I love how savage Bronev is. When Bloom apologizes for not getting the Mask of Chaos, Bronev says "Oh well, as long as you're sorry, I suppose everything is fine." Even in Azran Legacy, the minute he sees Sycamore, he tells Layton he isn't interested in hearing the "braying of fools".
It's strange how the way you describe Aurora at the end mirrors the robots from St. Mystere. Thinking, feeling beings, designed to be discarded after they fulfill their purpose of testing people.
God, I really wish that franchises like PF never ended. It's just something that has become a part of many people and that you'd want to live with forever. That's why videos like this are so precious for the community, thank you so much for your work.
I'm just so shocked at how little stuff there is about these games online. Like, I really couldn't find a single Azran Legacy long-form video essay or retrospective about this game.
@@AurumAlex64it’s crazy how there’s so little content out there abt the prequel trilogy. I love these games and your discussions are so good. Loved this one. AL was my first Layton game (so kinda a unique perspective from me), but damn if I don’t love it and the significance of it. I think you hit on so many good points. I do wish there were more theory videos and discussions out there, like the ASOIAF community, I really think there’s lots of interested unanswered questions about the Layton universe, and small details and hints.
@@TheDuffy5678 Yeah, that's why I wanted to start my coverage of the Layton series with the prequels, it's just completely untrodden ground -- undeservedly so, in my opinion.
This is my favourite layton game, despite how flawed its execution was. The mere thought of being a definitive sendoff to a great series is very unheard of, and when the post credits scene played, that feeling of dread that "It actually ended" was one of the most powerful emotions that any videogame has made me feel. Ofc nowadays we know NWOS is going to release, but at the time I played it, it truly felt like the end of an era. Also the fact that every puzzle and screen has animation, like wtf how many japanese people were overworked to fill the game with that much detail?
Yeah, I had a very similar feeling when I finished the game too, although I think VS still takes the title of my favorite Layton. That being said, this is definitely the prettiest game in the series, and heck, maybe even the best looking 3DS game.
I was a kid when it came out and couldn't buy it. Later when I decided to play all games this is the only one that is missing from them all. Used copies are so expensive now a days. The only Layton game I watched and never played. Wonderful video, made me want to epirience it again.
Thank you for this wonderful analysis! Azran Legacy is actually my favourite game of the series, with the Ace attorney crossover and Miracle Mask being close seconds. I just love the atmosphere of the game, relaxed and truly "an adventure". The way the eggs' existence was incorporated differently in each environment to fully fit the culture of the different locations was great and made none of the quests feel repetitive. I had not actually thought about all stories being related to tradition and history, but that's a great point! Ties it all together thematically while still being different. I agree that unfortunately, the main story is quite short, leading to some pacing issues near the end after gathering the eggs. But I loved how there was focus on individual/"disconnected" stories related to the locations and how the characters reacted to that. A lot of subtle lore and foreshadowing was put in seemingly unrelated conversations. A bit sad that some of the buildup since Miracle Mask was resolved too quickly, but I still loved the whole reveal of what the Azran's history was, and I cried a lot near the end because Aurora is easily one of my favourite characters :") Also love how you highlight the beautiful art and animation! There were many times I interacted with the environment expecting a puzzle or comment of some sort only to be absolutely thrilled to see that it was "just" a small animation; it brings so much life to the environments. It's a great inspiration for what I'm trying to accomplish with my own game as well, this wonderful atmosphere created through environmental storytelling. Funny how you mention streetpass not being common. I remember running into so many people who shared treasure hunts that there are still ones I need to complete even now many, many years later xD. But that may be because in Europe the Layton-series was more popular. (Btw, it's really strange to see the english names of the location, as I've played the game in Dutch and to fit the puns, all of those names were changed.) Ahh, I could just keep gushing about my favourite game franchise, but I think you've already explained everything wonderfully, so again thank you for your insight :)
Glad you liked the video! That's pretty funny about the streetpass stuff, I have literally never meet someone who has played Azran Legacy irl, so I relied completely on play coins to do the job for me.
gosh another astounding video essay! ✨ i definitely agree with your statement abt sycamore revealing himself to be descole and then being knocked down for the count almost immediately after doing so. they definitely could’ve benefited by issuing his reveal sooner, or simply just cutting the laser-injury completely. that’s honestly my biggest nitpick, as the pacing gets super weird at that point in the game- at least to me anyway. i also love how much you highlighted the simpler aspects of the game, like being able to interact with the environment just because. the lack of localization also wasn’t something i noticed until you pointed it out. hopefully new world of steam doesn’t suffer from this all these years later. although at the same time, i immediately think of lani minella’s voice acting of luke in the hd re-release of curious village (the new animated cutscene specifically) and well..😖 i’m completely fine with the uk dub
just found your channel thanks to the paper jam video, and immediately got sent to this. as a long time layton fan who absolutely adores the second trilogy, thank you so much for bringing the spotlight to these games. it's more than well deserved at this point. crossing my fingers for NWoS!
This was a wonderful analysis of Azran Legacy! It really help me in articulating why I love its attempts to break away from the series's traditions with the points you bring up. I do disagree on the point at 27:46 that the game should have ceded one the egg locations for a story chapter. I agree that more time is needed for story moments, but I feel like only have 4 egg locations would have taken away from the "traveling the world" feel that they were going for. But's that obviously my opinion on that which is biased by the fact those locations were my favorite in terms of exploring them and making the world feel a bit more varied. One last small thing, thank you adding captions! It nice to watch a video essay with proper captions (which for some reason isn't the norm at least with the video essays I've seen)
I agree that it would be preferable to have the 5 egg locations plus more time for the story, but that might not be the most realistic thing given whatever constraints the developers were working with. I could completely understand if there was just not enough time or resources to add another whole area to the game, so my solution offers the best of both worlds under finite resources: you get your egg expeditions, but also more time for the story. As for the captions, I imagine it just comes down to how much scripting is being done. Since I write out every word I say, adding captions is as easy as copy-pasting them into a text file. But if you don't script out everything (which does take a long time to do), I imagine adding captions could become quite the project.
Man, I am super early. Just passing by to say that I love the insight you put into the analysis of the game. I always think of these game as a big part also in forging some of my identity (since i played them from 7 to 12, which is like the pinnacle formative age), but never seem to put into words how great the messages and themes of these games are to friends, so I fall a little short in being convincing, but these videos really contextualise a lot of information and they acquire meaning in actual sentencies that you can understand and not random fumbling lol. I really miss these games, I cant wait for the new one next year! Thank you for the great video :)
Thanks! My introduction to the Layton series was when the crossover came out, about when I was 13, so I got to binge the whole series in less than a year after I finished Vs. I've loved Layton ever since :)
I absolutely LOVED this game when it came out, a bittersweet ending that really managed to answer all of the questions left in the previous games. Personally I think it's my second favorite game in the franchise... Second only to miracle mask, and third place was the cross over with phoenix Wright. A close 4rd place for unwound future. The other games never manage to hold my intrest in the way the newer ones did. The level of puzzles and visuals did do a lot to sell me on those games.
Was hesitant to watch this since its the only one I haven't played, but most of it was already spoiled for me just because I was around when it came out lol. The number one thing I like about these videos is the idea we should strive to provide good-faith intention to whatever media we are consuming. The argument in this case is that the game is not FAILING to be like Diabolical Box or Unwound Future, but merely trying to do something else. Still, this game genuinely just looks fun. I want to go to the diesel-infused Targent HQ so bad lol. I also like the observation linking them with the Azran civilization, history has been full of warlords and dictators who were obsessed with the Holy Roman Empire, usually failing to see its flaws, so there was probably lots of intention behind that. I guess on a more pop-cultural level, it mirrors the Nazis chasing after ancient relics like you might see in an Indiana Jones film. Actually, thinking about it more, "villain group who romanticizes/worships the past" feels like the appropriate antagonists for this finale. You could even argue that this partially explains the "Layton's Evil Dad" plotwist; the family lineage would be important Bronev but not to our hero Layton. I mean, it also could just be lazy soap opera writing, but man its sometimes more fun to try and give creators just a little more credit. In regards to the Layton series, I've been fully convinced that they've earned it. (PS before watching this video I was convinced the lead bad guy's name was Broney)
There’s nothing that can kill a game franchise more than stagnation in innovation. Many many games in today’s world struggle with it and I personally think Level 5 took a risk with Azran Legacy. Which in my opinion, worked out for them. I found the game to be enjoyable outside of Phong Gi and felt the game tried to convey its story as best it could
I played this series as a kid so I wasn't tuned into the general fandom opinions on it. Now as an adult, I'm shocked that people think azran legacy is mid because I love it! Not only is it gorgeous and full of polish like you said, but I thought the story was really touching too. Sure, the targent and azran stuff is convoluted to the point of absurdity, but the specifics of the lore don't matter and it's a Layton game so idk what people are expecting. The sacrifice scene, the adoption identity theft, and Emmy's departure are all tearjerkers. And Surely Someday is THE song to end a series on (though I'm still glad there's another game coming)
I think the issue is that while yes it is a Layton games, Layton games still have a level of strong foreshadowing and hints in each game. While you're unlikely to solve the mystery on your own, each hint allows you the opportunity so it never feels forced or contrived. The problem for MM and AL though is these games struggle with that far more. MM has points in the narrative where I have to pause and go "Huh" because the logic that leads from X to Y is often weaker. It's also a little harder to predict things like how the city will rise to the surface when there wasn't any real foreshadowing in the ruins itself (heck the room we end up in in Chapter 6 isn't even the room for the masks). It's made much worse in AL though as the plot twists near the end come so far out of left field they feel like a fanfic author wrote the script. The build-up in the previous games doesn't hint well at the events taking place in AL. Instead, it feels like a messy way to connect the entire trilogy together to conclude the series. It also at least to me doesn't hit as hard because I'm like "How was I supposed to even predict this?" Instead, I'm just like "So apparently we've been playing as Theordore Bronev, the son of the main villain, and he became Hershel Layton because his brother forced him into adoption and then forgot all this. And that his brother is Descole who tried murdering his brother and multiple people out of bloodthirst for the funsies." It felt pretty out there considering how it seemed to sand Descole down a lot considering the sheer amount of insanity he went through in 3 previous stories. And that is where the plot stops feeling like Laytonesque and more contrived or forced which is only dampered more because you know it's the end of this arc, not the timeline. Kind of takes you out of the moment when you're fully aware that the sacrifice scene means nothing for the future. It holds no weight beyond feeling sad for that brief moment and then remembering "Oh right. Curious Village is next." which also kind of breaks immersion as this feels like something that should happen post-Unwound Future, not Miracle Mask. I kind of just stopped holding my suspension of belief and felt like the writers were being too hamfisted to really care anymore. But that was mostly a me thing when I saw the ending.
I get all your points and you made me appreciate the game a little. Truth is that I absolutley hated the game on release and could not beat it after the fact, I just get incredibly bored and give up. I wilk try to adopt your mindset when I replay it.
Another great and interesting analysis! I hard agree with the last part that it felt rushed. I love the Bronev plot twist a lot, it adds an additional layer of relationships between Emmy, Layton and Descole, all with very different views on Bronev and how they dealt with him. It is however extremely soapy as you said and i think it would've benefited from cooking a bit longer, perhaps through some additional foreshadowing. I'm glad Emmy at least got some more serious plot involvement!
I just watched your MM's analysis and now this, and they're both wonderful! Really needed more Layton analysis, I'll be watching your Last Specter video next! Thank you for these greatly made analysis videos of one of my favorite game franchises ever! :)
After finishing the trilogy my ranking would be: 1. Miracle Mask 2. Azran legacy 3. Specter call I was only surprised because I was expecting to like Azran legacy a little more. It is the only game I didn't when I first got into Layton (I only watched gameplay) and now that I had the opportunity to play it I had higher hopes though it is still pretty good. The different landscapes are especially beautiful and maybe my favorite in all the saga. Really nice analysis of the prequel trilogy.
Yup, that's probably how I'd end up ranking the prequel trilogy as well. Which is interesting, because before this video series, I actually remembered AL being my favorite of the three.
I think the problem with going big or going home with Azran Legacy is that it is the last Layton game (at the time), but is the ending to a prequel, not the series. It ends up feeling so grandiose that as some people point out it completely overshadows what chronologically comes next. However, the deeper issue though is that many of the grandiose ideas comes across less as Layton and more of fanfiction. Layton games traditionally start off as small mysteries that extend out into a more complex or even shocking way. But at its core, it never tries to make Layton as anything more than he is an intelligent, puzzle-solving teacher of archeology. He's never a superhero or someone who saves the day. He just ends up becoming one because the mystery he tackles spirals into one. In Unwound Future, he's involved in a conspiracy to destroy London, not because he's a detective but simply because he's one of the only people left alive who knew Claire on her last day alive. Plus, he also saved the main villain as a kid and said villain unconsciously wanted to be stopped. However, it still kept true to the idea that Layton was for the most part a person. This game though kind of goes off the deep end. The final section of the game in particular reads off like a Layton fanfic where everything is thrown as curveballs and twists. Normally, there's hints or helpful tips to lead the player to those conclusions. And, if not, the professor is usually 10 steps ahead of us and can predict it. In this case, though, there isn't really any hints for the player and Layton gets curve balled leaving it a more messy than thoughtful conclusion. And it doesn't really connect with the plot lines from the rest of the Prequels. It felt like they didn't know how to build up the original plot and went in a complete different way. Just to clarify, what was the point of the Azran legacies mentioned in Miracle Mask? (or the City and Garden from the film and Last Specter) Like, I don't think they're even mentioned as the entire plot shifts to Aurora. It feels like they didn't know how to connect these ancient ruins to the Azran and dropped it. Instead, it feels like they had to drop the original plans and move onto other ideas. In that same vein, it's very hard to believe Descole is Layton's brother. It feels random especially considering his behavior in all three previous stories. He's literally bloodthirsty and preparing to kill his own brother. It feels so random even though there was meant to be a connection hinted at the start. But this feels out of left field considering what Descole was like prior to this game. Similarly, the idea that Layton was adopted and is the villain's son is such a fanfic idea that I have to remind myself it's canon. It also comes out of left field since there was never any implication in Miracle Mask that Layton was adopted (or that his name is his brother's which is such a weird concept). I think it'd have worked out better if say Descole is angry that Layton forgot him and lashes out in Last Specter after the fact rather than legitimately just deciding to destroy a town for funsies (same with Miracle Mask). And if there was a stronger connection made between the three (even their hair colors don't match up so it's hard to tell that Bronev is Descole and Layton's blood father). And the whole ending feels pretty close to the classic star war plot twist. Now don't get me wrong. I love fanfiction. I ready fanfics all the time. The issue is that the writing should feel like a natural progression of the story. It shouldn't feel random or out of place. Which is a lot of the ending of Azran Legacy especially when we have Layton die and get resurrected which uh is completely out of the realm of standard Layton it isn't even funny. Plus, it feels like such a dumb idea because you know he's still alive since it takes place before Curious Village. Which in turn, it causes the confusion on how he didn't realize the robot thing day one. It just takes me out of the experience and numbs my indifference. I also think someone else made a solid point that this game's middle section weakens the pacing and doesn't tie in well enough with the start and ending to make it work as well as it should. While this game probably doesn't deserve the bottom by default, I can still see how the game's potential didn't deliver enough to avoid that either. I definitely wish it felt like it and the rest of the trilogy didn't feel like such a hodgepodge of ideas.
any plans to cover the OT or the movie? imo (sweeping statement) the OT are more effectively written but theyre not aiming for anything as deep as the prequels, with the series mostly getting deeper as it goes. theyre also just way more charming in a way i cant really explain, especially CV which is super underrated in series rankings i think. and the movies interesting because it very effectively turns the games into a movie in a way that ive not seen in other attempts to do the same thing (and its got the best suppoting cast in the series) edit, it occurs to me you maybe covered this in the VS video,,,, but ive not played that game yet so ive not seen it haha
Yup, I do plan to cover the OT, but I'm going to do LMJ before that, so it probably won't be until sometime next year. As for Eternal Diva, I do have some thoughts about how to cover it, but there probably won't be a dedicated video. Maybe as an addendum on another Layton video, but not sure right now.
Great video its just too bad that this game did not sell well because nobody is talking about it anymore unfortunately they should make a layton collection of all the games before the new one comes out but i doubt that will happen
Great video. Personally Azran Legacy is my least favorite out of the original six games due to its weird pacing issues. But you did and have always done a great job at analyzing the themes of this series and discovering things I never even thought about. I thought Azran Legacy's story was the most shallow, but still had some interesting points of discussion, I'm really glad to see I'm not the only person who made the correlation between the downfall of the Azran and the series as a whole, and I've tried to find more little meanings behind the game's plot ever since I've played it. I still think this one ranks at the bottom, but regardless it's still a really important game to me, and I'm glad that someone out there gave it its due respect where deserved.
My biggest gripe with Azran legacy was that the middle 80% of the game is just... untelated filler content to eachother. You can do them in any order but you never have things that require going between areas or something, the ending was amazing but it just feels... incoherent. Besides me not being a massive fan of the 3ds puzzles and exploration needing to use the top screen because "haha 3d gimmick". I just.. like tapping on things and getting coins but this is mostly my gripe with Miracle Mask. In general I think Azran Legacy had better puzzles. Edit: your point about Descole being obvious made me realise that while not a red herring per se, I was totally thinking "okay when are they gonna have Desmond backstab us" but that perfectly distracted from Emmy being the one to ultimately do it. My criticism with chapter 4 still stands though, its just... "okay here's like 6 hours with little to no main story progression" which kinda feels... ehhh... other than that I personally rank the ending on par with unwound future even. Layton stating that he forged his own history truly sticks with me. I'm man enough to admit I've cried at every layton game's ending. Except for vs Phoenix Wright, that game was... okay? The ending wasn't as emotionally written as the rest. Also the Miracle Mask rabbit can kiss my-
Yeah, this makes sense. I think your opinion on the middle section of the game will definitely make or break your opinion of the game overall, much more than even the crazy plot twists at the end. I think it was a decent experiment, but it's definitely not my favorite part of Azran Legacy.
AL is the only professor layton game that i cant bring myself to replayed again! 1- 80% of the game is filler 2-the end plot twists is not executed well and i don't like it
Really good video! Personally Azran Legacy's my least favourite in the franchise, I think it definitely has some great elements (the scene where Layton talks to Bronev as he's getting arrested is like a top 5 scene for this franchise), but it also has a lot I don't like. Nothing I dislike were mistakes though, just creative choices I personally disagree with. I think the first three chapters are really cool, feels like a direct continuation of MM with the gang facing off against Targent almost immediately. It was really great, I wish the whole game was like, this Layton vs Targent thing because chapter 4 is honestly pretty boring. Like it's moderately enjoyable, I like the popono island and each island has good moments (would def cut the marraige one though lol), but I feel like it basically puts the game on hold for a chapter of filler. Like since the eggs are stolen afterwards, it feels very pointless. I don't remember the other Layton games having any real filler or at least long filler, the only thing that comes to mind is that bunny's backstory in Lost Future. Chapter 5's good from my memory, but the final chapter is one I'm very mixed on. As I said before, I love the scene where the professor says who he is and Emmy's goodbye is also really good. The twist with Emmy being a member of Targent is weird, I don't know how to feel about it. Firstly it wasn't really foreshadowed aside from one line in the japanese version of Spectre, where she mentions that her uncle taught her how to fight, since it's a twist I do think there should be some foreshadowing. Like it doesn't feel the previous games and the movie were really going in that direction with her character at all, her backstory in Spectre felt like justification enough for her wanting to join Layton. I never really questioned "why does Emmy want to go on adventures with Hershel" because not only did that Spectre cutscene already answer it, but Layton's already famous for solving mysteries so it's pretty easy to buy. The scene where she holds Luke at knifepoint's very stressful though, really welldone scene. As for Descole, I don't really like what they did with him. I don't like him being a sympathetic character, I liked him best as just this pompous asshole lol. That was so fun to me, he was especially great in Eternal Diva. It's also hard for me to find him sympathetic, considering all the awful stuff he's done. I find Clive sympathetic though, so I'm kind of a hypocrite lol. The climax is my least favourite thing in the game and probably the whole franchise. I feel like I can suspend my suspension of disbelief really well, I can buy that time travel kind of exists, that there was a living dinosaur and that Randall survived. Azran Legacy just takes it too far for me, I don't like everyone dying and than being brought back to life because a robot prayed to a long lost civilization. I know any fantastical story can sound silly if described in such a way, but I can't really think of that climax in a positive way. It also makes Azran Legacy fail as a prequel to me, having everyone die and get resurrected, and than having the original trilogy follow it kind of undermines the stakes of that trilogy since those games don't have anything on that level. Why should I worry when Layton and Luke are running from a ferris wheel when they literally died like a year ago? It's weird that I prefer LMJ, idek why I prefer it. Ig it just feels more consistent to me, I like all the cases in that game. I beat Azran for the first and only time in like 2020 or 2021, so I'm basing everything I said on memory btw
I think the game is just a little unbalanced. The islands are a nice idea, but I think 5 was probably just too many. I don't mind the Emmy plot twist, I think it leads to some good scenes, I think the problem is that Azran Legacy needed to get its priorities straight. I want to know about Emmy's life, and what she was feeling over the course of the three games, but there's just no time, because we spent half the game scrambling around looking for eggs. So I totally get why the game doesn't work for a lot of people. Although I do think the islands are a bit more relevant to the game than thematically than people give them credit for. As for feeling sympathetic towards Clive and not Descole, I understand that too. I'm going to argue when I get to Unwound Future (a loooong time from now) that Clive hits at a very specific fear that I think resonates with a lot of people, which is why we (and the game) are ultimately sympathetic with him; we understand where's he coming from. Whereas I don't think that's nearly as true with Descole.
@@AurumAlex64 I also think that with Descole, it's hard to feel sorry for someone that's been a total asshole for two games and a movie. Clive being a twist villain probably softens the blow a bit too. Tbh Emmy's why I don't find that the prequels work as a trilogy, I really enjoy her character but she's just kinda along for the ride most of the time. Like I don't remember a thing she does in Miracle Mask and she doesn't do a lot before the twist in Azran, which is a real shame
There is some big irony with the believability of the game too. The series constantly seems to break its own back trying to explain away seemingly supernatural things(Minus Layton 3, because time travel is actually real despite the game trying to fool the player that it ain't earlier), so this whole bit about technology that is so advanced that it essencially became magic feels like absolute nonsense. Had they simply permitted more things to actually be real, this would not feel nearly as out of line.(though it still would have cheapened the threat of death through revival being possible. You are right, that is genuinely just a bad idea to put into a chronology like this, it did not need to exist)
@@lpfan4491 I think the way Lost Future did it was genuinely really brilliant, since time travel was only barely possible. It was just out of reach and to everyone besides Layton & Claire, it seems impossible. It's just there to facilitate what might be my favourite scene in the franchise. I appreciate AL subverting the Layton conventions, but it pushes it too far imo
I like that in MM and AL the villans are not making stupid mistakes. The are opponents that really challange the professor
I love how savage Bronev is. When Bloom apologizes for not getting the Mask of Chaos, Bronev says "Oh well, as long as you're sorry, I suppose everything is fine." Even in Azran Legacy, the minute he sees Sycamore, he tells Layton he isn't interested in hearing the "braying of fools".
I completely agree with your thoughts on Desmond. The greatest disguise Descole could construct was... no disguise at all.
It's strange how the way you describe Aurora at the end mirrors the robots from St. Mystere. Thinking, feeling beings, designed to be discarded after they fulfill their purpose of testing people.
Yes, I never noticed that similarity before. That's an interesting parallel between the first and last Layton games.
@@AurumAlex64 I guess the humans have surpassed the Azran sooner than expected! Doubly so, by Flora's choice of letting them be.
whenever I find someone talking about Professor Layton I have a smile on my face from start to finish of the video
God, I really wish that franchises like PF never ended. It's just something that has become a part of many people and that you'd want to live with forever. That's why videos like this are so precious for the community, thank you so much for your work.
I'm just so shocked at how little stuff there is about these games online. Like, I really couldn't find a single Azran Legacy long-form video essay or retrospective about this game.
@@AurumAlex64it’s crazy how there’s so little content out there abt the prequel trilogy. I love these games and your discussions are so good. Loved this one. AL was my first Layton game (so kinda a unique perspective from me), but damn if I don’t love it and the significance of it. I think you hit on so many good points.
I do wish there were more theory videos and discussions out there, like the ASOIAF community, I really think there’s lots of interested unanswered questions about the Layton universe, and small details and hints.
@@TheDuffy5678 Yeah, that's why I wanted to start my coverage of the Layton series with the prequels, it's just completely untrodden ground -- undeservedly so, in my opinion.
This is my favourite layton game, despite how flawed its execution was. The mere thought of being a definitive sendoff to a great series is very unheard of, and when the post credits scene played, that feeling of dread that "It actually ended" was one of the most powerful emotions that any videogame has made me feel. Ofc nowadays we know NWOS is going to release, but at the time I played it, it truly felt like the end of an era.
Also the fact that every puzzle and screen has animation, like wtf how many japanese people were overworked to fill the game with that much detail?
Yeah, I had a very similar feeling when I finished the game too, although I think VS still takes the title of my favorite Layton. That being said, this is definitely the prettiest game in the series, and heck, maybe even the best looking 3DS game.
It’s a shame these PL analysis videos don’t get more views… They are some of the best I have seen on TH-cam.
I was a kid when it came out and couldn't buy it. Later when I decided to play all games this is the only one that is missing from them all. Used copies are so expensive now a days. The only Layton game I watched and never played.
Wonderful video, made me want to epirience it again.
Thank you for this wonderful analysis! Azran Legacy is actually my favourite game of the series, with the Ace attorney crossover and Miracle Mask being close seconds. I just love the atmosphere of the game, relaxed and truly "an adventure".
The way the eggs' existence was incorporated differently in each environment to fully fit the culture of the different locations was great and made none of the quests feel repetitive. I had not actually thought about all stories being related to tradition and history, but that's a great point! Ties it all together thematically while still being different.
I agree that unfortunately, the main story is quite short, leading to some pacing issues near the end after gathering the eggs. But I loved how there was focus on individual/"disconnected" stories related to the locations and how the characters reacted to that. A lot of subtle lore and foreshadowing was put in seemingly unrelated conversations. A bit sad that some of the buildup since Miracle Mask was resolved too quickly, but I still loved the whole reveal of what the Azran's history was, and I cried a lot near the end because Aurora is easily one of my favourite characters :")
Also love how you highlight the beautiful art and animation! There were many times I interacted with the environment expecting a puzzle or comment of some sort only to be absolutely thrilled to see that it was "just" a small animation; it brings so much life to the environments. It's a great inspiration for what I'm trying to accomplish with my own game as well, this wonderful atmosphere created through environmental storytelling.
Funny how you mention streetpass not being common. I remember running into so many people who shared treasure hunts that there are still ones I need to complete even now many, many years later xD. But that may be because in Europe the Layton-series was more popular.
(Btw, it's really strange to see the english names of the location, as I've played the game in Dutch and to fit the puns, all of those names were changed.)
Ahh, I could just keep gushing about my favourite game franchise, but I think you've already explained everything wonderfully, so again thank you for your insight :)
Glad you liked the video! That's pretty funny about the streetpass stuff, I have literally never meet someone who has played Azran Legacy irl, so I relied completely on play coins to do the job for me.
@@AurumAlex64 Haha that's also a viable option, luckily
gosh another astounding video essay! ✨ i definitely agree with your statement abt sycamore revealing himself to be descole and then being knocked down for the count almost immediately after doing so. they definitely could’ve benefited by issuing his reveal sooner, or simply just cutting the laser-injury completely. that’s honestly my biggest nitpick, as the pacing gets super weird at that point in the game- at least to me anyway.
i also love how much you highlighted the simpler aspects of the game, like being able to interact with the environment just because. the lack of localization also wasn’t something i noticed until you pointed it out. hopefully new world of steam doesn’t suffer from this all these years later. although at the same time, i immediately think of lani minella’s voice acting of luke in the hd re-release of curious village (the new animated cutscene specifically) and well..😖 i’m completely fine with the uk dub
Yeah, I think Minella has her moments even above Maria Darling, but Darling's performance works so much better for the role in general.
just found your channel thanks to the paper jam video, and immediately got sent to this. as a long time layton fan who absolutely adores the second trilogy, thank you so much for bringing the spotlight to these games. it's more than well deserved at this point.
crossing my fingers for NWoS!
Yaaaasss, been waiting for this video since your Miracle Mask one!
This was a wonderful analysis of Azran Legacy! It really help me in articulating why I love its attempts to break away from the series's traditions with the points you bring up.
I do disagree on the point at 27:46 that the game should have ceded one the egg locations for a story chapter. I agree that more time is needed for story moments, but I feel like only have 4 egg locations would have taken away from the "traveling the world" feel that they were going for. But's that obviously my opinion on that which is biased by the fact those locations were my favorite in terms of exploring them and making the world feel a bit more varied.
One last small thing, thank you adding captions! It nice to watch a video essay with proper captions (which for some reason isn't the norm at least with the video essays I've seen)
I agree that it would be preferable to have the 5 egg locations plus more time for the story, but that might not be the most realistic thing given whatever constraints the developers were working with. I could completely understand if there was just not enough time or resources to add another whole area to the game, so my solution offers the best of both worlds under finite resources: you get your egg expeditions, but also more time for the story.
As for the captions, I imagine it just comes down to how much scripting is being done. Since I write out every word I say, adding captions is as easy as copy-pasting them into a text file. But if you don't script out everything (which does take a long time to do), I imagine adding captions could become quite the project.
Man, I am super early. Just passing by to say that I love the insight you put into the analysis of the game. I always think of these game as a big part also in forging some of my identity (since i played them from 7 to 12, which is like the pinnacle formative age), but never seem to put into words how great the messages and themes of these games are to friends, so I fall a little short in being convincing, but these videos really contextualise a lot of information and they acquire meaning in actual sentencies that you can understand and not random fumbling lol.
I really miss these games, I cant wait for the new one next year!
Thank you for the great video :)
Thanks! My introduction to the Layton series was when the crossover came out, about when I was 13, so I got to binge the whole series in less than a year after I finished Vs. I've loved Layton ever since :)
I absolutely LOVED this game when it came out, a bittersweet ending that really managed to answer all of the questions left in the previous games. Personally I think it's my second favorite game in the franchise... Second only to miracle mask, and third place was the cross over with phoenix Wright. A close 4rd place for unwound future. The other games never manage to hold my intrest in the way the newer ones did. The level of puzzles and visuals did do a lot to sell me on those games.
Was hesitant to watch this since its the only one I haven't played, but most of it was already spoiled for me just because I was around when it came out lol.
The number one thing I like about these videos is the idea we should strive to provide good-faith intention to whatever media we are consuming. The argument in this case is that the game is not FAILING to be like Diabolical Box or Unwound Future, but merely trying to do something else.
Still, this game genuinely just looks fun. I want to go to the diesel-infused Targent HQ so bad lol. I also like the observation linking them with the Azran civilization, history has been full of warlords and dictators who were obsessed with the Holy Roman Empire, usually failing to see its flaws, so there was probably lots of intention behind that. I guess on a more pop-cultural level, it mirrors the Nazis chasing after ancient relics like you might see in an Indiana Jones film. Actually, thinking about it more, "villain group who romanticizes/worships the past" feels like the appropriate antagonists for this finale. You could even argue that this partially explains the "Layton's Evil Dad" plotwist; the family lineage would be important Bronev but not to our hero Layton.
I mean, it also could just be lazy soap opera writing, but man its sometimes more fun to try and give creators just a little more credit. In regards to the Layton series, I've been fully convinced that they've earned it.
(PS before watching this video I was convinced the lead bad guy's name was Broney)
Amazing video! Your Layton video essays are my favorite :)
There’s nothing that can kill a game franchise more than stagnation in innovation. Many many games in today’s world struggle with it and I personally think Level 5 took a risk with Azran Legacy. Which in my opinion, worked out for them. I found the game to be enjoyable outside of Phong Gi and felt the game tried to convey its story as best it could
I played this series as a kid so I wasn't tuned into the general fandom opinions on it. Now as an adult, I'm shocked that people think azran legacy is mid because I love it!
Not only is it gorgeous and full of polish like you said, but I thought the story was really touching too. Sure, the targent and azran stuff is convoluted to the point of absurdity, but the specifics of the lore don't matter and it's a Layton game so idk what people are expecting. The sacrifice scene, the adoption identity theft, and Emmy's departure are all tearjerkers. And Surely Someday is THE song to end a series on (though I'm still glad there's another game coming)
I think the issue is that while yes it is a Layton games, Layton games still have a level of strong foreshadowing and hints in each game. While you're unlikely to solve the mystery on your own, each hint allows you the opportunity so it never feels forced or contrived. The problem for MM and AL though is these games struggle with that far more. MM has points in the narrative where I have to pause and go "Huh" because the logic that leads from X to Y is often weaker. It's also a little harder to predict things like how the city will rise to the surface when there wasn't any real foreshadowing in the ruins itself (heck the room we end up in in Chapter 6 isn't even the room for the masks). It's made much worse in AL though as the plot twists near the end come so far out of left field they feel like a fanfic author wrote the script. The build-up in the previous games doesn't hint well at the events taking place in AL. Instead, it feels like a messy way to connect the entire trilogy together to conclude the series. It also at least to me doesn't hit as hard because I'm like "How was I supposed to even predict this?" Instead, I'm just like "So apparently we've been playing as Theordore Bronev, the son of the main villain, and he became Hershel Layton because his brother forced him into adoption and then forgot all this. And that his brother is Descole who tried murdering his brother and multiple people out of bloodthirst for the funsies." It felt pretty out there considering how it seemed to sand Descole down a lot considering the sheer amount of insanity he went through in 3 previous stories. And that is where the plot stops feeling like Laytonesque and more contrived or forced which is only dampered more because you know it's the end of this arc, not the timeline. Kind of takes you out of the moment when you're fully aware that the sacrifice scene means nothing for the future. It holds no weight beyond feeling sad for that brief moment and then remembering "Oh right. Curious Village is next." which also kind of breaks immersion as this feels like something that should happen post-Unwound Future, not Miracle Mask. I kind of just stopped holding my suspension of belief and felt like the writers were being too hamfisted to really care anymore. But that was mostly a me thing when I saw the ending.
When it comes to reviewing the plot/story side of layton games, your reviews are detailed and polish, really amazing stuff
Good job!
I get all your points and you made me appreciate the game a little. Truth is that I absolutley hated the game on release and could not beat it after the fact, I just get incredibly bored and give up. I wilk try to adopt your mindset when I replay it.
Another great and interesting analysis! I hard agree with the last part that it felt rushed. I love the Bronev plot twist a lot, it adds an additional layer of relationships between Emmy, Layton and Descole, all with very different views on Bronev and how they dealt with him. It is however extremely soapy as you said and i think it would've benefited from cooking a bit longer, perhaps through some additional foreshadowing. I'm glad Emmy at least got some more serious plot involvement!
I just watched your MM's analysis and now this, and they're both wonderful!
Really needed more Layton analysis, I'll be watching your Last Specter video next!
Thank you for these greatly made analysis videos of one of my favorite game franchises ever! :)
Thanks! Always happy to talk about one of my favorite franchises as well.
After finishing the trilogy my ranking would be:
1. Miracle Mask
2. Azran legacy
3. Specter call
I was only surprised because I was expecting to like Azran legacy a little more. It is the only game I didn't when I first got into Layton (I only watched gameplay) and now that I had the opportunity to play it I had higher hopes though it is still pretty good. The different landscapes are especially beautiful and maybe my favorite in all the saga.
Really nice analysis of the prequel trilogy.
Yup, that's probably how I'd end up ranking the prequel trilogy as well. Which is interesting, because before this video series, I actually remembered AL being my favorite of the three.
I think the problem with going big or going home with Azran Legacy is that it is the last Layton game (at the time), but is the ending to a prequel, not the series. It ends up feeling so grandiose that as some people point out it completely overshadows what chronologically comes next.
However, the deeper issue though is that many of the grandiose ideas comes across less as Layton and more of fanfiction. Layton games traditionally start off as small mysteries that extend out into a more complex or even shocking way. But at its core, it never tries to make Layton as anything more than he is an intelligent, puzzle-solving teacher of archeology. He's never a superhero or someone who saves the day. He just ends up becoming one because the mystery he tackles spirals into one. In Unwound Future, he's involved in a conspiracy to destroy London, not because he's a detective but simply because he's one of the only people left alive who knew Claire on her last day alive. Plus, he also saved the main villain as a kid and said villain unconsciously wanted to be stopped. However, it still kept true to the idea that Layton was for the most part a person.
This game though kind of goes off the deep end. The final section of the game in particular reads off like a Layton fanfic where everything is thrown as curveballs and twists. Normally, there's hints or helpful tips to lead the player to those conclusions. And, if not, the professor is usually 10 steps ahead of us and can predict it. In this case, though, there isn't really any hints for the player and Layton gets curve balled leaving it a more messy than thoughtful conclusion. And it doesn't really connect with the plot lines from the rest of the Prequels. It felt like they didn't know how to build up the original plot and went in a complete different way.
Just to clarify, what was the point of the Azran legacies mentioned in Miracle Mask? (or the City and Garden from the film and Last Specter) Like, I don't think they're even mentioned as the entire plot shifts to Aurora. It feels like they didn't know how to connect these ancient ruins to the Azran and dropped it. Instead, it feels like they had to drop the original plans and move onto other ideas.
In that same vein, it's very hard to believe Descole is Layton's brother. It feels random especially considering his behavior in all three previous stories. He's literally bloodthirsty and preparing to kill his own brother. It feels so random even though there was meant to be a connection hinted at the start. But this feels out of left field considering what Descole was like prior to this game. Similarly, the idea that Layton was adopted and is the villain's son is such a fanfic idea that I have to remind myself it's canon. It also comes out of left field since there was never any implication in Miracle Mask that Layton was adopted (or that his name is his brother's which is such a weird concept). I think it'd have worked out better if say Descole is angry that Layton forgot him and lashes out in Last Specter after the fact rather than legitimately just deciding to destroy a town for funsies (same with Miracle Mask). And if there was a stronger connection made between the three (even their hair colors don't match up so it's hard to tell that Bronev is Descole and Layton's blood father). And the whole ending feels pretty close to the classic star war plot twist.
Now don't get me wrong. I love fanfiction. I ready fanfics all the time. The issue is that the writing should feel like a natural progression of the story. It shouldn't feel random or out of place. Which is a lot of the ending of Azran Legacy especially when we have Layton die and get resurrected which uh is completely out of the realm of standard Layton it isn't even funny. Plus, it feels like such a dumb idea because you know he's still alive since it takes place before Curious Village. Which in turn, it causes the confusion on how he didn't realize the robot thing day one. It just takes me out of the experience and numbs my indifference. I also think someone else made a solid point that this game's middle section weakens the pacing and doesn't tie in well enough with the start and ending to make it work as well as it should. While this game probably doesn't deserve the bottom by default, I can still see how the game's potential didn't deliver enough to avoid that either. I definitely wish it felt like it and the rest of the trilogy didn't feel like such a hodgepodge of ideas.
any plans to cover the OT or the movie? imo (sweeping statement) the OT are more effectively written but theyre not aiming for anything as deep as the prequels, with the series mostly getting deeper as it goes. theyre also just way more charming in a way i cant really explain, especially CV which is super underrated in series rankings i think. and the movies interesting because it very effectively turns the games into a movie in a way that ive not seen in other attempts to do the same thing (and its got the best suppoting cast in the series)
edit, it occurs to me you maybe covered this in the VS video,,,, but ive not played that game yet so ive not seen it haha
Yup, I do plan to cover the OT, but I'm going to do LMJ before that, so it probably won't be until sometime next year. As for Eternal Diva, I do have some thoughts about how to cover it, but there probably won't be a dedicated video. Maybe as an addendum on another Layton video, but not sure right now.
Great video its just too bad that this game did not sell well because nobody is talking about it anymore unfortunately they should make a layton collection of all the games before the new one comes out but i doubt that will happen
Great video. Personally Azran Legacy is my least favorite out of the original six games due to its weird pacing issues. But you did and have always done a great job at analyzing the themes of this series and discovering things I never even thought about. I thought Azran Legacy's story was the most shallow, but still had some interesting points of discussion, I'm really glad to see I'm not the only person who made the correlation between the downfall of the Azran and the series as a whole, and I've tried to find more little meanings behind the game's plot ever since I've played it. I still think this one ranks at the bottom, but regardless it's still a really important game to me, and I'm glad that someone out there gave it its due respect where deserved.
My biggest gripe with Azran legacy was that the middle 80% of the game is just... untelated filler content to eachother. You can do them in any order but you never have things that require going between areas or something, the ending was amazing but it just feels... incoherent. Besides me not being a massive fan of the 3ds puzzles and exploration needing to use the top screen because "haha 3d gimmick". I just.. like tapping on things and getting coins but this is mostly my gripe with Miracle Mask. In general I think Azran Legacy had better puzzles.
Edit: your point about Descole being obvious made me realise that while not a red herring per se, I was totally thinking "okay when are they gonna have Desmond backstab us" but that perfectly distracted from Emmy being the one to ultimately do it.
My criticism with chapter 4 still stands though, its just... "okay here's like 6 hours with little to no main story progression" which kinda feels... ehhh... other than that I personally rank the ending on par with unwound future even. Layton stating that he forged his own history truly sticks with me.
I'm man enough to admit I've cried at every layton game's ending. Except for vs Phoenix Wright, that game was... okay? The ending wasn't as emotionally written as the rest.
Also the Miracle Mask rabbit can kiss my-
Yeah, this makes sense. I think your opinion on the middle section of the game will definitely make or break your opinion of the game overall, much more than even the crazy plot twists at the end. I think it was a decent experiment, but it's definitely not my favorite part of Azran Legacy.
6:16 Streetpass' end? Streetpass still works!
Yes, I was thinking of Spotpass, not Streetpass. To be fair to myself, there probably aren't a lot of people walking around with their 3DSes anymore.
jungle
throw out the jungle
its yokes
and makes me cringe
no
jungle
AL is the only professor layton game that i cant bring myself to replayed again!
1- 80% of the game is filler
2-the end plot twists is not executed well and i don't like it
I love hate this game so much…
Really good video!
Personally Azran Legacy's my least favourite in the franchise, I think it definitely has some great elements (the scene where Layton talks to Bronev as he's getting arrested is like a top 5 scene for this franchise), but it also has a lot I don't like.
Nothing I dislike were mistakes though, just creative choices I personally disagree with.
I think the first three chapters are really cool, feels like a direct continuation of MM with the gang facing off against Targent almost immediately.
It was really great, I wish the whole game was like, this Layton vs Targent thing because chapter 4 is honestly pretty boring.
Like it's moderately enjoyable, I like the popono island and each island has good moments (would def cut the marraige one though lol), but I feel like it basically puts the game on hold for a chapter of filler.
Like since the eggs are stolen afterwards, it feels very pointless.
I don't remember the other Layton games having any real filler or at least long filler, the only thing that comes to mind is that bunny's backstory in Lost Future.
Chapter 5's good from my memory, but the final chapter is one I'm very mixed on.
As I said before, I love the scene where the professor says who he is and Emmy's goodbye is also really good.
The twist with Emmy being a member of Targent is weird, I don't know how to feel about it.
Firstly it wasn't really foreshadowed aside from one line in the japanese version of Spectre, where she mentions that her uncle taught her how to fight, since it's a twist I do think there should be some foreshadowing.
Like it doesn't feel the previous games and the movie were really going in that direction with her character at all, her backstory in Spectre felt like justification enough for her wanting to join Layton.
I never really questioned "why does Emmy want to go on adventures with Hershel" because not only did that Spectre cutscene already answer it, but Layton's already famous for solving mysteries so it's pretty easy to buy.
The scene where she holds Luke at knifepoint's very stressful though, really welldone scene.
As for Descole, I don't really like what they did with him.
I don't like him being a sympathetic character, I liked him best as just this pompous asshole lol.
That was so fun to me, he was especially great in Eternal Diva.
It's also hard for me to find him sympathetic, considering all the awful stuff he's done.
I find Clive sympathetic though, so I'm kind of a hypocrite lol.
The climax is my least favourite thing in the game and probably the whole franchise.
I feel like I can suspend my suspension of disbelief really well, I can buy that time travel kind of exists, that there was a living dinosaur and that Randall survived.
Azran Legacy just takes it too far for me, I don't like everyone dying and than being brought back to life because a robot prayed to a long lost civilization.
I know any fantastical story can sound silly if described in such a way, but I can't really think of that climax in a positive way.
It also makes Azran Legacy fail as a prequel to me, having everyone die and get resurrected, and than having the original trilogy follow it kind of undermines the stakes of that trilogy since those games don't have anything on that level.
Why should I worry when Layton and Luke are running from a ferris wheel when they literally died like a year ago?
It's weird that I prefer LMJ, idek why I prefer it.
Ig it just feels more consistent to me, I like all the cases in that game.
I beat Azran for the first and only time in like 2020 or 2021, so I'm basing everything I said on memory btw
I think the game is just a little unbalanced. The islands are a nice idea, but I think 5 was probably just too many. I don't mind the Emmy plot twist, I think it leads to some good scenes, I think the problem is that Azran Legacy needed to get its priorities straight. I want to know about Emmy's life, and what she was feeling over the course of the three games, but there's just no time, because we spent half the game scrambling around looking for eggs. So I totally get why the game doesn't work for a lot of people. Although I do think the islands are a bit more relevant to the game than thematically than people give them credit for.
As for feeling sympathetic towards Clive and not Descole, I understand that too. I'm going to argue when I get to Unwound Future (a loooong time from now) that Clive hits at a very specific fear that I think resonates with a lot of people, which is why we (and the game) are ultimately sympathetic with him; we understand where's he coming from. Whereas I don't think that's nearly as true with Descole.
@@AurumAlex64 I also think that with Descole, it's hard to feel sorry for someone that's been a total asshole for two games and a movie.
Clive being a twist villain probably softens the blow a bit too.
Tbh Emmy's why I don't find that the prequels work as a trilogy, I really enjoy her character but she's just kinda along for the ride most of the time.
Like I don't remember a thing she does in Miracle Mask and she doesn't do a lot before the twist in Azran, which is a real shame
There is some big irony with the believability of the game too. The series constantly seems to break its own back trying to explain away seemingly supernatural things(Minus Layton 3, because time travel is actually real despite the game trying to fool the player that it ain't earlier), so this whole bit about technology that is so advanced that it essencially became magic feels like absolute nonsense. Had they simply permitted more things to actually be real, this would not feel nearly as out of line.(though it still would have cheapened the threat of death through revival being possible. You are right, that is genuinely just a bad idea to put into a chronology like this, it did not need to exist)
@@lpfan4491 I think the way Lost Future did it was genuinely really brilliant, since time travel was only barely possible. It was just out of reach and to everyone besides Layton & Claire, it seems impossible.
It's just there to facilitate what might be my favourite scene in the franchise.
I appreciate AL subverting the Layton conventions, but it pushes it too far imo