SDCC 2014: Hands-On With ‘Professor Layton VS. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney’

Literally years have passed since the initial announcement for Professor Layton VS. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, one of the most unexpected crossovers in recent memory. After tons of speculation and a fear that the title might never get localized, those thoughts were put to rest when an official announcement was made confirming its impending release earlier this year. Now, we find ourselves about a month away from being able to play it for ourselves, but we got a small taste of what’s to come, courtesy of the Nintendo Lounge at San Diego Comic Con.

Divided into two sections, the game features both Professor Layton‘s trademark puzzles and Phoenix Wright‘s trial sections. On Layton’s side of the equation, his game play is essentially identical to his native titles, leading him and his assistant, Luke, to examine environments via the touch screen for hint coins and puzzles. Ranging from logic tests, math based scenarios, mazes, and many other challenges in between, a certain amount of puzzles need to be completed before progress can be made. While these challenges can range from insultingly easy to frustratingly difficult, the demo was kept on the simpler side of things, allowing progression to flow smoothly.