This is the most thought provoking mid game for me. At face value there's really not a lot to take away from Azran Legacy, the puzzles are solid, but the story is the weakest in the series and certainly the most unfocused. Completely separating the chapters from one another in a non-linear fashion prevents this game from having a cohesive developing narrative unlike its predecessors. By the end of the plot nothing has had any time to develop and the conflict is wrapped up way too quickly, which would normally lead to a totally unsatisfying ending. However, while I wouldn't blame anyone for thinking that way, despite it all I was completely satisfied for reasons which I can't tell were intended by the developers or not.

This is one of the most depressing and somber video games I've ever played. That may make me sound insane, but I derive most of this game's meaning from areas outside of the main story because where else are you supposed to get that from lmao. This game just has a sense of "I don't want it to be over" in the tone and music from start to finish if that makes any sense. I think the nature of this game, at the time anyway, being the last entry in the series gives it weight that it wouldn't otherwise have. I can feel the devs desire to make one last grand outing before the series must be put to rest, and gives the seemingly weak story and execution much more significance to me.

I obviously expect a lot of people to not really understand what I'm talking about, and that's fine, we all interpret different things from art. I just think that regardless of how this game turned out, even if it's the weakest of the original six games, the emotional weight is more prevalent than ever. To me, Azran Legacy is a story about things ending, life changing, but moving forward. And regardless of its quality, I think that's still a perfectly satisfactory way to end the series. I know that even though I find this finale underwhelming, I still cried harder than I ever have at any piece of media before in my life. I still cared despite my many issues with the game, gaming is an interesting medium huh?

I just hope that New World of Steam doesn't miss the point they may or may not have been trying to make here, as excited for it as I may be.

Not all empires can last forever, what matters is the legacy they leave behind

An absolute marvel, visually and technically, and just absolutely rebounds from the series' first attempt at 3D. Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, this series' first on the 3DS, wasn't an awful game by far, but, especially compared to what this game accomplishes, really shows that they had a long way to go (complimentary). Just really builds high on the foundation that 'Miracle Mask' built, because this is a series that should've been really tough to adapt from 2D, since most of the charm of these games is its art. Upon playing this game for the first time, the only 'Layton' that I hadn't played before, I was astounded, again and again, at the environments and visuals this game creates within the bounds of the visual novel's diorama. After playing 'Azran Legacy', I have much higher expectations for the new installment, since this was just an amazing note to end on.

Story-wise, this game kind of pulls a "Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull," in that it's just crazy how we got to here. The twists and turns that unravel in the final couple of hours just really start to craft a web whose string spells out "oh, holy shit... uh-huh..." Just kind of wanna run them down with you, real quick, for those curious or who might need a reminder.

- Professor Layton's assistant who has been by his side for three entire games (and one feature length animated film) is actually a double agent who has been working for a para-military force of international mercenaries run by a Hershel Layton's biological father.
- Which, yeah, Hershel Layton is adopted, by the way, but real quick, the archaeologist that invited Layton and co. to travel with him around the world is actually Layton's masked rival, Jean Descole, the antagonist of the last two games (and one feature-length animated film)!
- Oh, and he's Hershel Layton's biological older brother, whose name is actually Hershel. Yeah, turns out when they were around, idk, 7- & 3-years-old, Hershel was set to be adopted by the Laytons, but told his little brother, Theodore, to take his name and go away with the nice family. This left the future Jean Descole to toil away, alone, and obsess over the ancient civilization that his father was so obsessed with that he joined a para-military force of international mercenaries.
- Because, yes, the main antagonist, Leon Bronev, is Professor Layton and Jean Descole's biological father, who was kidnapped by a para-military force of international mercenaries who were hellbent on discovering the treasures of an ancient civilization that are, canonically, promethean humans whose big treasure they left for future civilizations to discover was actually the golem workforce that they gave conscious and reason to, who, during a slave uprising, almost annihilated said ancient civilization.

So, yeah, after unearthing that, I would also be like, "Hey, kiddo, I kind of feel bad I got you into a situation where you almost gave up your life for the entire human race, do you wanna just do an easy one and go to this curious village?"

This series is, just, so important to me. I really hope we get some news for the new one and that it's on the horizon for the first half of the new year. Level-5 on top!