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I know I was going to review Five Nights at Freddie's, but after taking a day off to play through the last Professor Layton game at the request of a friend, I have to talk about it. There are some good aspects of the game and... a little too many poor aspects of it.

I'm going to say this once. SPOILERS.

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

AND CRITIQUES.

So don't be surprised by anything, aight?

Anyway, here we go.

The game starts up as a standard Professor Layton game, with a letter from a Professor Sycamore, a supposed expert on the Azran Civilization.

The game cleverly tries to tie some of the amazing artifacts from previous installations into this last entry. Even from the Eternal Diva, which I can appreciate. Professor Sycamore found a living mummy, entombed in ice. We free the girl, who's the amnesia-tic emissary of the Azran civilizations. And despite everything else, it's off to find these egg like artifacts known as the aura stones to regain this girls memories and unlock the greatness of the Azran Civilization before unscrupulous characters get the eggs and unlock the secret.

There's our setup. It's very standard. We have two extra party members this time around as the Azran Emissary, known as Aurora and Professor Desmond Sycamore. So our story begins.

Let me make something clear. The artstyle, the gameplay mechanics and the animation were at their best in this game. The puzzles were some of my favorite and the minigames were very enjoyable. Everything goes downhill when it comes to character development and the plot that is holier than swiss ******** cheese. There is so much that falls flat on its a** or is just simply infuriating and the... well, blatant racism, hahaha...ha....

SPOILERS ACTIVATE!




So the main method of travel in this game is the Bostonius, a ship owned by our own Desmond Sycamore and which is piloted by Raymond, his assistant. Where if you've finished either Last Specter or Miracle Mask will know almost immediately that Desmond Sycamore is in fact Jean Descole. THERE WENT THE SURPRISE. It's frustrating, because you'd expect this great big ploy and it's fine to deceive the characters in their own universe but deceiving you is the greatest ploy of all. I spent all game trying to figure out the surprise and when I did, I was less than pleased.

Let me touch quickly on the dynamic of the group. I liked it. I really loved the very normal, almost familial interactions they had with each other. I'm a sucker for travel companions interactions, because when you travel together, you make some pretty deep bonds. I know this to be true. Although knowing the odd character out kind of kills the interactions. It was still enjoyable to think that maybe Descole was enjoying himself and maybe it lit his cold heart a little bit.

Traveling the world was fun. Kind of. For like two locations it was fun then I was just happy I represent two nationalities that this game could not touch. I'd like to apologize to the Hawaiians, Hispanics, all of the middle East, those of Northern European descent, Cowboys, Russians, Africans and women. Seriously. It was CRINGE WORTHY.

I understand that fitting a town into a stereotype or trope makes it familiar. Americans love cheeseburgers and shotguns, Canadians say "eh." The British love their tea and the Italians love high cuisine and wine. These are simple, basic and identifiable. Overall, it's ignorant and untrue and offensive. Stereotypes require little identity, little thought and even less effort. And THAT pisses me off the most.

I would like to point out San Grio is a town that has many Hawaiian influences, the people speak as though they were trying to speak Spanish. Thing's like "Mi amigo, si senor" and such, yet the town is located Africa. I'm sorry. but what? I'm so confused. and offended. Mosinnia's Walled Town reminded me of the Walled City in Hong Kong, (and other locations around the world) and I found I didn't much care to make anymore connections. The Phong Gi are apparently an African tribe, or South American tribe, or Asian? I honestly have no clue what they were going for. Hoogland is a small town that worships the Dragonlord that causes raging winds and ruins the town. Oh, and they sacrifice young girls to appease the Dragonlord by locking them in a small temple until they rot away and have apparently done so for a very long time. Personally, I hate this one the most just from it's sheer ignorance and blase attitude about murdering young brides. Torrido is pretty harmless, it's literally old and outdated western tropes, I'm going to assume for comedic effect and leave it at that.
Incidentally, in a Layton game. One that challenges the mind and requires some intense thought to find clever solutions, seeing something so lazy is disappointing and just sad. The writing is just so nonsensical at this point. I was frustrated.

OKAY. I'm just going to touch on some main points at the end of the game that REALLY pissed me off because otherwise I'm going to be here forever.

Starting with Emmy.
She's a double agent for the evil organization, Targent. Oh...Okay? I'm not even going to ask where this came from considering that there was little to no indication that Emmy was spying on Layton from Last Specter to the Miracle Mask. Emmy was Layton's assistant. She's a pretty firm reoccurring character. This change disappointed me. It's really out there and it's very clear that this little twist was phoned in last minute because Emmy cherished what she has with the group and there was no inkling that Emmy had an out of the ordinary past. So I'm considering this a cheat in the narrative. I have a headcanon for this, I like to think that Emmy was threatened by Targent and could do nothing else. There, I fixed it.

Descole is next.
This is biggest loop hole, swiss cheesed, half-assed,desperate ploy I've ever seen in a narrative. Where to start. Well, his overall design. They changed him completely. From his height, to his build, to his skin colour. He was taller than Layton, now Descole is a visible few inches shorter, Descole had his own unique form in the Layton universe which was switched to look more like Layton himself, and from a light skin colour, it's been visibly darkened and Descole bears a much more tan complexion, which are inconsistent because there are times where he becomes pale again. Also, his hair isn't a wig. Jesus. The rest is almost painful. This guy is obsessed with the Azran, threatened to murder people en mass, brainwashed, cheated, lied and was a general a*****e, and yet the plot demands that he never wanted their power, he wanted to destroy it all along. Really? The guy who flipped his ever loving s**t at Layton for figuring out the puzzle of the Song of the Sun and the Sea? The guy who tried to kill Luke? Sure, I'll bite. It was all a ploy.
He's Layton's long lost brother.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOPE. A MILLION ******** NOPES. This bit pisses me off the most for sheer laziness. The things that Descole has done is too much, too heartless for him to want to save anything other than himself. His confession to Layton is forced it's painful. His character was shown to be bitter and full of hatred and if Descole were to lose that, I want it to be done slowly and with proper setting. The setting was fine in this case. Yet when the reveal came, it was clear that Descole hadn't changed. Yet hilariously, Descole saved Luke, which prompted the rushed and anticlimactic true reveal. My thoughts on this are that Jean Descole died last installment and was replaced by Leon Bronev's son seeking revenge. Also, this Descole had a wife and child. I find that EXTREMELY hard to believe of the former Descole, and this Descole flies off into sunset with his trusty butler... Sure. Bye Descole! Have fun thinking of your wife and child and what little family you have left that you were forced to care about for 5 whole minutes!

Targent Leader
Leon Bronev
This guy. Ha..haha. He's certainly the most interesting 'development'. He has the unique characteristic that he's a connection for all of the main players. Development aside... Since he has literally one moment of it. He's Layton's and Descole's long lost father who was kidnapped by Targent years ago, lost his wife, grew in the ranks, became leader of Targent, continued the kidnapping of archeologists and such because why the ******** not, I guess. He clearly understands the harm and bitterness this causes yet he continued. Also. He was a father figure to Emmy. This makes the least amount of sense because Emmy is so young. The professor is in his mid-thirties. Emmy is 10 years younger (some sources list her as even younger) Leon Bronev was taken away from his boys presumably 30 years before hand. Emmy had parents and then, I guess, something terribly tragic happened and Leon took her in. Okay... Why? The years that passed, the fact that Leon could take care of a little girl. Possibly adding the fact a good 10 years passed before Emmy was even born, he was kind to her and treated her well. All for what? Her trust to spy on Layton? Was he even a Targent operative? It was definitely after his wife passed. Was it all to use Emmy as a tool? I mean over all, it makes little sense that Leon would hold onto a young girl and yet not even bother looking for his sons at all.
Oh, and he gets a heart and comes to the parties aid and tells Layton his real name and is all I'm your father. In all poorly written and contrived events that pulls you so far out of the Layton Universe you'll wonder if you were watching a Star Wars rip off.

I wish more care was taken on this game. It could have been great. Yet the good things were overshadowed by the innumerable plot holes and contrariety and lack of logic, it really weakens this game. The end, the big dramatic reveal about power bring poisonous and we are decent people and the world was going to be destroyed by the Azran golems. I happened to be watching Castle in the Sky and holy crap the parallels. Also, I wonder if the Quarians from Mass Effect ever read about the Azran. Maybe someone should tell them.

Some other things. Emmy and Sycamore are kind of... hinted to be something multiple times and it never goes anywhere. Is it romantic? Is it familial? I honestly wonder. How is Layton going to get over all the mental and emotional scarring from knowing his relatives are ******** insane. Why was Bloom glossed over like yesterdays butter and why was Carmichael sending Grosky on a goose chase believing him to be utterly incompetent. The real mysteries here, people.

I have a lot more to say but this suffices very well. It's a poor epilogue. Yet at the same time confusing as ******** since the Curious Village happens 3 years later and there is no indication that anything massive or terrifying happened.

Oh well. C'est la vie.