Professor Layton and the Masked Potential (Pt. 1)

Miracle Mask: Misplaced Trust or Misplaced Identity?

Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask is one of the best retrospective additions to the franchise, and it really explains why Present Layton is the way he is today. It makes sense as the fifth game of the series and even works (amazingly, might I add) as a standalone. And yet, I find that its thematic impact is often limited by how people interpret its story — or, rather, by what interpretations are downplayed or disregarded.

On a surface level, Miracle Mask is a story about trust. It shows what happens when trust is placed into the right person at the wrong time, as well as the consequences that arise when said trust is compromised. Randall trusts the people close to him with his tendencies to chase the unknown —and as a result, he 'dies' doing just that, all the while the people left behind live on without him. It's precisely why he terrorises Mont d'or in the present, and his story ends with closure. He doesn't quite gain his past life back, but he learns to accept the fact that the world will move on with or without him. And that's a beautiful story on its own.

But, as with all other stories, Miracle Mask holds heavy subtext that is often left ignored or undiscovered entirely (thought that's not to say that the subtext I personally believe in is 100% definitive or correct. The nuance is what makes subtext subtext, after all). To me, Miracle Mask is not simply a story about strained relationships with other characters, but a story of a boy's relationship with himself, as well as the sacrifices he must make in order to maintain his identity.

Or — in another words — the entirety of Miracle Mask is Randall attempting to live his life as his 'true' self through the mask; all the while living under a traditional town with traditional beliefs with traditional townsfolk and traditional fathers who berate him for simply wanting to explore the ruins. 

To put it simply, I believe the whole game is an allegory for being a queer teenager: it dramatises the universal experience of wanting to come out and live your truth, even if doing so means leaving behind the supposed 'perfect' heteronormative life that tradition has built. And that, at least to me, is extremely impactful. With this interpretation in mind, the game redirects its original theme of misplaced trust in others, to misplaced trust in the self; transforming its plot into a metaphor that portrays the dangers of repressing one's identity to conform to traditional standards. 

Masks, Performance, and Fragmented Selves

I do not believe in the queer allegory without basis. The game establishes its layered subtext through different symbols — and one of those symbols is the Mask of Chaos itself. 

Randall is obsessed with it. Completely and utterly. And we see this in the Chapter 4 argument where Angela urges Randall to abandon the ruins, only for him to lash out as she runs off with the mask in tears. The next, most reasonable decision would be to then chase after Angela to comfort her — what with Randall being her literal boyfriend and all — and yet the main objective, as Randall says to Hershel, is "Blast! Come on, Hershel! We have to get the mask back! Who knows what she'll do with it!". (Or something along those lines. I don't remember the exact dialogue.)

So Randall does chase after Angela. He finds her besides that huge tree on the hill and sits next to her, softening his tone in an attempt to coax the mask back into his hands. But that doesn't actually work. Henry is the one that ultimately resolves the situation — and that cutscene alone tells me a lot.

Performance is the first thing to come to mind. Randall actively performs kindness to get the mask back. Henry performs authority and control — both in the past as Randall's friend, and in the present as Mont d'Or's founder. Likewise, The Masked Gentleman performs spectacle, terrorising the town through dramatic publicity stunts and magic tricks as an act of revenge. So this scene becomes a micro-example of Miracle Mask's larger narrative pattern: people performing identities rather than expressing authentic emotion.

Another symbol that supports the queer allegory is the game's setting — particularly the contrast between different locations in-game. Stansbury, as I've established before, is a suffocating town which is equally restrictive as it is traditional. It is a town full of rules and expectations, with one example being Randall's domineering father who forces his son to live a double life (student vs. explorer, family business vs. aspiring archaeologist). As a result, Randall often sneaks out at night to fulfil his desire of escaping familial expectations — which could be described as reckless, yes — but I think it also comes off as brave. Refusing to abide by his father's rules — and thus abandoning the possibility of ever earning his trust again — becomes yet another sacrifice Randall must make in order to live as his true self. 

So the contrast between repression and self-expression becomes especially prominent when comparing Stansbury and London — the very place Randall wishes to escape to, and the place Hershel does end up in after Randall's 'death'. Unlike small-town Stansbury, London is a big city which promises self-construction, modernity, and freedom. The folks in Stansbury criticise London for that very reason (like when Present Alphonse scrutinises Layton for leaving shortly after Randall's death). So Randall's desire to leave beocmes a symbolic desire to escape a restrictive social environment in favour of self-definition elsewhere.

Overall, though, I think this interpretation of Miracle Mask is often overlooked. Which is a shame, really, because there are bound to be many, many queer teenagers out there who might resonate with this game as much as I do. If any Layton fan comes across this, I hope I've opened your eyes to new possibilities in some shape or form. 

Holy yap. I was not expecting to drone on for this long, and yet here we are.

This is a first part of many. I have a billion other things to say about this game, as well its characters and underlying symbolism and all that — but all in due time, I suppose.

I apologise if this post was 100x more analytical than usual... I'm very passionate about this game.