Entry 746 - Professor Layton and the Curious Village

Style: Video game music, violin and accordion driven

Primary Emotions/Themes: Trying to pass a bridge only to have the bridge keeper give you a riddle before he will lower the bridge. The curiosity and frustration that comes with trying to solve that riddle.

Thoughts: There was a time in my life where things were simpler. I didn't have to worry about providing for my loved ones or worry about their health. There was a time where I could spend hours upon hours in the day working away at a singular task, to solve a tricky riddle, to spend time with those same loved ones - sharing notes on what to do where. 

Professor Layton and the Curious Village is a game that is full of fond memories for me. I remember playing it with my partner years and years ago. Those were good times, those are strong memories. Ones that I look back on fondly and try to remember when I'm having harder days.

Putting these two records on is a near instant shot of nostalgia for me because of these memories. The music contained within is exactly how I remember it. A wonderful combination of accordion and violin driven music that breeds an air of mystery and discovery wherever it plays. 

It really has the feel of some of the "whodunit?" movies and shows of yesteryear. Murder She Wrote, Diagnosis: Murder, Murder on the Orient Express, Murder by Death, so many fond memories of those movies and television shows. The fact that this game captures that same inquisitive feel without the death is quite the accomplishment. 

It's hard for me to truly quantify how much this soundtrack brings out in me. It's never going to be on my list of favorite albums, but it will never leave my collection either. It's a record I forget about only to rediscover ever year or two. This just happens to be one of those occasions. 

Written March 27th 2024