#PLPW

[eshasunrise]

On Professor Layton Vs Pheonix Wright

No spoilers, but I talk about PWPL for a long time under the cut.

The most frustrating part of Phoenix Wright vs Professor Layton is the way it treats its lead characters. The two do their jobs well, Phoenix is the same goofy, down on his luck lawyer he always is, and Layton is as charismatic and clever as you'd expect, but there in lies the problem. Neither character is really explored to any real degree beyond what's already been established. And I get it; dubiously canon crossover made by two disagreeing companies designed to be an entrypoint into both series. It's better to play things safe, not change too much, and use the best parts of both series against each other. And to be fair, they do that with aplomb. The AA and PL character designs mesh beautifully together, especially after the hard work unifying the main characters. The Puzzles are an excellent addition to the investigation segments, and the court cases do a great job dredging out the minutia of the larger than life story and setpieces.

But Layton is a man with far too much intrigue and nuance to just be the confident windfall, and if there's one thing the Ace Attorney Franchise is good at, it's nuance.

Professor Hershel Layton is a man defined by three things: his gentlemanly demeanor, his love of puzzles, and his willingness to always lend a hand. But the Layton of Lore and the Layton we play as are two subtly different men. Hershel is truly a gentleman, no doubt about it, but he's cautious, aloof, and reserved. He won't meddle in matters that don't interest him or call upon him in the first place. He also never speaks of his past or his family. We know how secretive he is about his lost love, and how he becomes estranged from his children in the near future. This speaks of a man afraid, one who wants with all his heart to be always there, yet frequently is one moment too late. One who can be relied upon, but who ends up falling just short. One who strives to shoulder the burden of others, but ends up taking the praise as well.

A man who strives to be Phoenix Wright.

Phoenix is known to be a bumbling mess of a man, who wears his heart on his sleeve, hinges his bets on bluffs, and is responsible for overturning law and order in his country. Yet the Phoenix we play as isn't that man, despite what he thinks. He's somebody who knows people well, and can tell when someone is innocent, and will put his own life and reputation on the line if it means protecting that, even against his own better judgement. He's a man whose bluffs are more thought out than the carefully constructed alibis of men with more power and time than he'll ever hope to have. He's a man who overturned law, not through excess trust or gullibility, but his willingness to call out corruption while protecting as many people as possible from the fallout of his actions. He couldn't have begun to change things the way he did were it not for the trust and love others put in him, or his dedication to the truth above all else. Phoenix Wright has, without fail, shown himself to be someone to fall back on. Someone who will shoulder your burdens, hell, someone who will take the consequences of your mistakes and victimhood onto himself if it means making sure you can wake up happier three days from now, and refuses to let it go until justice is served. He takes the blame for the Dark Age of Law not because nobody else could; it's easy to point to Gavin, Gant, and Karma, but because nobody else can. He will carry the consequence of horrid people for the rest of his life, egg on his face (or coffee), trudging through hell until a better tomorrow comes, all the while thriving against odds stacked so far against him it's a miracle he's even alive.

That is the man Hershel Layton longs to be, the man he goes out of his way to become every day of his life, and the man Phoenix Wright is by simply being his own goofy, bumbling, easily panicked self. It could be said that, for as soft and kind as Layton is, his drive to be a gentleman distances himself from being the protector he wants to be. For as brilliant as he can be, it doesn't help much when he doesn't have the answer. With all the time he spends trying to help others, he never lets himself move on from, or share, his own pain.

And that's why Luke needs to be framed for murder.

Imagine: a situation that Layton cannot deal with. One he couldn't expect. Set it up so he sees Luke holding the bloody weapon in the body of the scared victim. So caught in the moment he just can't put together any other alternative, try as he might. That's where Phoenix comes in. Immediately knowing Luke wouldn't do such a thing, he takes the case before a case can be made, even as Luke second guesses himself and Layton is sent to testify. He's made to put together evidence pointing directly to Luke's guilt. And just as all seems lost, he turns the question on its head, asks why Luke can't be guilty, and that's when he asks Layton for help with one thing; a puzzle. By reframing this impossible situation into Hershel's field of expertise, removing all elements of trauma and impossibility, Layton reorients himself, adjusts his testimony, and slowly the truth begins to unravel. Press after press, puzzle after puzzle, piece after piece, and just as a dead end seems to be in sight, who else should interject but the real murderer, panicking from how close they've gotten, pointing out the logical flaw, in turn outing himself as the true killer to Phoenix and, more importantly, Hershel.

And you do not hurt Hershel's friend.

A duel of words breaks out (likely a game/framing mechanic unique to this sequel) where Layton takes command of the conversation and trial, pressing the Murderer further and further into a corner until, at one point, he slips. Layton backs off and confidently hands the floor back to Phoenix, who immediately presents the evidence that contradicts the pressed statement. The prosecutor has to object to a confession made out of duress, but at this point, the damage to the alibi is done, and the Murderer can't weasel his way out any more. One more round of testimony, and one more puzzle to present a piece of evidence, and the case is closed.

Afterwards, Layton can't help but cry as he hugs Luke, realizing the man who had been put down all game, whose made himself out to be a fool and jumped to harebrained conclusions to just barely be proven right, was the man who not only saved them, but the man he aspired to be like his whole life. Someone who can shoulder the pain of others until it's light enough to carry. Someone who accepts his own past, and lets it guide him forward without weighing him down. Someone who can stare defeat, even death, in the eyes, panicking all the while, then turn around, point his finger, and demands one more answer, over and over until the truth has come out. Someone who can solve even the most impossible of puzzles, when all he has to go on is a hunch, and trust that it can be done. (I'd also like to foreshadow this by having the first puzzle on Wright's side be a Sudoku puzzle, specifically, one where you have to take a leap of faith at turn one to solve, trial and error-ing the first move with little penalty).

Basically, a game where Phoenix is on the back foot and Layton can support him is great, but a finale where Layton is in a no-win scenario, and Phoenix can see him through by bringing out what Layton can do best, that would be excellent.

[oneradmonster]

Super cool being stuck 12 minutes from work and 28 from home and my car doesn't have 4-wheel drive and Georgia currently has 3 inches of fucking snow so I'm stuck in a fucking church parking lot and only getting colder.

[skavbe99]

Great day!

It’s a great day to be outside! How fun!

The sun’s shining too! Remember to have as much sun as possible!

And remember kids, vav duy plpw sgpi ulvg rff bwxhh ;)

[indiepulserocks]

Kamil Woj as The Modern Act of Funk

I am Polish/British instrumentalist and composer. I started my musical journey at the age of 10 when parents bought me a first classical guitar.

I moved to UK in 2004 after graduated Uni and Music  College in Poland.

Prior starting my solo project I was collaborating with local bands and solo acts including the pop jazz group "For Sale", Tracie Redding, Beti Gie and Pete Way . In November I produced and released my self-titled album "Kamil Woj". If you like Bluesy Funk with Jazzy bits thrown in this might be your music taste.

WWW . https://bobiwsieci.wixsite.com/kamilwoj

Instagram @woj.kamil

 SPOTIFY    https://open.spotify.com/album/2PZ2dUa0fAsA3DCLZMTu7q?si=N1qa8okxQrqq50RAu-plpw

[voiidegg]

update: £350. on baizhu and his weapon. i really shouldn’t have a job lol

sometimes i think i shouldn’t have a job bc i do dumb shit like spend £100+ on genshin impact

[itagakixt]

札幌の帰りに江別のフジ棚を見に行きました。写真、ピンボケかもしれませんが、素晴らしさは伝わります。 https://www.instagram.com/p/ByPf_L-pLPW/?igshid=1q3y6xx71y3xy

[insertatitlehere]

okay so everything in professor layton VS phoenix wright happened because of vanta black

[humblegoatart]

the adventures continue

[pocketwatchesandtea]

I'm glad people are more or less getting on board with my pansexual Inquisitor Zacharias Barnham headcanon

[nad-doods-blog]

For the first time in forever I finally made something! lol. One of my favorite character in Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Lettie Mailer!! I totally enjoyed the game so much! Best game in 2014 so far! :3

For a better resolution find in my empty DA or here

[shiny-maractus]

My thoughts on "Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney"

MASSIVE SPOILERS UNDER READ MORE

-I have the sudden urge to cosplay Eve Belduke. Or at least Kira in a Shade costume.

-I have crush on Barnham. I HAVE A CRUSH ON A LITERAL KNIGHT IN SHINNING ARMOR (who can drive a speedboat, huuuuuge plus for me). And his dog is too adorable!

-You know Mr. Cantabella, I know you did this for your daughter and all, but your still a huge dick (your true friend too). And Espella... you're a good character but, dear god, your voice annoys the heck out of me.

-CANON QUEER CHARACTER, YEAH! But I really appreciated if she yelled "SIIIIIR!" less in court. Don't be a Meekins...

-When I saw first saw Jean, I thought Franziska's niece has been kidnapped. Still a cutie-patootie.

-I have a feeling that Rouge is some sort of guardian Cecil and Petal.

-Mary "had" a little GOAT. Jeeze woman, don't squeeze them in distress!

- I think Whatley accurately represents people today out of the job.

-Wordsmith you were... something. Words fail me to describe my apathy for you.

- Aunt Patty is the best aunt. I would gladly eat that gigantic loaf of bread (with help).

-I quite like the librarian's design (whose name unfortunately escapes me).

-Johnny Smiles is actually me. Except he's male. And blond. And a security guard. And smiles too much. What I'm trying to say is that I'm a chocoholic.

-When Olivia was knocked out by (presumably) Darklaw, did she just deal the blow or used the chemical water...?

-Of course they had to include Edgeworth at the end. Of course.

Now onto the events of the game.

HOW THE FLIPPING DID THE CAR FLIP INTO A TREE?!

Was there a tornado? Were they tripping real hard when that happened? HOW DID THE HAND-PRINT GET THERE?! With a giant paddle?!

What was with the room in the Tower of London Bridge? Is NO ONE going to comment on that? Was it used for as a secret hideout for the Labryinthia Corporation?

How did Phoenix Wright and Maya get their memories back so quickly? This experiment has been going on for ten years, Darklaw surely must have mastered on hypnotizing the people. Was it because their arrival was "accidental" she did a rushed job, thus not being as good as the rest? How does the hypnotizing prevent other people from breaking out of their own spells? Like, what if Whatley was actually a grocery man and managed to regain his memories, what then?

HOW DOES A GIANT GATE DISAPPEAR? I get the "pure black" thing but wouldn't anyone notice a hole in the wall and see the forest?

Why did no one ever talk to Maya about being a spirit medium? She could have easily busted the "witches actually died by fire" easily. What happened to the Magatama?

Some puzzles ASDFGHJKL (I'm looking at you lazer puzzle). Some hint coins were better not to be wasted. *Sigh* And it sucked that the guides online were NOT helpful at all.

Overall, I enjoyed the game a lot (even though I spent all of the majority of the hint coins and credibility on trials) and the transition between the two different playing styles was rather smooth (in my opinion).

As for the story, I was slow to catch on to what was going on, but I definitely got some "Pandora's Box" vibes. I did sort of hope they actually got in sucked into the story (a la Sonic and the Secret Rings). Other bits and pieces I vaguely got the reference and I did laugh out loud enough to look like I was crazy.

I anticipate for more crossovers like these to happen again in the future. But for now, I'll be content to now play the extra content.