Professor Layton vs Ace Attorney (Reiton Kyouju VS Gyakuten Saiban)

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Professor Layton vs Ace Attorney is a spin off game and I have to admit it is a bit weird to have these two series together in the same universe since they have such different styles. I have played the first two Layton games, and have been marathoning the Ace Attorney series so I am familiar with both series. So I am curious to see how this game merges both of them.

The game starts off with a cutscene of a man and a girl being chased by some supernatural  beings that they call "witches." Then it introduces all the main characters with cutscenes till you can actually play the game. The cutscenes are well animated much like most of the Layton cutscenes are. The cutscenes in Dual Destinies weren't to this quality at all. Some of the lines during the game are also voiced. The girl in the beginning comes to Layton for help, and this plays just like the Layton games where you go about point and clicking, and solving puzzles to progress in the story. The girl's name is Espella who came from a place called Labyrinthia, and she is being chased by the witches.

Then it kind of suddenly brings us to Phoenix and Maya. I am glad to see Maya again since the last few Ace Attorney games didn't have her in it at all. This is supposedly take place before Apollo Justice and after Trials and Tribulations. So this Phoenix Wright portion of this game plays just like the original game so it really takes me back. The music is the same as the first game, but updated and the even the ! ! ! meter is back. This starts off with Phoenix defending Espella in court. Phoenix and Maya traveled to London for the Attorney's Exchange thing. Since they're in a different country. the judge and prosecutors will be different. Some of the lines are voiced here as well which is nice! Both Phoenix and Maya may have the same outfits as before, but their new 3D model makes them look a tad different. I still have issues with how Phoenix looks in 3D like in Dual Destinies. The charges on Espella are assault and stealing so for a change it isn't murder.

Espella carries a big green book with her, and at the end of the prologue all 4 of the main characters get sucked into the book. The story continues with Layton and Luke arriving in Labyrinthia, a peaceful, charming Medieval town. The town is a bit strange and Layton and Luke's questioning of it to the townspeople have made them suspicious looking. Espella helps them escape from the knights and took them into her home at the bakery. Strangely enough, this is where Phoenix and Maya are however they sadly don't remember who they really are and think they're bakers. Its silly but also a bit entertaining. Layton and Luke will the be the ones to explore and learn more about the town and its secrets.

Since witches are the important aspect of the story, Phoenix and Maya will obviously be part of the witch trials. The court is practically the same, but some things are different. Such as the prosecutors are called Inquisitors as they are the knights. The inquisitor will be a high figure of the town name Barnham. Also we have to use the Grand Grimoire book that has all the spells that we can present. Also there will be more than one witness testifying at the same time so there's a new feature where you notice one of the witness with a speech bubble above them during another witness' testimony and you can ask them what they are thinking. Another new feature is finding contradictions between the witnesses' testimonies. Phoenix's first trial in Labyrinthia is pretty darn silly though the execution part is quite dark. Layton and Luke will also come to help you out as well.

After the trial, all four characters team up to do some investigation. The story gets a lot more interesting at this point. I was skeptical about how the story will go with this crossover game, but so far it really is enjoyable. Though it is a bit predictable in some areas and Layton got the better end of the stick. I won't say much about the rest of the game since it would spoil the story. The mystery of Labyrinthia was really the most interesting part that kept me interested till the end. Also the puzzles have become part of the story as well rather than just random puzzles to take up time. I really liked how they worked that in.

When you beat the game, you get access to special episodes. These are short and fun extras that take place a year after the game's story. Well they're short individually but together its probably about 2 hours or so of content. The surprise at the end is what really made this game a whole lot better for me personally. Overall, this game is pretty good and would recommend it to any fans of Layton or Phoenix.