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Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney SPOILER Thread | Burn the witch

GSR

Member
This might be a little premature given the game's barely out, but I'll take any excuse to give people a place to argue over ranking the Ace Attorney and/or Professor Layton games. (And bonus points for this one having Shu Takumi involved!)

To reiterate, this is the spoiler thread! If you haven't finished the game and you don't want to wind up like Espella:

VBZDBll.png


You really should consider going to a different thread, like the nice spoiler-free OT.
 

Lusankya

Member
Oh wow, the German name of Espella (Sophie de Narrateur) really is foreshadowing the fact that Espella is the daugther of the Story Teller.

I think I am halfway through it (right after the second witch trial) and am really enjoying it so far. Although considering Maya can't be dead for real, I wonder if any of the other witches is actually dead.
 

Semajer

Member
What I posed in the OT:

So, I've just finished the main game with maximum picrats in about 25 hours. I enjoyed it with the exception of the final trial, which pretty much just gave you all the answers, and was pretty much impossible to predict, which I suppose is very Laytonesque.

I thought the puzzles were good, the first
two
trials were great, and that the music and voices were fantastic. CREDIT SPOILERS:
Edgeworth's
voice was pretty amazing too.
I think that the biggest flaw with the game is the lack of quick scrolling text. I could probably have shaved off an hour or more of time that was spent rereading testimony at painfully slow speeds.

Otherwise I thought the game was fantastic, and anyone even remotely interested in either series should pick it up. I'm now going to start the bonus content, to see what else there is to do.

How many Picarats and Hint Coins did people end up with? I like to think I managed everything, and I ended with nice round numbers like 5000 and 200, but it'd be nice to have it confirmed. Also, is there a way to delete a save file?

Anyway, I have a couple of questions if anyone has finished the Japanese version. How much downloadable bonus content is there in the game, and what was the release schedule like for Japan?

Also, does any of the bonus content explain the car accident at the beginning of the game?
 

GSR

Member
What I posed in the OT:



How many Picarats and Hint Coins did people end up with? I like to think I managed everything, and I ended with nice round numbers like 5000 and 200, but it'd be nice to have it confirmed. Also, is there a way to delete a save file?

Anyway, I have a couple of questions if anyone has finished the Japanese version. How much downloadable bonus content is there in the game, and what was the release schedule like for Japan?

Also, does any of the bonus content explain the car accident at the beginning of the game?

I think 5000/200 is the max, yeah. As for deleting data, I don't think so, unfortunately.

The DLC was - if memory serves - twelve weeks of concept art and twelve weeks of short episodes (just puzzles/dialogue) interleaved.

Re: the car accident: I think so? I feel like at least one of the episodes touches on how some of the magic was done, but I can't recall.
 

Semajer

Member
I think 5000/200 is the max, yeah. As for deleting data, I don't think so, unfortunately.

The DLC was - if memory serves - twelve weeks of concept art and twelve weeks of short episodes (just puzzles/dialogue) interleaved.

Re: the car accident: I think so? I feel like at least one of the episodes touches on how some of the magic was done, but I can't recall.

Ah, good. Thanks. Pity about being unable to delete save files though.
 
I played this game in Japanese shortly after its release, and I had some trouble understanding some parts of the last case.

I'm in the middle of the last case now, and I'm having trouble understanding one of the main points of the investigation. Specifically, what's the big deal with the footprints going up the belltower? Meromero from the vigilante corps leaves footprints with very pointed shoes, and the 4th member of the corps saw the footprints going up the tower and didn't report them, because he thought they belonged to Meromero and not the intruder. You can tell that they're not Meromero's because the toes of those footprints are more rounded than her boots, and Meromero specifically affirms that those footprints are not hers during that very cross-examination. So why didn't the 4th member report those footprints to his commander? He really didn't realize that those weren't Meromero's? And there was something about how there were at first sharp-toed footprints going up, and later round-toed footprints followed those footprints exactly while climbing the belltower.
Later on, when you question Jodra about being the one who carried Mahone up the belltower, the footprints are again used to prove something, but I'm not sure how it proved Jodra carried Mahone. I'm only at the part where you tell the court magic doesn't exist, so please don't explain anything beyond that.

EDIT: Mahone = Espella
Jodra = Darklaw
Meromero = one of the vigilante corps members, think she was the woman that had all the guys fawning over her

Overall I really enjoyed the second and third trial for the game, but I was really disappointed that all the magic was a sham, and you didn't get to play with it so much in the last case. And the last part of the last case was too easy because the evidence Layton got was too obvious.
 

Link1110

Member
I played this game in Japanese shortly after its release, and I had some trouble understanding some parts of the last case.



EDIT: Mahone = Espella
Jodra = Darklaw
Meromero = one of the vigilante corps members, think she was the woman that had all the guys fawning over her

Overall I really enjoyed the second and third trial for the game, but I was really disappointed that all the magic was a sham, and you didn't get to play with it so much in the last case. And the last part of the last case was too easy because the evidence Layton got was too obvious.
I have the Japanese version too, though it's backlogged :( Once I finish up my playthrough of Tengai Makyou: Fourth Apocalypse, I'll get back to it. What was Jiken's US name, out of curiosity?

And where in both series' continuities do you guys think this takes place? The presence of Maya puts it between the end of PW1 and the beginning of PW3, and Luke's presence and age would likely put it in the time of the Layton OT, as well meaning those two series run concurrently, but is there anything more specific in there?
 

GSR

Member
I have the Japanese version too, though it's backlogged :( Once I finish up my playthrough of Tengai Makyou: Fourth Apocalypse, I'll get back to it. What was Jiken's US name, out of curiosity?

And where in both series' continuities do you guys think this takes place? The presence of Maya puts it between the end of PW1 and the beginning of PW3, and Luke's presence and age would likely put it in the time of the Layton OT, as well meaning those two series run concurrently, but is there anything more specific in there?

Jiiken is Zacharias Barnham.

The game seems to take place between the end of T&T and
Phoenix's disbarment
in AJ, since Maya uses "Zvarri!" apropos of nothing, and the final scene with Edgeworth presumably takes place in Japanifornia, which puts it after 3-5. (If I'm misremembering and that last scene is in England, that puts it between 3-2 and 3-5.)

As for Layton, it's between Diabolical Box and Unwound Future, as evidenced by Layton and Luke knowing Chelmey and Barton.
 

TrueBlue

Member
I know I sorta mentioned this in the OT, but presenting the wrong evidence as Layton in the final trial is absolutely hysterical. It's Nick's smug reaction that sells it.


Really did love this game, a very charming affair.
 

Jenoss

Banned
One of the most interesting graphic adventure i've played.

And in my opinion is better than most of the pw games and layton games..
 

Peff

Member
I know I sorta mentioned this in the OT, but presenting the wrong evidence as Layton in the final trial is absolutely hysterical. It's Nick's smug reaction that sells it.

Yep, especially because of how awkwardly lopsided the game is towards Layton. That's kind of his gimmick and Phoenix is supposed to be an underdog, but geez, the final trial is basically Phoenix buying time until he gets back and holds everyone's hands through the whole thing.

Also, thinking back, the prologue doesn't really seem to mesh well with all the crazy explanations later on. Luckily the AA-esque backstory is good enough to make up for it, and even then it's still not nearly as absolutely insane as "Time travel? LOL NO it's actually a teenager who built a perfect, 1:1-sized replica of London and populated it with actors right below the real thing and also time travel does exist anyway".
 
Finished the game; I know I shouldn't try too strongly to find to reason for everything, but I regret the origin of the ruined room with the Great witch painting beneath the library has never been (seemingly ?) adressed. Or maybe I missed it ?

Fantastic game, loved almost every moment of it, I hadn' had this much fun with a Layton or AA game for years !


PS : how many people in this thread have seen the Princess Tutu anime series ? :D
 
So what was up with the car and it's golem marks in the beginning? They obviously couldn't have machines on the highway.
Also, I don't get the second witch trial, did they explain how they could make the girl think that she was choking the guy?
 

Lusankya

Member
Also, I don't get the second witch trial, did they explain how they could make the girl think that she was choking the guy?

Nobody made her think she was choking the guy. She choked him for real, because she wanted to kill him. However he was already dead while she thought he was only unconscious.
 
So what was up with the car and it's golem marks in the beginning? They obviously couldn't have machines on the highway.

Don't forget that Espella and the guy had just escaped from Labyrintha at this point and what they saw was probably still susceptible to be influenced by the 'witches'.

Yeah, not a really good explanation ;p
And it doesn't explain the powers the witches displayed in front of Layton & Luke.
 
Nobody made her think she was choking the guy. She choked him for real, because she wanted to kill him. However he was already dead while she thought he was only unconscious.

I meant how it's supposed to be possible to make her think the green wall spell is real. I guess if one's intention was to simply move through a wall (which also wouldn't be that easy to predcit for the shadows) they could just move the body while being unconscious. But she thought she was reaching her arms through the wall.

Don't forget that Espella and the guy had just escaped from Labyrintha at this point and what they saw was probably still susceptible to be influenced by the 'witches'.

Yeah, not a really good explanation ;p
And it doesn't explain the powers the witches displayed in front of Layton & Luke.

Even if they were still drugged, the marks on the car were obviously real. The explanation in the ,,mystery'' menu were really useless, lol.
 

Zalman

Member
I'm done with the game and I really enjoyed it, but I'm currently trying to wrap my head around everything. I have a few questions.

1) Magic doesn't exist so how come they got sucked into the Historia Labyrinthia?

2) Why did Phoenix and Maya think they had been bakers for five years? They weren't a part of the Story, were they? Was that a part of Darklaw's alterations?

3) How come Maya didn't turn into a Shade when she was thrown into the fire?
 
I'm done with the game and I really enjoyed it, but I'm currently trying to wrap my head around everything. I have a few questions.

1) Magic doesn't exist so how come they got sucked into the Historia Labyrinthia?

2) Why did Phoenix and Maya think they had been bakers for five years? They weren't a part of the Story, were they? Was that a part of Darklaw's alterations?

Hypnotism.

3) How come Maya didn't turn into a Shade when she was thrown into the fire?

She had her real memory back unlike everyone else in the city, so she wasn't a useful candidate to do shade's work. She also ran away and got saved by Layton.
 

Asbear

Banned
So the final twist everyone were talking about was this very Layton-esque thing that felt like a mix of the final twists of the 3 first Layton games. At first I was broken at how awful I thought the twist was to the story... but only moments after it was justified IMHO. The story built upon the twist in a way that made the whole story come full circle, and in hindsight I don't think the conclusion should've been executed in any other way.

In fact, I think it was near pitch-perfect attempt at merging Layton tropes with a Shu Takumi-esque story, and it was all just very satisfying. I got the chills in the final moments.

-----

And then I tried the first DLC episode. Holy cow, it gave me the giggle bugs when I read Carmine's letter! Hahaha xD, Takumi is such a genius when it comes to humor!
 

MrBadger

Member
I predicted the town would be fake on account of this being a Layton game, the photograph and the robot knights, but when the Storyteller started to testify, I did let out an audible "WHAT?" It really felt like it disregarded everything the story had built up, but still worked well in the context of things.

Also, wouldn't it be awkward if Belduke didn't commit suicide and Grayerl murdered him? He'd essentially be a real casualty in a fictional story. I know all the other murders were faked, but strangling isn't really a magic spell.

Anyway, I think the best part of this game was chapter 4. It had just the right amount of tension, with Layton as the victim and Luke accusing Maya, and Grayerl's backstory was actually pretty sad. Also Emeer is the best witness.
 

GSR

Member
Also, wouldn't it be awkward if Belduke didn't commit suicide and Grayerl murdered him? He'd essentially be a real casualty in a fictional story. I know all the other murders were faked, but strangling isn't really a magic spell.

Chapter 4 is really weird in hindsight. You essentially have to assume the Shades were trained to absolutely not interfere unless there was magic that needed casting. Makes you wonder if they even realized he was dead or if Darklaw just found out the following morning.
 

Jumpslash

Neo Member
I had kinda mixed expectations going in to this game having heard all from it was really great to it being both the worst Layton and Ace Attorney game. I was pleasantly surprised, however! Though I haven't played any Layton game, I far from think it's the worst Ace Attorney. Probably somewhere in the middle of the franchise quality-wise.

I did have a few things I didn't get though.

That scene where Layton/Luke and The Storyteller fight on top of the tower - what was the point in that? How did Layton perceive the knights as real when they weren't in the story he had read previously? And would the Storyteller really want Layton dead? They could be pure black machines, but would the Storyteller really go to such lengths as to kill Layton and a little boy (Luke)? If they had been hit with the sword they would've been done for. Seems absurd to me.

That and the fact that Barnham got little to zero screen time in the last chapters. Really weird then seeing him on the speedboat in the epilogue looking all happy and indifferent to what just happened. I really feel they could have exploited his character more instead of completely remove him from the game's final stages.
 
Just finished it. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though it's not without it's faults. For starters, the courtroom segments are insultingly easy. Especially the last one, which is unfortunate.

Also, I was really liking Barnham, but then he's just completely cast aside at the end, and just reappears as an extra in the ending cutscene. There was no closure with him at all. Was it even explained what he was doing in Eldwitch Woods, when Layton and Maya encountered him?

Still though, it's a really good game, and I'm glad it exists. It's far from my favourite AA game, but I'd rank it above Justice For All, which is the bare minimum I expect from a new AA entry.

I've only played the first three Layton games, but this is on par with them. The story (especially the twist) certainly felt Layton-esque.



Chapter 4 is really weird in hindsight. You essentially have to assume the Shades were trained to absolutely not interfere unless there was magic that needed casting. Makes you wonder if they even realized he was dead or if Darklaw just found out the following morning.

Belduke wouldn't need a Shade watching over him, as he knew magic wasn't real, and was in on everything.

However, what confuses me is how illusion of creating a portal can be performed. Not even "missing time" can account for that. Grayerl supposedly reached through a wall and strangled Belduke.
 
Okay, there's a million plot holes that the ending created, I know, but one thing in particular has been bugging me.

What's the deal with Storyteller trying to murder Layton near the end? Those knight robots would've sliced him up if he wasn't so good at sword fighting... Ya know, attempted murder is something only the most evil kind of people do and yet after that point it's as if it never happened!
 
Bump ... for US release.

However, what confuses me is how illusion of creating a portal can be performed. Not even "missing time" can account for that. Grayerl supposedly reached through a wall and strangled Belduke.

The spell was only really used to make a hole in a wall. It's probably the least magical spell in the game.

Knock out with bell... punch hole in green wall, then wake the witch up.

After five minutes, knock out, replaster and repaint wall, and revive.

I guess there would be a problem with the wet green paint here, but I don't think having access to quick-drying paint is too much of a stretch.

Okay, there's a million plot holes that the ending created, I know, but one thing in particular has been bugging me.

What's the deal with Storyteller trying to murder Layton near the end? Those knight robots would've sliced him up if he wasn't so good at sword fighting... Ya know, attempted murder is something only the most evil kind of people do and yet after that point it's as if it never happened!

I don't think they were real robot knights. Storyteller was using the mind control ink to animate the armor, so Layton only believed they were robot knights through the power of suggestion. I guess if he had lost the fight he would have been knocked out or something and Storyteller would have had him unhypnotized and taken back to London on the next supply ship.
 
I don't think they were real robot knights. Storyteller was using the mind control ink to animate the armor, so Layton only believed they were robot knights through the power of suggestion. I guess if he had lost the fight he would have been knocked out or something and Storyteller would have had him unhypnotized and taken back to London on the next supply ship.

Ah okay that sort of makes sense except that surely the Storyteller would've made him believe they were real knights, seeing as robots wouldn't have existed in the world he created... Plus, we know the Storyteller DID have real robots made (like the statue in the park) so I still think it's more likely they were actual robots attacking him.
 
The ending is incredibly bad. Holy shit.

There's no magic, but this guy hypnotized everyone for ten years and the water makes people pass out when silver is rung. Also there are invisible people and machines everywhere faking the magic.

What.

I have an incurable illness.

Wait what.

It was just cured.

What.
 

Peff

Member
The ending is incredibly bad. Holy shit.

There's no magic, but this guy hypnotized everyone for ten years and the water makes people pass out when silver is rung. Also there are invisible people and machines everywhere faking the magic.

What.

I have an incurable illness.

Wait what.

It was just cured.

What.

FiZcp4g.jpg
 
Ah okay that sort of makes sense except that surely the Storyteller would've made him believe they were real knights, seeing as robots wouldn't have existed in the world he created... Plus, we know the Storyteller DID have real robots made (like the statue in the park) so I still think it's more likely they were actual robots attacking him.

Now that I think about it, if the Storyteller had wanted Layton out of the picture all he had to do was ring a silver bell to knock him out. I'm assuming the Storyteller and the Shades had filtered water brought in so they could avoid the effects of silver.

I'm usually the type to paper over the plot holes that other people see, but the ending doesn't really stand up to scrutiny at all. The problem I think was that Takumi came up with witch trials, built a game around the concept, then had to shoehorn in the typical Layton Scooby Doo ending. But as ridiculous as Layton gets, you can't really come up with a rational explanation for witches and magic powers. (They've already used "everyone's being affected by hallucinogenic gas.")
 

Arclaid

Member
I've only played the first one, and I can't remember how it ended. I vaguely recall everyone being robots or something.

(Curious Village spoilers)
Yep, that's correct
. And to be fair to you, it also had the least ridiculous story in the original Layton trilogy by a fair margin.
 

Mendrox

Member
The ending is incredibly bad. Holy shit.

There's no magic, but this guy hypnotized everyone for ten years and the water makes people pass out when silver is rung. Also there are invisible people and machines everywhere faking the magic.

What.

I have an incurable illness.

Wait what.

It was just cured.

What.

Yeah that was my impression a few months ago. Story literally sucked ass, but the gameplay was fun. I think with another game and another try they could step their game up, but that won't happen I guess. :/
 

NEO0MJ

Member
The ending is incredibly bad. Holy shit.

There's no magic, but this guy hypnotized everyone for ten years and the water makes people pass out when silver is rung. Also there are invisible people and machines everywhere faking the magic.

What.

I have an incurable illness.

Wait what.

It was just cured.

What.

Yeah, I just had to laugh at that part.
 
I don't feel like the ending was very satisfying, but the ride was incredible. Presenting evidence is way better with hint coins (because as much as I love it I kind of suck at it) and solving puzzles is much more engaging than clicking through pages and pages of text to find one nugget of useful information in AA investigation segments.

I need more Layton-injected AA in my life, even if it's not in crossover form. Of course, crossovers are more than welcome.
 
Yeah they went full blown Layton with that ridiculous ending. I would've been less insulted if they said magic was real after all. Still loved the game though.

Bonus Episode 1 spoilers I guess -
I lost it when they did the slow zoom in during Maya's Godot reference.
 

MrBadger

Member
Looking at the concept art, there's so much cool stuff that didn't make it into the game. And I'm not just talking about Wonder Wright

There's one backs up my pre-no magic reveal theory that the cat was Darklaw in disguise and/or the mastermind.

They really should have just left magic in. They could have done some much cooler stuff. I guess the issue is "how do you defeat an all-powerful witch with logic?" I know Wright's (T&T spoiler)
performed exorcisms
before, but still.

EDIT: oops, didn't know scans weren't allowed here. Apologies.
 
DGtu8kp.gif


That twist... ugh... sorry, that completely ruins the game for me. In a game about logic and finding contradictions, of all things! Then at the end they just keep piling on far-fetched, nonsensical, and outright ridiculous notions one on top of the other and everyone acts like it makes perfect sense.

Certainly, the Ace Attorney series is no stranger to convoluted explanations, but never to such magnitude. And sure, the magic stuff was kinda silly in the first place, but it made for a fun change of pace from the usual AA fare (and even that world is not without its goofy paranormal elements.). Since the magic system had strict rules, you could still apply logic to it at least. "It's just magic" is a way, way better explanation than that pile of crap and plotholes they came up with.

I did play the first two Layton games so I guess I should have expected something ridiculous like that, but... honestly, I don't remember much about what went on in the story in those games. I guess I... wiped it from my memory. :p

Anyway, pretty crushing disappointment about the game here. I was thoroughly enjoying it too, until that reveal about the "magic" in chapter 8 (?), then it was just facepalming through pretty much everything until the end... That section of the game is very poorly paced incidentally, I might add. Like two hours of text with only the most obvious things to solve.
 
Unwound Future steeled me for terrible endings in Layton games, so I was fully prepared for this game's ending to be just as ridiculous.

Super enjoyed Chapters 1-7 though.
 

Totakeke

Member
Seems like it's just AA fans being introduced to Layton-esque stories. Personally I think it's one of the better, if not the best, Layton stories when judged by that criteria.
 

Durden77

Member
Never played a Layton game before, huge AA fan. Just finished it. Um....wow. i'll come back with more detailed thoughts, but....wow.

One thing I will say though is...

Facing Layton in the courtroom was actually really, really cool. Like to the point to where I wish he'd become a prosecutor and show up in the actual AA games lol. Seeing him flex his brain similar to someone like Edgeworth was awesome. He just looked right over there.
 

Swamped

Banned
So I just finished the game, it was a really fun ride. Took me about 28 hours to complete (I'm the kind of person who presses every statement, purposefully presents the wrong evidence to see what funny quips the prosecution rebutts with, also am slow at those chalice puzzles...). I really like both franchises, but Phoenix Wright is definitely my favorite of the two. Some thoughts:

1. Don't know why reviews complained that the Layton and Wright bits were not intertwined enough. I thought this aspect was great. It's so cool hearing Layton's balanced 'Objections' and Maya and Luke solving puzzles together was cute too.

2. Final trial was awesome, and had great 'Objection!' moments, but the ultimate plot twist was a little silly and predictable. The story in Layton games usually revolves
around the entire town being fake or drugged or something (the games that I have played anyway).
The amazing Barnham was totally missing, which upset me. And Luke too (though he did kind of save the day which was nice. Maybe I should take a crash course in operating a crane too?)

3.
Appearance by Edgeworth at the very end!!! My heart couldn't take it, even if his 3D model was super ugly

4. I just loved the entire idea of defending the witches in court, and the fact that magic was such an integral part of the court system. It was so different from the usual court segments. But it was very logical too. I want to play a game in which magic is actually real! I think there's an anime that's supposed to be about this (Wizard barristers?) but I really it's quite disappointing.

5. OST was sublime. Took a while for me to warm up to the pursuit theme, but by the final trial it really began pumping me up.

6. OMG. Mr Shakey, the vigilante? I just could not stop laughing at him. I think his appearance was the more hilarious thing in the entire game.

7. I wonder if they'll make another Layton vs Wright game. I think not, but it was a really fun concept and I would definitely play another.
 

SodiumEyes

Neo Member
I really hated the final twist, not just because it's absurd and nonsensical, but because it basically destroyed all the investment in the world that the game had been building the entire time. I wrote a blog post about the problems I had with the twist.
The city still stands, the characters are still breathing, but everything that made the player care is gone. Jean Greyerl is no longer a witch left alone in a world that won’t accept her for who she is, Inquisitor Barnham is no longer a knight figuring out his own meaning of justice. The game doesn’t even bother revisiting these characters after the reveal, because even the game knows that there’s no longer a point. We don’t need to see how their stories conclude, because… they don’t really have a story any more. It’s like watching a play where right before the climax, everyone decides to break character and start checking their iPhones. There isn’t even a sense of loss, it just feels… hollow.

But I started playing the bonus episodes and they're really great. They almost feel like Shu Takumi's apology for the terrible ending. I'm looking forward to revisiting some of the characters that got completely brushed under the rug in the main game.
 
The 10-man cross-examination was great, even though my 3DS wanted to cry during it.

Seems like it's just AA fans being introduced to Layton-esque stories. Personally I think it's one of the better, if not the best, Layton stories when judged by that criteria.

Yeah, I don't really have a problem with the story, but that's probably because of expectation.

3.
Appearance by Edgeworth at the very end!!! My heart couldn't take it, even if his 3D model was super ugly

I'm not sure why you put this in spoiler tags in the spoiler thread
 

Durden77

Member
One thing I'm still just confused about. How come certain people could retain their memories, and certain people couldn't? Like all of the main characters? Surely they had to be drinking water, Phoenix even comes down to get a glass of water at one point at the bar.
 
One thing I'm still just confused about. How come certain people could retain their memories, and certain people couldn't? Like all of the main characters? Surely they had to be drinking water, Phoenix even comes down to get a glass of water at one point at the bar.

The water just makes people susceptible to the silver bells. It's the magic ink that causes the mind control.

They're hypnotized to lose their memories when they're brought into Labyrinthia. Darklaw didn't hypnotize Layton and Luke into losing their memories because she wanted them to expose the town's secret for revenge.

You probably forgot that Phoenix and Maya actually did lose their memories. They only came back when Phoenix was forced to act as a lawyer.
 
The water just makes people susceptible to the silver bells. It's the magic ink that causes the mind control.
I think this says a lot about the ending; that even after being told that "magic" doesn't exist, we still have to resort to the word "magic" to explain some of the supposedly more "scientific" elements that were supposed to replace the "magic" ones.
 
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