The Golden Turnabout
by AshuraMage
So true oomfie, I think everyone should have like a billion days off.
Disclaimer: This case is a fan-made continuation of The Enchanted Turnabout, the disclaimer says that this case contains minor spoilers for it so I assume it's independent enough. That said, I haven't played The Enchanted Turnabout, though the key thing to note here is that it's an AU of Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright.
Spoiler : Screenshot :
So true oomfie, I think everyone should have like a billion days off.
Spoiler : Audio Review Transcription :
Spoiler : Synopsis :
Phoenix gets his badge stolen, the greatest crime of all! Panic everyone! Oh also this leads him to discovering that the thief has apparently turned to gold right after and it's suspected that witchcraft is involved? I'm sure that's the lesser crime here (TL note: it is not the lesser crime).
Spoiler : Review :
Story: I like the initial premise here a lot and despite not playing Enchanted, I felt like I could more or less get a functional grasp of the setting, enough to get by (that said, having at least cursory knowledge of PL vs AA helps here). I think my main issue here is that the characterization for everyone currently feels very rushed, even considering the incomplete nature of this entry. In particular, it feels like Phoenix Wright's mindset is very hard to grasp since he feels very easily convinced to go along with things. I think the scene that's most urgently in need of expansion is the scene near the start where he decides to take the case in the first place. The rest of the characters are similarly alright but feel similarly like they need much more time to breathe, I think the character who makes the strongest impression so far is the defendant, and even she needs a bit more. The lack of optional dialogue in the investigation (much of it lacks placeholder text) also feels like a big detriment since that could be used to get the player more invested in the world and characters, though AshuraMage might be planning on remedying that for the full release.
I think the strongest point in terms of the story is that the setting is interesting and can be followed even without playing Enchanted, but a lot of what's here currently feels undercooked.
Presentation: The custom assets used are very fitting. I believe they're a mixture of free to use custom assets with a few original things (at the very least, a few specific graphics feel like they'd be too specific to this case otherwise). I will say that this aspect of the case is a bit hard to appreciate for me, since a list of credits wasn't included in the PM or the trial so I'm a bit unsure talking about this. Still, it does a good job of evoking the vibe it wants to go for. I think the main issue with the presentation comes from its nature as an incomplete: some odd/missing timers, dialogue that I think needs a second pass, a lack of even placeholder text when searching for optional dialogue in the investigation, that sort of thing. I think that this case would benefit from having another pair of eyes on it to point out these issues, I think many of my issues could be patched up by the time of the full release with some thorough playtesting. I also noticed a fair number of typos, though I will say that I am very English major-brained so my eyes are naturally drawn to those. One final note: There's currently a lack of a proper game over sequence if you lose all of your truth bar in the trial, so it currently just hits you with a "The End" screen if you fail enough (I like seeing what happens if you lose all of your truth bar in a trial). That said, most players won't see that, and a proper game over sequence might be implemented for the full release. Again, I do have to praise AshuraMage for getting the vibes here right, which is one of the most important parts.
Gameplay: The gameplay gets much stronger as this case goes on, particularly once the trial starts. As it currently stands, the investigation is very linear (which works) but feels like it could benefit more from optional dialogue in terms of examining stuff and especially presenting stuff. The actual trial itself is much stronger and a highlight: The multiple witnesses feel natural, and I didn't ever get stuck while playing. Unfortunately we don't get too much trial stuff due to the nature of this case as an incomplete, but there's already a decent variety in terms of cross-examination objectives and the trial gameplay serves the story pretty well.
Theme Relevance: As our first incomplete entry, this one is a bit hard to judge. From where it currently ends, I do think it'd be possible to finish in under 30 minutes, but I'm unsure how long the full case is planned to be (I get the feeling it'll put it well over the time limit). However, as for the second part of the theme, I find it tricky to judge. Due to my issues getting a grasp on Phoenix's character, he didn't ever really feel panicked or like he was in a rush to me. I think that this aspect of the case could be bolstered somewhat by focusing a bit more on the defendant and what's at stake for her. It's also possible that the feeling of urgency will increase as the trial goes on, I could easily see that happening.
Overall: I'm really really curious to see where this case goes from here and I hope that AshuraMage finishes it since I'm interested in it. While I did go into a lot of my issues, I think a lot of them are fixable if AshuraMage gets a beta-tester or two (or another pair of eyes on it in general) to help make this case the best it can be. And I did have fun and enjoyed myself still. Best of luck as you continue working on this, AshuraMage.
I think the strongest point in terms of the story is that the setting is interesting and can be followed even without playing Enchanted, but a lot of what's here currently feels undercooked.
Presentation: The custom assets used are very fitting. I believe they're a mixture of free to use custom assets with a few original things (at the very least, a few specific graphics feel like they'd be too specific to this case otherwise). I will say that this aspect of the case is a bit hard to appreciate for me, since a list of credits wasn't included in the PM or the trial so I'm a bit unsure talking about this. Still, it does a good job of evoking the vibe it wants to go for. I think the main issue with the presentation comes from its nature as an incomplete: some odd/missing timers, dialogue that I think needs a second pass, a lack of even placeholder text when searching for optional dialogue in the investigation, that sort of thing. I think that this case would benefit from having another pair of eyes on it to point out these issues, I think many of my issues could be patched up by the time of the full release with some thorough playtesting. I also noticed a fair number of typos, though I will say that I am very English major-brained so my eyes are naturally drawn to those. One final note: There's currently a lack of a proper game over sequence if you lose all of your truth bar in the trial, so it currently just hits you with a "The End" screen if you fail enough (I like seeing what happens if you lose all of your truth bar in a trial). That said, most players won't see that, and a proper game over sequence might be implemented for the full release. Again, I do have to praise AshuraMage for getting the vibes here right, which is one of the most important parts.
Gameplay: The gameplay gets much stronger as this case goes on, particularly once the trial starts. As it currently stands, the investigation is very linear (which works) but feels like it could benefit more from optional dialogue in terms of examining stuff and especially presenting stuff. The actual trial itself is much stronger and a highlight: The multiple witnesses feel natural, and I didn't ever get stuck while playing. Unfortunately we don't get too much trial stuff due to the nature of this case as an incomplete, but there's already a decent variety in terms of cross-examination objectives and the trial gameplay serves the story pretty well.
Theme Relevance: As our first incomplete entry, this one is a bit hard to judge. From where it currently ends, I do think it'd be possible to finish in under 30 minutes, but I'm unsure how long the full case is planned to be (I get the feeling it'll put it well over the time limit). However, as for the second part of the theme, I find it tricky to judge. Due to my issues getting a grasp on Phoenix's character, he didn't ever really feel panicked or like he was in a rush to me. I think that this aspect of the case could be bolstered somewhat by focusing a bit more on the defendant and what's at stake for her. It's also possible that the feeling of urgency will increase as the trial goes on, I could easily see that happening.
Overall: I'm really really curious to see where this case goes from here and I hope that AshuraMage finishes it since I'm interested in it. While I did go into a lot of my issues, I think a lot of them are fixable if AshuraMage gets a beta-tester or two (or another pair of eyes on it in general) to help make this case the best it can be. And I did have fun and enjoyed myself still. Best of luck as you continue working on this, AshuraMage.