A pretty solid remake of the very underwhelming original. It takes a lot of concepts from the original and fleshes them out in a really fun way. It controls and runs much better, and is overall a way smoother experience. My biggest issue with the game is that it didn't feel very original throughout most of it. The game was mostly reusing classic castlevania tropes and gimmicks which makes it feel a bit tired for someone like myself who's played a lot of the series. It's still fun throughout, with the exception of a couple small instances. Being able to pick how many continues you get is a nice quality of life change, although having no lives whatsoever would have also been a welcome inclusion. Overall, easy recommendation to platformer fans, but it lacks originality.

Mostly fun, but can be somewhat hit or miss. Dungeons often feel a bit padded and overly large, but not to a horrendous degree. Several items are pretty fun to use, like the magnet glove and roc's cape, but some are kinda lame. The season switching is cool, but feels a bit limited in how it's used to solve puzzles. Using it within dungeons may have helped flesh out the mechanic. The game also suffers from being a gbc game, and opening the menu is a frequent annoyance. It's still mostly fun, with plenty of charm, fun puzzles, everything you'd want in a zelda game. It just feels a bit rough, especially compared to Link's Awakening.

A fun layton game, but it feels like a step down from the previous entries. While everything is still good here, most elements just feel lesser. The stakes are smaller, the environment and plot are less interesting, the character interaction isn't as fun, puzzles aren't as consistently great as before. However, everything here is still pretty fun. It looks good, music is great, everything you would want in a puzzle game visual novel like this is accounted for. I was a bit mixed on newcomer Emmy. I like what she adds to the group dynamic, but it felt like she was missing something to flesh out her character more. One of the things I really like about the series is the dynamic between Luke and Layton, and since this is a prequel, the dynamic isn't really there since Luke acts pretty different this time around. It doesn't make it bad or anything, just less strong than previous. I would probably rate it higher if it wasn't released after the best Layton game.

One of the best co-op experiences I've had. As a narratively driven game to play with a friend, it works extremely well. The gameplay is often really fun, although a few instances are a bit too simplistic or not very co-op focused. The story is great and pretty well executed. The music suits the game quite well. It looks okay visually. The animation is a little stiff in places, but it's helped by pretty good vocal performances. If you've got a friend to sit back and play with, an easy recommendation.