making the Layton games not the most replayable. The puzzles stay the same, and so does the story. If you end up liking the formula it could be fun again years down the line, but for most people, these will likely be one-and-done adventures. At least they’re good ones, in this time spent with the Professor Hershel Layton.
Scores
Last Specter: 8.5
Miracle Mask: 8
Azran Legacy: 9.5
Trilogy: 8.7
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