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Review: Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy

Here we are. After six games, hundreds of puzzles, dozens of cups of tea, a few bumbling detectives and a handful or mysteries we have finally arrived at…the middle of Professor Layton’s story?

That’s right. With Azran Legacy we’ve reached the conclusion of the prequel trilogy of Layton games. Commencing with The Last Specter and continuing with last year’s brilliant Miracle Mask, Azran Legacy concludes this chapter of mysteries and ties a neat bow on the franchise. Level-5 have repeatedly said this is the very last Professor Layton game and if it’s true, while he will be missed, we can take solace in the fact that he never overstayed his welcome. Exactly as a gentleman should.

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Starting up Azran Legacy there’s a sense of urgency that’s not been found in previous games. The story whisks you along at a brisk pace, getting you up to speed with new characters, new settings and the overarching mystery with a surprising spryness. Previous games have taken their time, slowly easing players into the game and it’s mysteries. Not so in Azran Legacy. In the opening minutes Layton and co. are whisked away to a snowy mountain town, before discovering a mysterious girl, whom the crew set about rescuing after she is immediately kidnapped. Everything revolves around the puzzles of course and this time around they’ve been injected a little more organically into proceedings. Although, many of them are still as obtuse as ever.

In one instance, Layton – while trying to save the girl – is stopped by a thug. To pass him he must solve a puzzle that involves swinging cranes and timing. It’s refreshing that rather than simply solving a maths problem to defeat the enemy the game tries to incorporate the puzzle and action. Similarly, during a sequence early on, Layton and his team are chasing an enemy airship while piloting their own. The enemy is deploying remote drones and to defeat them and stave off destruction Layton must destroy the leader of each group. Instructions like “Destroy all blue drones” and “Destroy all even numbered drones” appear and by sliding a reticule with the touch screen Layton is able to thwart the baddies. It’s meant as a tense action sequence, but in true Layton style, is laid back and fun. It does tend to go on for a little too long, but good on Level-5 for attempting to add some danger and excitement to proceedings.

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Something new that does really work and work well is the option to travel between locations at will. No longer are the team trapped by the linearity of the narrative. Players can select to take the airship and revisit areas to hunt for more puzzles, hint coins, mystery items and collection pieces. Azran Legacy is overflowing with content. Thankfully, finding it, solving the puzzles and collecting every hidden item is a treat. As I said, puzzles are woven more organically than ever before and the quality of the puzzles is probably the best the series has seen since Curious Village. The majority of puzzles this time around are the type that will be solved automatically once you have the solution rather than having to submit your guess. It’s a nice change that makes things seem easier and more inclusive. Of course as things progress the puzzles get more and more devious. Save up those hint coins kids, you’re going to need them.

The city hopping, globetrotting elements make Azran Legacy feel like the biggest entry yet. It’s a real global story and feels like Layton meets 007. Previous games have felt very self-contained, and while there were always stakes, they’ve never been as high. The overarching mystery pulls in themes, characters and ideas from the past two games and while knowledge of them isn’t necessary, fans will definitely get a kick out of it. Especially a few of the later cameos.

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It is with a fondness in our hearts and a smile on our faces that we bid farewell to Professor Herschel Layton. There’s nothing quite like the Layton series and despite some pretenders emerging in recent years, none have really captured that Layton magic. They’re delightful, charming and a real treat to play. There’s a Miyazaki/Ghibli quality to the series that both adults and children alike can find a great deal of joy in. If you’ve never played any of the previous games Azran Legacy is as good a place to start as any, but for the full experience start from the beginning and enjoy one of the greatest series of games to grace us in some time.


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