The Professor Layton for Smash Ultimate support thread! See OP for where to meet us next after the boards close. Thank you for all your support!

[Curious Villager]

id imagine theyd miss out on the puzzles popping out of no where the animated cutscenes and a slew of mysteries that only make sense in a video game

all the layton knock offs always look like theyre lacking something even if they do have these things



assets rips? howd they get them off of level-5?

I mean, it doesn't need to be like Layton 1-1, in fact, one other game that was inspired by the Layton series is Rhythm Thief from Sega, which from what I've heard, is basically Layton but with Rythm gameplay instead of puzzles. Which was a pretty well received Layton like game, but apparently didn't sell well enough for further games or references from Sega unfortunately.


Just take a look at the screenshots of the game and you'll see a lot of HUD elements and gameplay aspects that are pretty much straight from the Layton games, even down to the boxart. Its pretty shameless on how the game was blatantly intended to confuse kids grand parents in buying them that there newfangled Layton game they where talking about at the time...

 

[fogbadge]

I mean, it doesn't need to be like Layton 1-1, in fact, one other game that was inspired by the Layton series is Rhythm Thief from Sega, which from what I've heard, is basically Layton but with Rythm gameplay instead of puzzles. Which was a pretty well received Layton like game, but apparently didn't sell well enough for further games or references from Sega unfortunately.


Just take a look at the screenshots of the game and you'll see a lot of HUD elements and gameplay aspects that are pretty much straight from the Layton games, even down to the boxart. Its pretty shameless on how the game was blatantly intended to confuse kids grand parents in buying them that there newfangled Layton game they where talking about at the time...

rhythm thief was enjoyable but flawed. Mostly the rhythm games being almost impossible. Now that could have been my own lack of skill for rhythm games but the only point of comparison I’ve got is rhythm paradise and I’ve no idea where they stand on the complicated scale. Another problem was the many mysteries that were left unsolved as they were clearly hoping for a sequel but at this point that seems unlikely. Also the ending of the game felt really dragged out with a good bye sequence worthy of an RPG.

 

[amageish]

I played it once, but I couldn't really get myself to finish it, I felt like it dragged on a little, and the amount of assets it flipped from Curious Village is quite hilariously sad to behold though.

I personally liked Dr. Lautrec a little better as far as Layton knock offs go, despite its repetitive nature. The monster and stealth thing was a little fun to do.


Dr. Lautrec and May's Mysteries are probably the two most infamous ones, the latter especially due to some of the blatant asset rips from Curious Village it has, as I mentioned...

Yeah is valid, yeah.... I never got into Dr Lautrec, but I probably could now. I just used to be harsher about games taking inspiration from other games then I am nowadays, a poor Layton fan with no Layton to play...

If May's Mysteries goes down in price enough I may go for it one day anyway, even though the assets do look weirdly similar.

I wonder whatever happened with that one Layton esque looking mobile game with the Arianna Barde looking girl on the cover...
I think some indie dev did some high school mystery game inspired by the Layton series too that they shared on the Layton Reddit once.

I feel like we've had quite a lot of Earthbound esque and pixle platformers from indies there for the most part...
Would be neat to see more indie games inspired by the Layton series and their takes on the puzzle adventure genre on it. I'd imagine some interesting things could come from that..

If you mean Color Pieceout, then I believe that game is mostly just Layton-alike in looks as the actual gameplay has all the puzzles being match-3s...

It would be very nice to see some more logic-puzzle Layton-alikes one day, but alas... I get that it is a very particular skillset, the ability to write good puzzles that easily fit the Layton gameplay loop. If you are a good puzzle-writer, you probably just publish the puzzles standalone and make more money then you would by putting it into a video game.

I mean, the most mainstream Layton-alike moment I can think of is one particular level in Evoland 2, a RPG where the game evolves across genres across the game.

I mean, it doesn't need to be like Layton 1-1, in fact, one other game that was inspired by the Layton series is Rhythm Thief from Sega, which from what I've heard, is basically Layton but with Rythm gameplay instead of puzzles. Which was a pretty well received Layton like game, but apparently didn't sell well enough for further games or references from Sega unfortunately.

I have played Rhythm Thief! I enjoyed it; the cast was nice and the mystery was pretty solid. Very obviously modelled on the Layton 3DS games and, if I'm not mistaken, the dev team is even one that primarily does remakes and other sort of "Take X, but put it on Y" formula games...

I have seen some demand for Phantom R to be in Super Monkey Ball lol, as people have been discussing their fave SEGA IPs in light of that game's crossover elements.

 

[Curious Villager]

Yeah is valid, yeah.... I never got into Dr Lautrec, but I probably could now. I just used to be harsher about games taking inspiration from other games then I am nowadays, a poor Layton fan with no Layton to play...

If May's Mysteries goes down in price enough I may go for it one day anyway, even though the assets do look weirdly similar.



If you mean Color Pieceout, then I believe that game is mostly just Layton-alike in looks as the actual gameplay has all the puzzles being match-3s...

It would be very nice to see some more logic-puzzle Layton-alikes one day, but alas... I get that it is a very particular skillset, the ability to write good puzzles that easily fit the Layton gameplay loop. If you are a good puzzle-writer, you probably just publish the puzzles standalone and make more money then you would by putting it into a video game.

I mean, the most mainstream Layton-alike moment I can think of is one particular level in Evoland 2, a RPG where the game evolves across genres across the game.



I have played Rhythm Thief! I enjoyed it; the cast was nice and the mystery was pretty solid. Very obviously modelled on the Layton 3DS games and, if I'm not mistaken, the dev team is even one that primarily does remakes and other sort of "Take X, but put it on Y" formula games...

I have seen some demand for Phantom R to be in Super Monkey Ball lol, as people have been discussing their fave SEGA IPs in light of that game's crossover elements.

Just looked the game up, so its basically Layton meets Bejeweled

Game looks pretty wholesome, I should probably check it out sometime.

I suppose even something like that would be neat to see more of, even if not the variety of puzzles that the Layton series has, something that focuses on a more specific gameplay quirk might be more manageable to do.

Rhythm thief is one of those IP's that would be nice to hear more of from Sega's side, even if a brand new game is quite unlikely to see from it, seeing its characters make more crossover appearances in other Sega properties would still be quite neat to see.

I suppose that's part of what I like of Level-5 and their games, even if their IP's may not be quite on the same level as Nintendo and Capcom in terms of notoriety, they do still go out of their way to give their characters various cameo's and guest appearances throughout their properties. a more dedicated crossover game would be quite neat to see from them one day.


Edit:

Also, apparently Layton is trending on Twitter Japan today for some reason.

There was a problem fetching the tweet

May the stars finally align next year, hopefully..

 

[fogbadge]

Rhythm thief is one of those IP's that would be nice to hear more of from Sega's side, even if a brand new game is quite unlikely to see from it, seeing its characters make more crossover appearances in other Sega properties would still be quite neat to see.

the actual rhythm games would need some serious refinement if you ask me. though i wont deny that part of me wanted to see the thief and his dog in one of the all star racing games

btw thanks for bringing it up the other day, that reminder was very helpful

 

[Curious Villager]

There was a problem fetching the tweet

Well, nice to know Level 5 will be present at TGS

They seem to have 50 minutes reserved for themselves so hopefully they will have some substantial news to show off there.

 

[fogbadge]

Well, nice to know Level 5 will be present at TGS



They seem to have 50 minutes reserved for themselves so hopefully they will have some substantial news to show off there.

ah 50 minutes of millionaires conspiracy ports

 

[Curious Villager]

ah 50 minutes of millionaires conspiracy ports

Millionaire's Conspiracy will be the new Skyrim, ported to everything and the kitchen fridge.
Twice...

 

[amageish]

Welp. We'll see what happens, I guess. I don't think it's too irrational of me to feel pessimistic on this front lol.

 

[Curious Villager]

Welp. We'll see what happens, I guess. I don't think it's too irrational of me to feel pessimistic on this front lol.

I don't blame ya, its been a long time since this company has done much substantial things and last year they didn't really do much asides from showcasing one or two of their games and launching their manga website, which... wonder how that's been doing...

Looking up...

Seems pretty lively, would have liked to see something for Layton and Yo-Kai Watch too asides from just Inazuma Eleven there, oh well...

Hopefully we will get some more info on what they have got in store in the coming weeks for the event. Would be nice if they confirmed some brand new upcoming reveals for TGS, especially for Layton, its been a long time coming...

 

[Curious Villager]

本日9/15（水）より「レイトン」シリーズのサウンドトラック3タイトルが配信開始されました！
『レイトン教授と不思議な町』『レイトン教授と悪魔の箱』「レイトン ミステリー探偵社 ～カトリーのナゾトキファイル～」のBGMがそれぞれ収録されています！
ぜひチェックしてくださいね♪#レイトン

— レイトンシリーズ公式 (@L5_layton) September 15, 2021

Spoiler

【『レイトン教授と不思議な町』オリジナル・サウンドトラック】
レイトン教授とルークの2人が不思議な町で起こる怪事件に挑む「レイトン」シリーズの1作目『レイトン教授と不思議な町』のBGMを収録！

詳細はこちら→https://t.co/gbhsCfMA7f#レイトン pic.twitter.com/lQYbD29ezk

— レイトンシリーズ公式 (@L5_layton) September 15, 2021

【『レイトン教授と悪魔の箱』オリジナル・サウンドトラック】
開けたものは必ず死ぬといわれている「悪魔の箱」。その秘密を巡る壮大なストーリーが魅力の『レイトン教授と悪魔の箱』のBGMを収録！

詳細はこちら→https://t.co/nwCs01fjN7#レイトン pic.twitter.com/2L7N9ibvE2

— レイトンシリーズ公式 (@L5_layton) September 15, 2021

【「レイトン ミステリー探偵社 ～カトリーのナゾトキファイル～」オリジナル・サウンドトラック】
カトリーがロンドンで起こる不思議な事件を解明♪「レイトン ミステリー探偵社 ～カトリーのナゾトキファイル～」初のサウンドトラックです！

詳細はこちら→https://t.co/n670GiY148#レイトン pic.twitter.com/zmZw6ROLxs

— レイトンシリーズ公式 (@L5_layton) September 15, 2021

Level-5 just released official OST's for Curious Village, Elysian Box and LMJ for anyone that is interested.

Also a couple weeks ago they also released a + version of LMJ for mobile too, which from what I've heard, is basically just the full version of the game over the player having to buy each cases individually. Not sure why it took them so long to make that an option but yeah...


Level-5's been dripfeeding us little bits of Layton stuff the past few months now, surely something might be coming up sooner or later...

Also Takuzo Nagano is still drawing Layton stuff (plus other Level-5 stuff) even after his 100 day challenge over on his Instagram and Twitter so might be worth checking that out too, some brilliant artworks there.

 

[fogbadge]

well we could be coming up for our last chance of level-5 content

 

[Curious Villager]

well we could be coming up for our last chance of level-5 content

Tfw Level-5 ends up being pretty much the only Japanese company with 0 content (they own) in Smash..

That would be so demoralizing as hell...
I don't know if I would have much motivation to support anything from them in the future. Especially if they still aren't out of their slump by then..

 

[fogbadge]

Tfw Level-5 ends up being pretty much the only Japanese company with 0 content (they own) in Smash..



That would be so demoralizing as hell...
I don't know if I would have much motivation to support anything from them in the future. Especially if they still aren't out of their slump by then..

yeah it would be a real shame

although now I can’t stop picturing David tenant as Layton

 

[amageish]

Tfw Level-5 ends up being pretty much the only Japanese company with 0 content (they own) in Smash..
That would be so demoralizing as hell...
I don't know if I would have much motivation to support anything from them in the future. Especially if they still aren't out of their slump by then..

I mean... Uh... Spirit events are still possible! I guess!

But, uh, yeah, times ain't looking good for Layton on much of any front, Smash or otherwise.

although now I can’t stop picturing David tenant as Layton

I mean... I would watch that movie...

 

[Curious Villager]

I mean... Uh... Spirit events are still possible! I guess!

But, uh, yeah, times ain't looking good for Layton on much of any front, Smash or otherwise.



I mean... I would watch that movie...

That depends on how long they are going to drag on Ultimate support for after the final character's release.
I don't really have much confidence on that front myself tbh since how spirit events are chosen seem to be fairly arbitrary, especially for third party ones..

Even just being a part of the final batch of mii costumes would be appreciated but I'm just not sure at this point...

 

[fogbadge]

I mean... I would watch that movie...

so would i

 

[Curious Villager]

Imagine if they pulled an ARMS/Hero/Byleth and revealed Layton for Smash, while also confirming that the HD original trilogy ports (or at least Curious Village HD) will finally come out on Switch right after the Direct presentation so newcomers can familiarize themselves with Layton before his DLC pack releases.

That would be pretty sweet to see, even if some naysayers would cry "shill pick" unironically afterwards...

 

[fogbadge]

Imagine if they pulled an ARMS/Hero/Byleth and revealed Layton for Smash, while also confirming that the HD original trilogy ports (or at least Curious Village HD) will finally come out on Switch right after the Direct presentation so newcomers can familiarize themselves with Layton before his DLC pack releases.

That would be pretty sweet to see, even if some naysayers would cry "shill pick" unironically afterwards...

how would that be like arms?

 

[Curious Villager]

how would that be like arms?

ARMS had a 2 week free trial right after they confirmed that an ARMS character was going to be in.

 

[fogbadge]

ARMS had a 2 week free trial right after they confirmed that an ARMS character was going to be in.

murder but that was a case of something to promote smash

 

[Curious Villager]

murder but that was a case of something to promote smash

Oh you know what I mean. A cross promotion.

 

[fogbadge]

Oh you know what I mean. A cross promotion.

well these days level-5 never need much of a reason to port

 

[Curious Villager]

Oh wait, Nintendo showcased Megaton Musashi? (In the Japanese Direct at least)

巨大ロボット「ローグ」に乗り込み、地球奪還をめざす。大逆襲ロボットアクション『メガトン級ムサシ』は11月11日(木)発売。#NintendoDirectJP

— 任天堂株式会社 (@Nintendo) September 23, 2021

Nice to know their still somewhat in good terms with Level-5 after all...

I'm seeing lots of promotion for the game, so hopefully it does well in Japan..

 

[fogbadge]

Oh wait, Nintendo showcased Megaton Musashi? (In the Japanese Direct at least)


Nice to know their still somewhat in good terms with Level-5 after all...

I'm seeing lots of promotion for the game, so hopefully it does well in Japan..

not hard of that one. must remember to look it up

 

[Hadokeyblade]

Oh wait, Nintendo showcased Megaton Musashi? (In the Japanese Direct at least)


Nice to know their still somewhat in good terms with Level-5 after all...

I'm seeing lots of promotion for the game, so hopefully it does well in Japan..

Ive heard of Megaton Musashi but ive never see any gameplay of it or what it's about.

Now i see that Level 5 is dabbling into the Mecha genre they should trycollabing with Bandai Namco's Robot wars games, that'llgive them some exposure in Japan lol

 

[Curious Villager]

Ive heard of Megaton Musashi but ive never see any gameplay of it or what it's about.

Now i see that Level 5 is dabbling into the Mecha genre they should trycollabing with Bandai Namco's Robot wars games, that'llgive them some exposure in Japan lol

The game was a bit in the background for the longest while, it wasn't until fairly recently closer to the game's Japanese release until Level-5 put the game closer to the forefront.
They're going to talk and show more gameplay footage of it on their part of the Tokyo Game Show so I guess we'll see more of what the game is all about there.

From what little I've seen of it, I think fans of games like Xenoblade, Monster Hunter and Platinum Games's stuff might have a bit of an interest in it.
Or maybe fans of games with customizable robots.

Hopefully the game will find itself an audience. Especially if they market it well before release..

 

[Hadokeyblade]

The game was a bit in the background for the longest while, it wasn't until fairly recently closer to the game's Japanese release until Level-5 put the game closer to the forefront.
They're going to talk and show more gameplay footage of it on their part of the Tokyo Game Show so I guess we'll see more of what the game is all about there.

From what little I've seen of it, I think fans of games like Xenoblade, Monster Hunter and Platinum Games's stuff might have a bit of an interest in it.
Or maybe fans of games with customizable robots.

Hopefully the game will find itself an audience. Especially if they market it well before release..

Honestly seeing it's a mecha game where you can customize robot just reminds me of LBX, if Level 5 were smart they would put Achilles in the game as a reference to their past robot series.

 

[fogbadge]

Ive heard of Megaton Musashi but ive never see any gameplay of it or what it's about.

Now i see that Level 5 is dabbling into the Mecha genre they should trycollabing with Bandai Namco's Robot wars games, that'llgive them some exposure in Japan lol

didnt they do that attack of the friday night monsters which was about kaiju? surely thats not a hundred miles away

 

[Hadokeyblade]

didnt they do that attack of the friday night monsters which was about kaiju? surely thats not a hundred miles away

I completely forgot that game existed to be honest.

 

[Curious Villager]

Honestly seeing it's a mecha game where you can customize robot just reminds me of LBX, if Level 5 were smart they would put Achilles in the game as a reference to their past robot series.

Well I know Level-5 enjoys sprinkling in cameo's and references of their other IP's in their games so maybe it won't be too far out of the question.

Imagine if they did like a Layton cameo where you can battle the Mobile Fortress from Lost Future, the Spider Mech from Last Specter or the giant mech from Eternal Diva as an optional boss, or a robot based off them...

 

[fogbadge]

I completely forgot that game existed to be honest.

im surprised I did remember

 

[amageish]

本日9/30（木）より、3DCGアバター作成アプリ「MakeAvatar」で使えるレイトン教授のアバター衣装が発売開始！「TOKYO GAME SHOW VR 2021」では、ソーシャルVR「DOOR™」内に販売ブースが設置されているので、ぜひチェックしてみてください♪#レイトン https://t.co/OUMcQF6Sau

— レイトンシリーズ公式 (@L5_layton) September 30, 2021

So, I don't entirely understand what these seemingly-digital collectables are or why you would want to buy one, but I do notice that this is a TGS-themed collection of character costumes and Professor Layton is one of them!

 

[Curious Villager]

Well its nice we're getting something out of this event..

RT＞とりあえず潜入してみた。
ヴァーチャル空間にレイトン教授のブースが設営されてるぞ！！！ pic.twitter.com/QnSboG4CR6

— ポレリカ (@Polka96222299) September 30, 2021

Something tells me we might get a surprise announcement of Last Specter HD during TGS but who knows...

So far all we know is that Level-5 will mainly be focusing on Megaton Musashi, which, I understand.
Game's coming out soon and gotta make sure it gets marketed properly and you have as many eyes on it as possible.

But the Inazuma Eleven game aside (Which I believe got delayed to 2023 anyway iirc) Level-5 will have a down year for 2022, which would be during the Layton series 15th anniversary. So hopefully we will be seeing something interesting from them around that point...

 

[Hadokeyblade]

Well its nice we're getting something out of this event..



Something tells me we might get a surprise announcement of Last Specter HD during TGS but who knows...

So far all we know is that Level-5 will mainly be focusing on Megaton Musashi, which, I understand.
Game's coming out soon and gotta make sure it gets marketed properly and you have as many eyes on it as possible.

But the Inazuma Eleven game aside (Which I believe got delayed to 2023 anyway iirc) Level-5 will have a down year for 2022, which would be during the Layton series 15th anniversary. So hopefully we will be seeing something interesting from them around that point...

Maybe a Switch port of the trilogy?

...I would like that.

 

[amageish]

I'll really take anything that proves Layton as an IP isn't dead...

Switch port of the trilogy? Sure.

New game that adapts the anime? Yeah!

Literally just bring back Layton 7 now that social deduction games are the hottest thing around? Um. Well. I guess I'd accept that too...

 

[fogbadge]

port of layton vs wright? come on level-5 and capcom you both love your ports

 

[Curious Villager]

I mean, on one hand, I'm happy to know the company still somewhat cares enough about the IP to throw around bite sized little things every now and then to show they still acknowledge it exists.

I mean, we could have gone the post Megaman Legends 3/Metroid Other M route where they pretty much abandoned it entirely while mainly focusing on other things for a very long time...

But on the other hand, eventually, I'd imagine most fans would probably rather see some kind of payoff coming out from the whole thing, especially for the Switch instead of another mobile port. Wether its the original trilogy ported there, some other kind of spin off (Though I don't know if its the right time for that, less it potentially gets the Federation Force reception...) or finally a brand new game, be it follows up from LMJ or the anime, or them retreating to familiar ground again with Layton and Luke on the helm again if Kat really didn't work out as they had hoped..

 

[fogbadge]

I mean, on one hand, I'm happy to know the company still somewhat cares enough about the IP to throw around bite sized little things every now and then to show they still acknowledge it exists.

I mean, we could have gone the post Megaman Legends 3/Metroid Other M route where they pretty much abandoned it entirely while mainly focusing on other things for a very long time...

But on the other hand, eventually, I'd imagine most fans would probably rather see some kind of payoff coming out from the whole thing, especially for the Switch instead of another mobile port. Wether its the original trilogy ported there, some other kind of spin off (Though I don't know if its the right time for that, less it potentially gets the Federation Force reception...) or finally a brand new game, be it follows up from LMJ or the anime, or them retreating to familiar ground again with Layton and Luke on the helm again if Kat really didn't work out as they had hoped..

ill just take that english langue version of yokai watch 4 we were promised

 

[Curious Villager]

ill just take that english langue version of yokai watch 4 we were promised

Oh, right, that was a thing.. When did 4 come out in Japan again? (2019) Oh, well, hang in there Yo-Kai bro...


Actually now that I think about it, even if we don't get a new game or Layton in Smash, if they where to announce an anime adaptation for the original series to celebrate the series 15th anniversary, I'd be pretty cool with that too. I might potentially be even more hyped for that than the aforementioned two even tbh..

For a company that really capitalizes on multimedia stuff since Inazuma Eleven, its kinda sad Layton never really got much love in that department until LMJ, and that mainly starred his daughter instead of the man himself...