Ranking every Professor Layton game from WORST to BEST 

As a person who loves professor Layton from the start, unwound future was my absolute favorite. I have shredded so much tears on the game.

I was 5 when the first Layton game came out and I got DS lite for christmas. My mom bought me Curious Village because she saw the logo Level-5 and assumed that meant it was rated for kids 5 and up. She had to help me get through so many puzzles in that game, but as they kept coming out I asked for her help less and less. This will forever be a series dear to my heart, even if I probably played it a little earlier than I should have.

Diabolical Box was the first Layton game I ever played, I was 9 years old and the story went right over my head. When I played it again as a young adult, I cried.

Interesting that Miracle Mask is so low. A lot of fans, myself included, rate it quite highly!

Mystery Room doesn't get talked about much, but I'm a fan. Not as good as the mainline games, but it has a special place in my heart.

Layton's theme is used frequently on Layton vs Phoenix precisely because its also an Ace Attorney game, and character's theme play at least a few times, not just once or twice

For me, Professor Layton peaked with Lost Future and Specter's Call. They still had the 2d artstyle and were a lot more colourful than their predecessors. Specter's Call felt a lot like some form of dark fairytale come to life, with a giant, a witch, this mysterious foggy town...absolutely gorgeous. Lost Future on the other was THE fascination for me. I have a big love for steampunk aesthetics, and that giant clock in Midland Road was one of my favourite motifs to draw when I was a child. Heck, I drew it so many times I could probably list almost every detail of it. And I loooved the story, even if the third act felt disappointing to my younger self.

I don't often see a lot of love for Last Specter, which is a shame, since it's probably my second or third favorite of the series. I love the atmosphere and the calm pace, plus the Black Market. Great video :)

The sword fight between Layton and Aron in pandoras/ elysian box is soooooo nicely animated!!!!!!!

It’s always a treat to see you cover the Layton series. While I do passionately defend LMJ and Miracle Mask for their own strengths, I can definitely understand your critiques of both. It genuinely does my heart good to see creators like you continuing to talk about Layton from the perspective of someone who has passion for it to this day.

For the longest time, Mystery Room was my only exposure to the Professor Layton series so it has a special place in my heart. Glad someone else agrees the soundtrack is amazing

So glad to see Diabolical/Pandora's Box at the top! Frankly, I thought I was one of the only ones that regarded it so highly, but it's nice to see that it made a great impression on you too! (Plus, that puzzle with the IRL ticket was a blessing. I felt so smart, lol) Many (if not all) of your points really point out why I adored the Professor Layton series. Once I heard the Professor's theme play at the finale of Curious Village, I fell in love with it and immediately bought the next two games. It was one of the first games that gave so much story and care into the NPCs, making the world around them feel so charming (even though the settings in most of the early games were desolate and depressing!)

Glad to hear I'm not the only one who thinks Diabolical Box should be the best of all time! Also I really appreciated Time Hollow music as background💞

Miracle Mask is ranked 2nd for me after Diabolical Box. Underrated game. I loved the backstory even though its predictable

Probably an unpopular pick, but my favourite will always be Last Specter. It was the first Layton game I ever got (lucky pick, I didn’t know it was the prequel) and I still remember just the absolute wonder and awe I felt playing it the first time. The story with its (a little out there? and kinda far-fetched?) plot twists blew my mind as a kid, kinda like how when you’re having a dream, all the nonsense scenarios seem to create like the most interesting and emotional story you’ve ever made. Whenever I see someone talk about their nostalgia with Curious Village, I can’t relate, but I feel all of it with Last Specter. And I got to play London Life because somehow, despite being Australian, my local game shop had the US version for Last Specter and ONLY Last Specter.

Layton’s London Life is what finally made me play Mother 3. I loved the sprite work so much and it reminded me of what I’d seen from Mother 3, until I learned it was literally the same sprite artist

definitly baised, but Last Specter will always be my number one. i borrowed it from my local library in like 2013/2014 i think? i was kinda scared of the specter in the first cutscene, stuck on that damn fish tank puzzle so my mum had to google the solution, and i never actually finished it. But still, there's just so much i connect with this game, the music, the aesthetics, characters and that damn ending. i watched years later let's plays of it and my god, i cried like a baby.

My favorite game is definitley Unwound Future. It's the first Professor Layton game I ever played and has made me cry ten times over. I even have the soundtrack for it and listen to it all the time. (Okay, not as much now, but I should be listening to it more often.)

Off topic but I really want to thank you for introducing the Layton series to me, it has become one of my favorite video games series and makes me so much more hyped for the sequel, thank you!!

I love them all but Lost Future and Miracle Mask have to be my favourites, Pandora's box is a close third.

For me it's Azran Legacy, Miracle Mask, Diabolical Box, Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright, Curious Village, Unwound Future, Last Specter, then LMJ. The stories and puzzles of the last two prequels just clicked with me a lot more than the puzzles in say Unwound Future

As a highly defensive and opinionated Professor Layton fan your takes are always so validating and make me laugh 👏👏 also don't finish LMJ. It felt like a chore and most all the mysteries were so predictable that I wondered why I was traipsing around town with a "brilliant detective" that hadn't figured it out yet- which is the exact opposite of its predecessors. Also she NEVER WORKS ON SHERL'S CASE. The talking dog is free labor.

Layton Vs Ace Attorney actually got me into checking out Ace Attorney. I was obsessed with professor Layton and already played Miracle Mask like 3 times, so the plot of Layton vs Ace Attorney was really exciting, with the setting of Labirynthia and the new characters and I thought Phoenix and Maya fit really well into the dynamic of Layton and Luke, with Phoenix as the straight man and Maya to add more to the chaos going on. I also watched....that cutscene, at least once a day back then because I thought it was so good. I was so into the plot and the characters that I played until 2 am every day just to see how it ends. Unfortunately, the ending kind of ruined the entire story for me, which was unfortunate, because i literally loved everything up to that point. I still immensely enjoy the game and think it deserves a lot more recognition than it ended up getting back then. I cannot recommend it enough! It's the perfect game for Layton Fans to get into Ace Attorney or for Ace Attorney fans to get into Layton or just for casual enjoyment ^^

I'm fond of miracle mask. I played curious village when I was very small, but MM was the first game I *really* got into, and it holds the #1 spot in my heart. Second favorite is PLvAA just because of how batshit insane it was lol. I enjoy that kind of thing. Also, the music, hello? I've spent .. a few nights just listening to reuploads on yt and staring up at the ceiling

I looove Last specter, the town is soo pretty and the Soundtrack so relaxing. I Love to Play it to Just leave the real world for some hours ❤❤

I was about to scream when I saw the place you had Mystery Room in, but when you say you meant as a Layton game... I forgave you. Also, YES, the MUSIC. God, I love that OST so much. Only bangers. As someone who played all Katrielle, uhhhhhhhhh, yeah, it sucks. The trama does get "deeper" but the plot twist is just.... man. I don't even know. And the puzzles are SO bad, I struggled so much through that game... but I liked dressing Katrielle up, I guess. I'm not the biggest fan of Miracle Mask (like, the history wasn't just as entrancing to me and the justification for the villain was just... oh man, atrocious), but tbh I did like *the* chapter if only because it felt like a different, refreshing puzzle. The 3DS did make me want to cry though. How I missed my 2D sprites, oh boy. Couldn't we had 2D people in 3D world, I wonder? I would rank the crossover higher, if only because I truly liked it more than Azran Legacy (a sacrilege, I know). Like.... I had so much fun, the puzzles were so good, the story was your classic whack but it felt very intriguing, oh my god the OST, I just loved it. I feel it did the mix-up right, but maybe that's me. You're right about the Layton theme, though. Somehow, in this game I liked more the AA part of the soundtrack than the Layton one. For other side, Azran.... just fell flat for me. The mini-stories were fun but didn't feel serious and made me lack connection, kinda? Also, I hated at least 3 of the last plot twists, so, uhh, there's that. The landscapes and music was very entrancing, but oh well. I LOVE, LOVE LAST SPECTER. THE MUSIC, THE AMBIANCE, THE ORIGIN BACKSTORY, THE LONDON LIFE AAAAAAAAA. I had like 100 hours on that thing alone. I would dare to put Curious Village below the Unwound Future, or at the same level bc tbh the puzzles in the 3rd one got me tired at some point lol. But we agree on the best game EVER MY FAVORITE MY BELOVED THE PANDORA BOX. Good taste folks, good taste.

lolll the bit about Layton speaking in his theme song got me 😂 and also I’m a big miracle mask enjoyer cuz I eat that highschool friend group tragic backstory stuff up lolll but I can understand others’ opinions of it haha great video! always love content that keeps this fandom going and always hold nostalgia for these games

I couldn't choose a favorite but I the crossover is one I have close to my heart. I really like the charm and the mystery because I've played quite a while ago and I was blown away. I now play it again each summer. The diabolical box is also a close one since it is the first I played that made me fall in love with the series.

Clearly I need to watch your videos more often, because I LOVED this. My mom bought me Diabolical Box first, so it was my first Layton experience, and it still captivates me even today. It's so nice to see someone giving it so much praise!! Also...I guess I'm not caught up on the Voyan Lore, because I have no idea what that Yo-Kai Watch reference was about...but as a huge YKW fan, I'm intrigued!

Great takes! I personally would have put PL v AA a bit higher and CV a bit lower, but another great video as always!

So my younger brother was really sick when I was a kid, and I didn’t know how to help him. I remember thinking that he must be bored sitting alone in that hospital all the time, so I brought my 3DS with me one day. It had the curious village in it. I sat there in his hospital bed and solved puzzles with him. We both took turns and we would both laugh every time we got one wrong (which happened a lot, because he was 6 and I was 10) My brother is doing a lot better now, and I can’t wait to play New World Of Steam with him from his own room, not the hospital room.

I LOVE UR LAYTON VIDEOS SO MUCH THEY BRING ME SO MUCH COMFORT

A solid list. Great video. I didn't immediately agree with some choices but your reasons won me over

I borrowed The Pandora’s box from a friend some years ago and it made such an imprint. I played it again later but still don't own it which makes me very sad. To see it on top of your list is very pleasing. A few days ago I saw A Curious Village in a shop and thought I should really try it out. Let's see if I am able to get a cheap second hand copy somewhere. Great video! The nostalgia really hit so hard.

I’m so torn between Unwound Future and Azran Legacy. I know Azran isn’t like the rest but it’s probably the most memorable one to me because it’s so unique. I feel like it took risks that paid off super well. All the little towns and villages were each endearing and intriguing and I just love it. And Unwound Future just goes without saying. Curious Village will also hold a very special place in my heart for nostalgia, and Miracle Mask was quite fun for me. I think Diabolical Box and Last Specter were my least favorite but I still loved them anyway

No matter how many times I play Pandora’s Box, I still cry at the ending. Absolutely my favourite game in the series and I love the soundtrack - it’s my go-to for when I need to be focused at work

Okay but the Hotel Dusk/Last Window music during the Layton Brother's though 😍😍😍

I'd swap 1 and 3, but overall I agree with this list. I want to say 3 is the best cause it's the only game to make me cry, but Diabolical Box is just perfectly paced.

I _fugging_ love Layton Brothers: Mystery Room. I was already a Layton fan, I even had previously played Kat's game (which I actually enjoyed, guess I'm the odd one out), but I've never had such a connection with a Layton game as with this one. The different concept, the storyline, the waifu (Lucy❤️)... All that was great, but God... the music... THE GODDAMN MUSIC... P.S.: The only problem was that there are no official translations to languages other than English, which didn't give me any problem, but, since I'm Spanish, I couldn't really recommend the game to any of my friends 'cause they'd rather play something in Spanish. Pity.

Really liked your ranking ! (The Time Hollow music 🥰)

last specter is the first game i played as a young child. i found the puzzles difficult at that age but replaying it now they’re easy peasy (especially now i can just search up the hints, or answers if it’s too difficult, lol) that one has a special place in my heart.

The Last Spectre actually was the first game of the series that I ever played. A friend of mine gave it to me because she was not really interested in puzzle games. At first, I was a bit sceptical because I usually don't really like anime stuff, but I love puzzle games and how could I possibly pass on a free puzzle game? And boy was I hooked! I'm glad that I didn't pass on this opportunity! My favorite game is the Lost Future, it's so f*ing beautiful and sad at the same time. I'm still not a fan of anime, but this game series holds a special place in my heart!

Diabolical Box and Unwound Future are both peak. I can’t decide which one I like better. God the atmosphere and story is amazing in both. I also remember really liking Azran Legacy when I played it but it’s been a while. Overall, such good memories of these games. I fondly remember going on long car trips and bringing my DS and just playing the shit out of the whole saga. I was obsessed with these games and I remember showing them to my family, as goofy as that is. It might be time for me to replay the games after all these years.

Professor Layton and Pandora's Box broke all 4 chambers of my heart, and I love it for it. That Folsense music is perfect. Layton Brothers Mystery Room is underrated, I love it so much. The jazz, the surprising gore, Alfendi and Lucy are too cute, but I can understand why people rank it low.

You should do a video about like your top 10 favorite layton OST’s. Like main themes, character themes or just tracks from in game. Whenever i feel overwhelmed I just put on an hourly playlist and just let the music consume me

I did finish the Katrielle game...and then I did a rant video on it. That pretty much says it all.

feel free to share your personal rankings, but here’s mine ^w^ : 9) lmj 8) lmr (I haven’t played this one) 7) miracle mask 6) curious village 5) azran legacy 4) unwound future 3) diabolical box 2) pl vs pw 1) last specter i understand why last specter isn’t adored by many but it was my very first layton game so i hold it dearly to my heart 🥹 this game alone introduced me to such a wonderful series. I’m beyond excited for the new world of steam

Pandora's Box, Spectre's Call, and Mystery Room are all my favourites, mainly due to different parts of nostalgia for different times. Pandora's Box was the first one I played, and I also played Spectre's Call at that time too. They're far more cemented into my childhood than any of the other Layton games I played back then (which was all of them except Miracle Mask and the spinoffs). I remember my Grandad talking to me a bit about the game whilst I played Pandora's Box, and I remember that for one segment of Spectre's Call I played it whilst out having curry in a restaurant (that now only does takeaway) with my family. Mystery Room is great nostalgia for pre-teen me. I remember getting my phone taken away from me midway through the second case when I first played, and sneaking into my parents room to finish it before my phone ran out of battery.

7:34 IM DEAD💀

the way i immediately recognised the music at 11:50 is wild

I'm gonna go off a little bit but Azran Legacy is by far my fav and the points you make about it are only half the reason. The music giving you the "this really is the end vibe" is so true and while the plot did feel a little scattered throughout there was something so charming about it for me? Maybe it was the hype of it all. Much like my reasoning for my fav Pokemon games being XY this game was getting trailer drops and so much hype buildup during my senior year of high school so there was already a lot of sentimentality being put into it for me. I still remember when the trailer with the main theme dropped and it literally became an obsession for me that song has no business making me feel the way I do. I also really loved the characters that were given to us like Aurora is my fav Layton character hands down (sorry Randall) and thinking about how this entry ends just makes me have to white knuckle it to keep the tears from flowing. Anyway good ranking! I love to see what other people think even when it doesn't line up with my own bias its still so fun! But yeah Azran holds my heart to this day with Unwound Future and Miracle Mask not that far behind. These games are all wonderful despite their flaws in my book I truly love this series.

Is that Super Princess Peach music I hear?! Someone other than me remembers that game exists! Hooray!😁😁 And some Tomodachi Life too! 2:21 OOF🤣🤣 Happy to see Diabolical Box as number one, it's my personal favorite. I personally rank MM second, actually, because even though the plot twist was predictable I thought the ending was just really bittersweet and I actually enjoyed the ruins part. Monte Dor is just awesome by the way. Unwound Future matches it though, for all the reasons mentioned above and that ending. 😢😢 Azran and Specter are tied for me for four, because I enjoyed both a lot. I actually put Curious Village in last, not because it's worse than the others but I preferred the other plots more, though it's fantastic in it's atmosphere and zany villagers. Katrielle is just....boring. The whole game is just not that interesting and any actual important stuff happens at the very end. Plus there were some actual crimes that were overlooked when it shouldn't have been. And the fact Katrielle runs on "instinct" and just stumbles onto the truth somehow. At least the music was good.

Its so hard for me to pick a favorite out of the series so kudos to you for making a list. I'm on the 6th game right now (not super far yet) and i just feel like each game expands the world and refines its presentation. 1 introduces everything, i really enjoy the ludonarrative-tied puzzles and lore of 2, 3 has the hardest push in writing the main characters, 4 has my absolute favorite side characters, 5 has sick clown vibes and the underground puzzles which i ate up, and 6 is HUGE. worldwide adventure??? Holy FRICK. I love the series, i really can't pick between games 😭 maaaaybe 4 if i had to purely because Crow is in it and i adore him

Really good list! I think I'd switch a couple games around purely due to my preference and experiences playing these games when I did. While I love Diabolical Box, there are minor gameplay nitpicks that keep it from being a top for me. It's small, but it always annoyed me that they'd have Layton and Luke discuss what to do next and then an unnecessary text box comes up to reaffirm they're gonna do the thing they just said they'd do. It's cute, but not needed, which I'm glad was scrapped the next game. Hamster minigame is top tier tho. Unwound Future's story compelled me more and it being the first glimpse into Layton's past blew my mind as a college kid. The ending still makes me cry to this day. Don't know if we ever recover from our first playthrough. I actually fell off the series after Last Specter. While I enjoyed the game, loved Emmy and Grosky, and couldn't believe Luke could be even smaller, my focus shifted elsewhere. It being a calmer game after UF is a really great point I hadn't considered before. It's nice to pull it back a bit when starting another trilogy. To catch up on the series and get the games before the 3DS eShop died, I FINALLY played Miracle Mask, Azran Legacy and the Phoenix crossover this past year. The crunchy 3D models in MM were so jarring, I was surprised I got used to them, but the setting itself kept my interest. Incredibly predictable story, but I liked the concepts enough. Honestly, while Azran Legacy was bittersweet, it left me more hollow than anything probably because it was over and that it ended with such messy writing even for a Layton game. Probably it was the rushed production, but it left me dissatisfied with how everything was just dropped in our laps for the sake of dramatic writing for an ending. They could've dripped fed hints to Layton's past like in UF and MM rather than being like "OH BTW TWIST OK BYE!!!" It honestly felt like the prequel trilogy was trying to outdo itself each game and up the stakes which was odd since there's still the original trilogy they had to keep in line with. It's jarring to go from saving humanity as their last game in the series to immediately, let's go to a quiet and curious village to complete the timeline. They wanted to go out on a bang and it petered out. Also, a minor note I heard from someone is that because AL has multiple set pieces instead of one main setting, it makes remembering locations and story beats a bit difficult which I agree with. I probably only remember them since it's still fresh in my mind. I know nothing about Phoenix Wright, but playing PLVSAA after AL filled that hollow feeling in my heart because it was so bizarre and unapologetically silly. The character interactions were fantastic for me and I'm eager to check out the Ace Attorney series when I have the chance. Sometimes ya just need a crossover game that goes wild and have fun and I needed that when I first played this game. The fan service was incredibly entertaining for me. Never played LMJ or LBMR, but I don't consider them Layton games despite the names and insistence that they are. They're just not for me and that's ok. Maybe I'll check them out later, but I know the reputation well enough. Here's hoping New World of Steam will be an enjoyable step in the right direction! Thanks for reading this (apologies for the wall of text lol) and I'm looking forward to the next video!

This video has been in my watch later playlist forever and I've finally gotten around to watching it. Here's my list: 1. Spectre's Call. I LOVE this game - mainly because of the setting and the atmosphere. It's so calm and peaceful, yet also very eerie and melancholic. It doesn't do anything crazy, it's just a cozy little game that executes the Layton formula extremely well. A small town in the English countryside, a great villain, lovely atmosphere, great puzzles, beautiful music. It perfected the handdrawn artstyle of the 2D games and it has the best set of puzzles in the entire series imo. Also it introduced some of my favourite characters, Emmy and Descole. 2. Miracle Mask. I know, the plot is predictable but I think it's alright to have a mystery the player can actually figure out for once. And it's such a beautiful story!! Throughout the entire game you'd expect it to end tragically, yet it turns out to be the most wholesome game in the entire series. It has probably my favourite set of characters out of all the games, I adore the setting of Monte d'Or, it's so colourful and happy, yet even in its main theme you can hear a layer of sadness that represents the town's backstory. I enjoyed the new gameplay mechanics it brought to the table and I like the shift from the depressing and eerie tone of the DS games to the vibrant style of the 3DS games. The soundtrack is also excellent and has a lot more variety than the previous ones. 3. Lost Future. This game is just perfect. A most tragic tale about greed, power, corruption, and a lost love (and future...). Very good set of puzzles. Awesome characters. Great music. This is the quintessential Layton game, the one that I would recommend the most. 4. Pandora's Box. The atmosphere in this game is quite something else. This is by far the most unnerving game in the series. I love the contrast between the Molentary Express and Dropstone which are very care-free, and Folsene which is anything but. It's a sad tale with a bittersweet ending. Big fan of the mentioned puzzle types. 5. Azran Legacy. Huge gap here between numbers 4 and 5. This game was a massive letdown when it came out but I've gotten to like it more over time. I really do not like the episodic structure of chapter 4, some of the plot twists have already been revealed in MM, and the plot is just a wraparound for the journey across the world that really does not feel like Layton. The puzzles are forgettable, some of the weakest in the series. The music is great though, and the locations have a ton of charm. 6. Curious Village. This was actually my first videogame ever, but it's also my least played Layton game. For some reason, it's also the least nostalgic for me. It's really hard to go back to it because of how limited it is compared to its successors. The lack of a memo function really hurts it, the puzzles are ridiculously hard and lack the variety of the later games. Most of it is just math puzzles that are too much for my little brain. The front-facing Layton sprite is super uncanny. Still a great game though. 7. PLvsAA. I really enjoy this game, but the ending kind of ruins it. The AA cases are the best part of the game, the puzzles are bad. There was a lot of wasted potential regarding the crossover aspect. It's fun but it's also a gigantic mess that's very unsatisfying to finish. 8. LMJ. Yeah this game sucks

Luke: *blinks* Professor Layton: *_THAT REMINDS ME OF A PUZZLE!_*

Great Ace Attorney was heavily affected by PLvsPW, it took those features and made it 10x better. I love PLvsPW, but GAA1 &2 is very good and you can see the influence of layton. Azran legacy made me cry 😭😭😭

i just recently replayed unwound future and absolutely confirmed that it is still my favorite videogame of all time. i could cry just thinking about it i just love it so much

I go: 1) Unwound Future 2) Last Specter 3) Curious Village 4) Diabolical Box 5) Azran Legacy 6) PL v PW 7) Miracle Mask 8) LMJ I’ve only played each game one time so my memory on some of them is quite foggy (especially Diabolical Box) but this is how I rank them right now Looking forward to 2025 for the Last Specter retrospective

You got the order right. I've probably played the 2nd one more times than the curious village. These games are my childhood and I everytime I play them, it's like I'm reminded of the good old days.

I remember that pandoras box meme 'Yes, Luke, everyone was on drugs!'

Finished curious village way back upon release. I've now purchased all the ds and 3ds titles and working my way through. Thoroughly enjoying these but the diabolical box story is just crazy. Pretty sure they are all like this!

5:19 Is that Style Savvy music? Did not see that coming, honestly.

What I love about Layton is that everyone can have a completely different top 6 and it still makes sense, my brothers least favorites are Pandoras box and lost future and his favorites are curious village and Miracle Mask and I can understand why

My introduction into the Professor Layton fandom was with diabolical box. When I got to the ticket puzzle, I was...almost awestruck. I'd never had a game involve real world objects so well with it's puzzles, because the MAUNAL OF THE GAME, held the solution to that puzzle perfectly! After I got diabolical box, my mom had a copy of Curious Village (to which I stole from her and now still have) and then my Step-Grandma on my dad's side got me Last Specter. I never had a physical copy of Unwound Future, but I did rom it on an R4 card, and of all four games, I've beaten All four. Just finished Curious Village about half an hour before typing this, actually. Of all of four, I have to say, I 100% agree with this video, in that Diabolcial Box is honestly the greatest Layton game in the series. It had such wonderful atmosphere anywhere, the puzzles, regardless of sliding or not, were super fun and the ticket puzzle, again, did that real-world integration very well. My second place is actually Last Spectre. It was the first one I actually beat, but it had the most interesting minigames so far, and it perfectly sets up the meeting of Luke and Layton. I still have yet to play Azran Legacy and Miracle Mask, but I am more than ecstatic to begin those journeys. Maybe eventually I could try to make a fangame for Professor layton...eventually.

I will say, The Ace Attorney crossover was exactly why I got into Layton. I bounced hard off Curious Village and didn't enjoy it, but the Ace Attorney crossover made me go "huh, wow the Layton puzzles feel a lot better than last I remember" and then oops I bought five more Layton games on sale and finished them all, so the crossover did exactly the job it was made for!

I totally agree with your reasoning for the choices made in Last Spector and Azran Legacy, and I really look forward to your reviews of the prequel trilogy games

azran legacy was my first layton game (except for the ace attorney crossover) and i still hold it very dear to my heart 💜

Just when I was looking for some Layton content, voyan uploaded at the perfect time ;u;

I started playing Professor Layton when I was like 7 years old with either The Lost Future or Pandora's Box because I used to rent games at a local store from Friday to Monday. I couldn't finish the former one, but Pandora's Box was a TREASURE for me, I was obsessed and I cry so much when I finished it in that 3 days. Later on my parents got me when I was 9 my first official 2 games: Ace Attorney, which has a place in my heart and it's one of my favourites, and Azran Legacy (which in Spain, for any reason, is called Ashalanti's legacy), and even though I hadn't played all of the previous ones, knowing that that was the last one made it feel nostalgic to me. I'm currently replaying/playing for the first time every game in order of launch (just finished The Lost Future) and it's the perfect fusion between childhood memories and a totally new experience, because The Curious Village or The Spectre's Call were completely new for me, and I get to finish the ones that I didn't (Lost Future (I cried so much ) and Miracle Mask) before buying a Switch just for the new game. (I'm also kind of trying to enter the fandom because I only know like 5 people that know the saga and the Spanish Fandom is a bit dead). However, The Lost Future felt like an ending for me because it won't be the same with The new world of steam as Professor's voice actor in Spanish (from Spain) passed away last year, so we won't be able to hear it again and every second I think of it it's just too sad.

I know I've said this on your diabolical box retrospective but that's my favourite layton game too! to me everything about it was perfect, the puzzles, the story, the ending is so heart wrenching it always makes me cry, and now I want to go back and play it! I agree with the rest of your list as well, I also didn't even finish layton's mystery journey, it was that dog shit!

Miracle Mask was suprisingly my first Layton game so it has a really special place in my heart.

I feel like most people have Lost Future as their favourite, so I'm really pleased that Pandora's Box is your favourite like mine too!

Professor Layton and the Curious Village is the first game of the serie I played, and still my favorite. That's just... amazing. The story, the atmosphere, the music, the characters... everything is SO good !

3:55 I wasn’t expecting Luminous arc music

Folsense was the best experience in a video game I've ever experienced.

Miracle Mask was the only game where I could predict the outcome. My favourite of the series was Curious Village. It was the game that got me in the series.

This is making me so nostalgic holy crap

I liked some of the twists in Diabolical Box except for the penultimate one. The final big mystery was kind of disappointing in my opinion. I would've ranked Unwound Future first, then Last Specter because I loved the Black Ravens and the introduction of Emmy and especially Luke. Not to mention the inclusion of London Life which could've been a stand-alone game it was so good. I would've ranked Mystery Room much higher also, because I'm a sucker for relationship stuff and I really enjoyed the Phoenix Wright-esque crime solving. I also really liked seeing Alfendi's mysterious past unfold. I'd love to see him come back in a future game. The 3D models in the prequels were horrendous, and I feel like after the insane puzzle difficulty, limited hint coins, and sometimes unhelpful clues in the original trilogy, they went the other direction and made them way too easy. I hope they can find a happy medium. I'm curious to know where you would put Eternal Diva in the line-up storywise.

Crazy that PL could transition to 3D so well in the Ace Attorney crossover, but in doing so kinda outshadowed the subsequent games

Good video my favorite is Lost future and i played the prequels before but that game gave me a feeling i really loved and beautifull ending i replayed it a looot of times

Pandora’s Box is also my favorite and the first one I played that’s why it holds a special place and I’m happy you agree!! It’s simply the best of the best with such an emotional ending my god 😢

as ecstatic as i am about the new professor layton game, i am quite sad that the new game probably won’t take on the same 2d art and animation as the original trilogy because those aspects were what made me ADORE the professor layton series 😭 i really hope the new game is able to capture the same eccentric, cozy and melancholic feel as the og games on another note i would also rank pandora’s box as my top!! folsense was unforgettable, it had such a gloomy and slightly creepy atmosphere but it also felt so sad that it made for its own charm. aside from sophia’s letter reveal (which i BAWLED to), one cut scene i can never forget is the moment the gas hole was plugged and folsense was revealed to be an abandoned (?) defunct town. there was something so gut-wrenching and heartbreaking about that moment im so glad that they ported the original trilogy to ios because my ds died a long time ago, and i really hope they some how release the prequel trilogy on mobile too because i never got to play them since i didnt have a 3ds :( (i didnt hear about the last spectre when it was released)

I'm planning to replay/play through the mainline games at some point, would it be better to do chronologically or in timeline order?

youve got quite the taste sir. great list^^

You make some compelling points, but I can never recover from the trauma of the lost future, so that's the best Layton game for me.

Much joy hearing the Last Window OST 😁

I half assume that a lot of Katriel's unpopularity has to do with what feels like her abdicating Luke of his position, where a successor is litteraly lined up the fans anticipate seeing in favor of... a spontaneous character. I've seen this before in other media, it isn't doomed to failure but it can leave a portion of the audience feeling betrayed or that a beloved character's spot was abdicated unfairly when the core series have basically lined them up for it. The closest we got to a mature and independent Luke was Clive, who was unmistakibly badass, but alas "snot him". However, I looked past this, What did it for me was somthing else. I actually went as far as watching the series, while there was some cool stuff I couldn't help but feel as if I watched a budget Proffessor Layton series. Her game litterally is miracle mask plus Unwound future, the assistant was both someone close to her and someone who took a Luke like position as her assistent, and he had edge.... then he went to college and they both resumed their relations as normal. So the fundemental difference is, there's really no consequence in her games like there were some aspects of realism in the Layton series. Clive will likely never see the light of day again, Randal will lament what he'd done to his childhood friends for a long time, dude contemplated suicide, bc they had sereous intentions of malicious acts with serious reprocussions. Katriel pulls these punches. One of the things I loved about the Layton series is the subversion of its Tin Tin like art style, whilst presenting serious societical issues and the complexity of the human nature much like the Earthbound series. Kat's game looks like a children's game and is a children's game.

The first Layton game I ever played was Unwound Future, I had got it for Christmas because my parents knew I liked puzzle games. Been loving these games ever since

Great vid

I always find it hard to pick between lost future and Pandora’s box but I cared about more characters in lost future. Pandora’s box had better atmosphere and scares me still sometimes, but lost future is more well rounded. I also think curious village is the most logical, put together, hard puzzles but honestly the characters and atmosphere mostly felt boring? I never thought ‘wow I’d love to go there’ except maybe the tower. Also I remember realising the plot twist on first play with miracle mask but I still put it in 4th or 5th place because I was so invested in the characters and atmosphere and also the mini games were cool.

Glad you acknowledge how much Mystery Room's soundtrack and how much it SLAPS

I’ve only ever played muster room so I was so confused when there was a weird to hat guy when people talked about professed Layton

Unwound future is my favorite it made me cry so hard with the ending

I really love Pandora’s Box but the only bad part is that you’re searching for a dog for 2 hours long

I played the games as they came out, but didn't get past Last Spectre because I didn't have a 3DS to play Miracle Mask and Azran Legacy at the time. Maybe I'll go back and play those someday. Probably should with the World of Steam coming eventually. I always enjoy your videos, though! Keep it up.

I think my personal favorites are Miracle Mask and Azran Legacy. I know Unwound Future is universally beloved and held dear, and rightfully so, but I did find that the last act had some sloppiness that I feel like a lot of fans (myself included) kind of choose to ignore because the rest is so good. I mean, I did always feel deep down that what Clive did is batshit insane and never properly acknowledged the way it should, if that makes sense. Also they honestly had no clue what to do with Flora in that game and it showed. But, I do love that game, I swear. I think I just love the prequel trilogy because in my opinion, it really does work as a trilogy. I love the overarching characters and Emmy is probably my favorite character in the series (pleasecomebackpleasepleaseplease). I don't see Azran Legacy talked about much compared to others but I absolutely adored the small band of Layton, Luke, Emmy, Sycamore, and Aurora. I got really attatched to the dynamcs Sycamore and Aurora added to the prequel trio. Speaking of the prequels, the movie is so amazing. Genuinely a top notch piece of media with an enchanting vibe that would draw many people into the series, even without having played a game imo. I was thinking about this earlier but Layton having three different backstories explored in three seperate games reminds me of Apollo Justice, except Layton's were far more believable and worked together much better imo. Layton was my gateway to playing AA and that has become a beloved game series for me, but I've acutally never finished the crossover! I played part of it awhile ago before I played any AA so I should probably get back around to it now that I'm more invested in both casts. (okay sorry for rambling even more but... I honestly forget the LMJ of PL. Such an odd time. Remember when we actually got to see grown up Luke and he had a WIFE???? Whack. Would not mind if LMJ is retconned out of existence personally.)

I am going to admit it wasn't the puzzle that kept me coming back it was the plot which is probably why I never had a problem with the series.

Sliding block puzzles will be the death of me lol

7:33 Watching this just made me wheeze (Yeah but the theme playing alot is true)