Fridge / Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

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Fridge Brilliance

• Why was the final chapter called an epilogue, despite being so lengthy? Because the Storyteller's writing only went as far as his Disney Death. The final trial is the epilogue to Labyrinthia's Story, not the game.
• "OBJECTION!" is said to be Phoenix's special spell in The Stinger with Edgeworth. Makes sense, since shouting it for the first time in court is what broke the enchantment over him that made him forget what he really was, exactly the way "Taelende!" broke the spell over Labyrinthia.
• Why does everyone have ridiculously obvious pun names? Yes, this is (part) Ace Attorney, but even by those standards, these are overkill (A wannabe knight called Knightly, a courier called Lettie Mailer, etc). But then at the end of the game, it turns out that everyone is a test subject who had fake names given to them. ...The names are bad and obvious because they were all made up.
• In the cutscene where Espella supposedly summons the Fire Dragon, there's a sound effect just before the spell is cast, similar to the one that happens whenever someone says something big during a trial. However, that sound effect also happens to sound like metal (in this case, silver) being struck.
• When questioning the Vigilantes, Wordsmith keeps proclaiming that the voice he heard said 'Ignaize' causing Phoenix to snark that the old man's testimony is for the first witch trial. Then who do you find in the belfry? Kira, the witch from that trial and the one who was supposed to cast the spell Granwyrm.
• When the player first sees how horrified the Storyteller is to find Espella was taken as the Great Witch Bezella, it can be attributed to her being his daughter and thus not wanting her to die as a witch. It becomes a bit odd though when it's revealed that the executions of the witches were faked, so even if Espella was executed, she'd be fine. But then remember, everything the Storyteller did, including creating Labyrinthia, was to help Espella let go of the idea that she was Bezella and responsible for destroying the town. Having her be put on trial as Bezella, after everything he did to convince her otherwise, run the serious risk of her relapsing and remembering her past trauma. No wonder he freaked out so much!
  • Not only that but the final trial was moved from the courtroom to the front of the bell tower, which means that the provisions usually made to make sure that "executed" witches weren't actually harmed may not have been in place. Espella might have been in danger of actually burning to death this time around.
• There's an intial Fridge Horror when it's stated that Barnham has never lost a trial, which would mean that not only any innocent accused would be sent to the flames, but that in those cases the real witch would remain free to wreck havoc, this becomes moot with the revelation that both witches and executions are fake, the Fridge Brilliance comes in play when you rememeber that, since the Shades were around to make all the magic happen, it's also possible that they made sure only the real witches were tried. After all, the cases when Espella is accused are intentional framings by the leader of the Shades and in the third case, Maya only looks guilty because of a freak accident.
• How were the witches able to use magic outside Labyrynthia? Simple. Not only were they working with the government, but every last person who saw magic being performed had also either been in Labyrynthia at one point or, in Layton and Luke's case, had inhaled fumes from the ink used in Labyrynthia's Story, which has a stronger effect than just the groundwater in Labyrynthia.
• Here's a little fridge that might just be this troper over thinking things. (In fact, it probably is.) In the first trial section for Phoenix, where he has to defend Espella in a London court, Espella herself is strangely quiet through the ordeal. In fact, the only words she utters are this in a rather monotone voice: Espella: "I am not a witch." It's never brought up again, and it could be considered a throwaway line. But she tells the truth. At the end of the game when we learn about mind control and the true identity of the "Great Witch Bezella". It isn't Espella. For years everyone, including herself, had thought she was the cause of the fire that destroyed her village, but it wasn't her. She was never a "witch", not in any way. Again, the connection is loose, but the fact that was able to somehow force herself to say this one line during a period of what was most likely a heavy dose of mind control makes one wonder if she knew the secret of the town and the "Great Witch" the entire time, but was too afraid to admit it or too traumatized to remember it under normal mental circumstances.
  • Alternatively, the reason she says it is because she thinks she's in the Witch's court and is going to be put to trial. She might have mistaken the courthouse for it in her hypnosis-induced daze, leading to her trying to profess her innocence like so many other witches she had seen.
• In the second case, it might seem weird that a pair of glasses is an important piece of evidence, given how Labyrinthia is a medieval town presumably lacking modern medicine and technology. Some forms of eyeglasses do date back to the Middle Ages, but this still serves as a possible tip-off that Labyrinthia is not as disconnected from the modern world as it seems.
• Characters sometimes mention specific modern expressions and lingo. For example, Petter at one point says "a picture is worth a thousand words". Such a phrase was first used in the 20th century. Moments like these could clue you to the fact that the town actually isn't a real medieval one.
• One for both this and Dual Destinies. It originally seemed a bit strange that that game was the only one in the Ace Attorney series where all the culprits were male. However, in this game, all the trial culprits are female, so it balances out!
  • On that note, this is more of YMMV but if this goes as "Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies", it would have even more meaning than before. Layton and Luke destined to meet Phoenix and Maya. Phoenix destined to duel with Layton in court, Attorney against Inquisitor respectively. Espella and Eve, the former's so called destiny as a witch and Eve's destiny as a prosecutor to execute Espella which fortunately was averted when the truth came out. And in a meta symbolism, Capcom and Level-5 Inc. destined to collaborate and do this game together.
• How did Layton and Luke get drawn into Labyrinthia? They get shown as if they're being put into drawn images of the book after having fought off the witches in a dramatic encounter and a foreboding warning. How did Phoenix and Maya get drawn into Labyrinthia? They just find the Historia Labyrinthia left behind on 'accident' in the defendant's lounge and the book instead ends up shown to be shining a bright light with little pomp or celebration when everything seemed to be wrapped up. Given that the ending explains that Luke and Layton were intended to be brought in and Phoenix and Maya were not, it starts making a lot of sense.
• While there are no in-game mentions of when the game takes place, in reference to the Ace Attorney timeline, it must be at some point between the second case of Trials and Tribulations and Phoenix's disbarment in Apollo Justice. This placement could allow this game to fill a plot hole in the third case of the former game. This case involves someone impersonating Phoenix and intentionally getting an innocent person convicted in court. This happens a full month before the case proper, and in that time, Phoenix never heard anything about his impostor and Gumshoe (who has a personal stake) doesn't confront Phoenix about it. If the crossover took place during this time, then there is a logical reason for the lengthy gap between the initial incident and the retrial: Phoenix was in England at the time!

Fridge Horror

• Jean Greyerl was Driven to Suicide by the knowledge that she was a witch, but was saved by Newton Belduke. He wouldn't have had to save her if the Shades' duties included preventing witch deaths, which raises the question; How many witches successfully committed suicide in Labyrinthia?
  • It's actually quite possible that the Shades DID rescue Greyerl and Belduke took the credit for it (as he knew about Shades but Jean did not). Since such effort was put in to save both witches and their victims, it's quite possible that the overall casualties were pretty low. Still, ten years would suggest that someone died of something during the course of the experiment, which is pretty horrifying in of itself.
• The Storyteller mentions that the Labyrinthia experiment is populated entirely by volunteers. Who would willingly sign a contract to remove their identities and memories - and why? What could have happened to Kira to drive her to live in a town where she would later be burned as a witch? What about the cheerful Lettie Mailer, or even Barnham?
  • Don't forget: the personalities were crafted by the Storyteller. Perhaps Barnham was a dirty cop escaping a life of gambling addiction. Mailer's family suffered a terrible tragedy. Kira was not told in advance she'd be burned as a witch, etc.
  • For bonus points: consider how terrifying for some of these people would be to remember the things they left behind ten years ago (as the Storyteller flat-out states they eventually will), especially since many of them may find themselves having repeated the patterns that drove them to the Labyrinthia project, to begin with.
  • But turning your life around doesn't necessarily mean you're a criminal who wants to atone. There are also people who believe they ruined their lives and wanted to start again, for example. Plus, it should be noted that Newton Belduke believed that not all of the citizens who participated in the project were as willing as the Story Teller claimed. He, if I recall, believed many of them weren't told the whole truth behind the project or were outright tricked. ... Which leads to more Fridge Horror on its own, now that I think about it. How were teenagers like Ridelle and Kira, or children like Cecil and Petal, roped into the project?
  • In the Special episodes when the Gang revisits Labyrinthia it's revealed that the citizens opted to continue living their lives as medieval citizens like some quaint tourist attraction. Done for simplicity? Or are they still running from the pasts they signed onto forget?
  • Cecil and Petal may have been born in Labyrinthia. Imagine how difficult it's going to be to explain the outside world to them.
  • Not necessarily. They could have been roped into the project not long before the events of the game. It still brings into question how they ended up there...
• The Storyteller says that into order to get funding for Labyrinthia he had to use its research mind control for the British Government...a government with the power to control minds and alter memories would be rather concerning.
  • Especially considering who the Prime Minister likely is at this time
• It's pretty obvious that the fire pit at the last trial does not have a trapdoor in it like the normal one. By all indications, Kira was intended by the Storyteller to be arrested and convicted of being the Great Witch Bezella (presumably having used her powers to escape the first time). This probably means that she would have been executed FOR REAL, especially since the court would be extremely careful to ensure that she actually died this time. And the Storyteller okayed this.
  • Not really. The other Shades could've just taken her out of the cage before it would be lowered without anyone noticing.
• Both the 'witches' in the first two trials were likely born during the Labyrinthia Project, and have both undergone extreme mental suffering, Jean Greyerl actually being Driven to Suicide because of this. This gets more disturbing when you realize that Shades have created the whole thing, and so a troupe of people, with the Storyteller's knowledge and permission, have been following two little girls around and scaring them into thinking they are witches so effectively that one was Driven to Suicide and the other was Driven to Homicide. Even after the hypnosis has been lifted, Jean Greyerl and Kira would realistically both be extremely traumatized after what has happened to both of them, which would, therefore, mean that whilst the Storyteller created Labyrinthia in order to treat Eve and Espella, he has in fact traumatized two more girls in the process.
  • Actually, both of them appear in special episodes, and both of them are perfectly fine. Also, they couldn't have been born during the Labyrinthia Project. They seem to be teenagers around the same age as Espella (And if they're younger, it's not by much), who was around six years old when the Project started.
• In one of the cutscenes during the parade a woman holds up a baby and thanks the Storyteller for blessing her with one. Now bearing in mind that the reason the Story comes true is because of mind controlling ink...did she just go out and have unprotected sex because the Storyteller told her to? Or did she believe that the only reason she got pregnant was that the Storyteller wished it? Whichever way you think about it it's pretty messed up.
  • What if the baby simply happened to be born at that time, and the Storyteller altered her mind to make her believe he was the one who blessed her with one? There's not necessarily sex involved.
    • Well, obviously there was sex involved, but for all we know, she might be married and was trying to have a child anyway, and the Storyteller simply gave her his blessing for something that was going to happen regardless. She credits the Storyteller because of confirmation bias.
• When Layton and Luke are discussing Espella's relationship with her father Luke says a child should always be able to talk to their father, and Layton goes to a great length to assure Luke that he can always talk to him about anything. Initially appears to be a heartwarming moment, until fans of the Layton games think about it. Luke already has a father who's actually a decent bloke; you meet him in games set before this one and he has a friendly relationship with Luke. But Layton is the one who spends the most time with Luke and takes him all over the world on adventures...Layton at this point sounds like he's just realized he's more of a father figure to Luke than his actual father.
  • It's possible he notices that Luke sees him as at least just as much of a father figure as his real father. I mean, I don't know about you but I have "Other Mummy" who is my best friend's mum and "Other Other Mommy", who is my mum's good friend AND the mother of my brother's best friend (who is my "Other Brother" or "Favourite Brother"). This doesn't mean I don't love my mum or have a better relationship with Other Mummy or Other Other Mummy than with my own mum, just that they're important to me in a similar way. And I don't have to live with them, so they're more tolerable than my own mum sometimes.
• Darklaw is somehow able to kidnap Phoenix and Maya at the beginning of the game to take them to Labyrinthia. Could this be because the mind control drug has actually been used by the British government already, so the general population is susceptible to it?
  • Let's talk about Phoenix's and Maya's abduction for a second. If they weren't abducted and Espella's trial happened, Layton might not have found out about the trial in time, and Espella could have been found guilty. Even knowing the witches were never killed, being convicted of being a witch might set off Espella's own mental problems...
  • But remember, Phoenix and Maya had ALREADY inhaled the special ink by opening the Historia Labyrinthia, which is the same reason Luke and Layton were able to see the "witchcraft"
  • Presumably, this is the reason they were taken: Darklaw comes back for the book and found them zonked out in the middle of the courthouse. Rather than leaving them there until the effect wore off and run the risk of them asking unfortunate questions about psychedelic books, Darklaw, Espella, and Owl Cote Boarding School (presumably a cover for Labyrinthia, given that no one bats an eye about the identification), she quietly uses their suggestible state to walk them out of the courtroom with her, hypnotizes them the rest of the way, and brings them into the project as "additional volunteers." Side note: this also happens to validate Belduke's later suspicions about how voluntary certain volunteers were.
• Kira and Jean didn't really murder anyone, yet both think they did it knowingly and intentionally. Regardless of the effect, they are psychologically and emotionally capable of killing another human being, they are at the very least guilty of attempted murder. this also applies to all the other witches who were convicted for killing someone.
• During a cutscene near the end of the game showing Eve ringing the bell, little Espella was leaning over the belfry railings watching the fire festival. Could you imagine what things would've been like if Espella had fallen forward, out of the belfry, when the bell was struck? Or if Eve had hit her head on the ringing mechanism when she passed out? Let's be glad they both fell backward...
• Near the end of the game, the "Labrelum Corporation" is mentioned. Does that name sound familiar? It should: it's the syllable-reversed name of another infamous pharmaceutical corporation from another Capcom franchise. Let's hope that mind control and pure-black ink are their only mad science projects.
• From Jean's backstory, we know that witches are witches since their birth, and while they're still kids. We also know that the law of the town is that any and all witches are to be cast into the flames. Just imagine how a kid might act, if they found out they had magical powers - And imagine what would happen to them if they acted like a normal kid when they got that kind of thought into their head. Yeah. Just let that thought sink in.
  • This can apply to Greyerl herself. If someone had found out she turned the goat into gold while she was a kid, she'd have been subjected to the same fate as any other defendant in a witch trial. Kind of makes you wonder just what kinds of innocent people were tried in the witches court...
  • The Shades, under the Storyteller's and Eve Belduke's/Darklaw's orders will make sure they will be alright. They will eventually know the truth once they get older so it would be easier to explain and feel the relief. Aside from the Legendary Fire that killed lots of people, the current ones are all fine and well, as told by the Labyrinthian Judge, himself feeling relieved that none of the "witches" actually got executed.
    • Even so, there is a lot of potential psychological trauma intertwined with the role of a witch, considering that all known history reinforces that a witch simply existing is inherently a sinful crime that deserves nothing less than death by fire — not exactly a healthy belief for one's self-worth. A young child is driven to suicide because she thinks that being alive will only make her parents face punishment or even execution, and it's not a great leap to speculate that other witches had attempted suicide as well. Yes, it's likely that the Shades intervened to save witches if their lives were in danger, but even if no one suffered any physical injuries, there are still likely some psychological scars left over from years of dark thoughts building up. Especially for any former witches that might regain all their memories, including their thoughts and emotions throughout the mock execution.