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]

I agree completely, there is a lot they can pull just from the animated cutscenes alone when it comes to giving a unique moveset for Layton, this isn't even mentioning the various trunk minigames, animal buddies, the interface, gadgets and of course the thousands of puzzles spread throughout the history of the series.
That is probably more than enough source material to get at least two unique characters out of it, maybe even three (if the series was first party.)

If Sakurai can come up with two unique movesets for a series like Animal Crossing, then I've got no doubt in my mind that he can do a lot of interesting things for Hershel too.

 

[King Sonnn DeDeDoo]

If they can give us two movesets based on Animal Crossing of all things, then Layton's gonna be easy. Going through all the cutscenes and stuff on YouTube for my own take on Layton as a Smash character and it's pretty apparent that there is just so much you can pull from for his animations and basic attacks and whatnot. I've even got a source for his ledge hanging animation! They don't have to worry about producing animations that don't fit the character - the series already has so many that are ready made.

While I'm on the topic, I found a cool video when doing that research that nails what the appeal of the Layton is. Thought you guys would like it if you haven't already see it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FT4kHDfYQM

Layton in Smash would be so great man.

That was a very interesting video, it made me realize why I love Professor Layton as a character so much. Despite playing a multitude of games of many different genres, playing as Professor Layton is the still most empowering player character to me. I guess I kind of see Layton as a role model, he's reserved and polite, yet also dignified and confident. As someone who really values being level headed and polite, it's really nice to see a character still champion these aspects while still being just as heroic as any other video game protagonist.

Also I now realize how much I really like this "Gentleman archetype", because in other fighting games I'm subconsciously drawn to play characters like Dudley in Street Fighter or Raphael in soul caliber

 

[Curious Villager]

Okay I guess I should probably update the OP a bit more, I tried to add a bit more to the pro's and cons side but perhaps some more info may be needed.
Besides that, some counter arguments may also be needed.

Does anyone know what more I should add and what reasonings and comments should be included for the OP?

I should probably add the custom stock icon I made for Layton too in case anyone wants to use it for their signature.

 

[Curious Villager]

My apologies for the double post but there is something interesting I noticed when looking back at the global poll NintenJen shared back at page 9.
If you cross out all the third parties that have either been confirmed or disconfirmed in the game. Then Layton has just made it to the top 10 of most highly requested third parties for Smash that have yet to be confirmed or disconfirmed in any way.

1. Banjo Kazooie
2. Shantae
3. Geno
4. Rayman
5. Sora
6. Jibanyan
7. Phoenix Wright
8. Arle Nadja
9. Shadow
10. Professor Layton

Of course It's probably for the best not to trust this poll too much as I can easily see Sakurai including the likes of Heihachi and Lloyd Irving despite not being high up according to this poll. But It's still a very interesting thing to note.

Here's hoping the Layton series will at least finally receive some acknowledgement in Smash, if not playable...

 

[King Sonnn DeDeDoo]

My apologies for the double post but there is something interesting I noticed when looking back at the exit poll NintenJen shared back at page 9.
If you cross out all the third parties that have either been confirmed or disconfirmed in the game. Then Layton has just made it to the top 10 of most highly requested third parties for Smash that have yet to be confirmed or disconfirmed in any way.

1. Banjo Kazooie
2. Shantae
3. Geno
4. Rayman
5. Sora
6. Jibanyan
7. Phoenix Wright
8. Arle Nadja
9. Shadow
10. Professor Layton

Of course It's probably for the best not to trust this poll too much as I can easily see Sakurai including the likes of Heihachi and Lloyd Irvin despite not being high up according to this poll. But It's still a very interesting thing to note.

Here's hoping the Layton series will at least finally receive some acknowledgement in Smash, if not playable...

This ranking has reminded me that I’ve noticed a slow but steady rise in popularity for Phoenix Wright in the past few months. Atleast from my experience he seems to be popping up in more and more wishlists and polls than I’ve seen before despite things not really changing for him speculation wise. While I know vocal support isn’t that important in the grand scheme of things, I’ve been trying to analyze what has caused Phoenix’s vocal support to rise and possibly see if we could recreate it to get some more of a presence for Layton for Smash.

The demographics of people in Smash speculation and support might be starting to shift to more people who grew up with/heavily played the DS. There seems to be a growing sentiment of appreciation of the DS, I remember a popular picture being shared awhile back that showed the data of which Smash characters originated on which consoles, with the DS being woefuly under represented despite being one of Nintendo’s most popular consoles.

I guess what I’m saying is that maybe a good strategy for drumming up support for Layton is to appeal to the growing sense of DS nostalgia and championing him as the perfect representative of that era. Maybe even try to combine support with Phoenix supporters, foster a dream of the two DS icons that got a crossover game together, should join Smash together.

At the end of the day character choices are up to Sakurai, but I was mainly just throwing out ideas for rallying support during the DLC period, which seem more favorable for Layton’s chances.

 

[Curious Villager]

This ranking has reminded me that I’ve noticed a slow but steady rise in popularity for Phoenix Wright in the past few months. Atleast from my experience he seems to be popping up in more and more wishlists and polls than I’ve seen before despite things not really changing for him speculation wise. While I know vocal support isn’t that important in the grand scheme of things, I’ve been trying to analyze what has caused Phoenix’s vocal support to rise and possibly see if we could recreate it to get some more of a presence for Layton for Smash.

The demographics of people in Smash speculation and support might be starting to shift to more people who grew up with/heavily played the DS. There seems to be a growing sentiment of appreciation of the DS, I remember a popular picture being shared awhile back that showed the data of which Smash characters originated on which consoles, with the DS being woefuly under represented despite being one of Nintendo’s most popular consoles.

I guess what I’m saying is that maybe a good strategy for drumming up support for Layton is to appeal to the growing sense of DS nostalgia and championing him as the perfect representative of that era. Maybe even try to combine support with Phoenix supporters, foster a dream of the two DS icons that got a crossover game together, should join Smash together.

At the end of the day character choices are up to Sakurai, but I was mainly just throwing out ideas for rallying support during the DLC period, which seem more favorable for Layton’s chances.

Phoenix always felt to me like he was next in line (or should be) for a Capcom character as his series is so highly beloved among Nintendo fans. I'm very happy to see the rise in support he's been getting recently as he's more or less my second most wanted third party for Smash Ultimate.

You may be onto something about the picture that showed the lack of DS support to the Smash series as I recalled it being quite a shock to many fans due to how grossly underrepresented it was despite its massive popularity. A rise in nostalgia for that era may also be coming up as the console is now more than a decade old and has been phased out for quite some time. In fact we are already seeing some remakes coming up for games of that era, including the Layton series itself starting with Curious Village and we're most likely going to be seeing more HD remasters for that series too over time.

I also agree that both Layton and Phoenix supporters should join forces to get both these characters into Smash as their both huge icons of the DS era (Their kind of like the Simon Belmont and Mega Man of that era when you think about it) and I've seen that most Layton supporters also support Phoenix Wright for Smash too.

If this global poll is accurate though, then we might be lucky enough to get them both for DLC, I'm really hoping that will be the case.

 

[fogbadge]

My apologies for the double post but there is something interesting I noticed when looking back at the global poll NintenJen shared back at page 9.
If you cross out all the third parties that have either been confirmed or disconfirmed in the game. Then Layton has just made it to the top 10 of most highly requested third parties for Smash that have yet to be confirmed or disconfirmed in any way.

1. Banjo Kazooie
2. Shantae
3. Geno
4. Rayman
5. Sora
6. Jibanyan
7. Phoenix Wright
8. Arle Nadja
9. Shadow
10. Professor Layton

Of course It's probably for the best not to trust this poll too much as I can easily see Sakurai including the likes of Heihachi and Lloyd Irvin despite not being high up according to this poll. But It's still a very interesting thing to note.

Here's hoping the Layton series will at least finally receive some acknowledgement in Smash, if not playable...

well we already have twp 3rd parties who arent on that poll so youre right there

 

[Curious Villager]

well we already have twp 3rd parties who arent on that poll so youre right there

Yeah, although their both echo fighters though.
I mean, I can see Edgeworth or Apollo as an echo for Phoenix if he made it in...

Edit: Oh wait, you mean Ryu? I suppose so, though wasn't he already datamined very early on during the Ballot? I can see why he didn't get much votes since many already knew he was coming at the time.

 

[PK Bash]

Hmm. Imagine if they did a DLC pack called "DS Legends" that included Phoenix, Layton, maybe Edgeworth/Apollo and Kat as Echoes, and one other playable character from the era that is synonymous with the DS (perhaps Neku from The World Ends With You), plus stages, assist trophies (which seems to be how the DS got all its representation in Smash tbh) and so on.

The only issue though that I can see with the idea of pushing Phoenix as a DS icon is that Ace Attorney actually debuted on the GBA in Japan. Which means that as far as Sakurai is concerned, Phoenix would be a GBA character.
You can still imagine a joint character trailer though!

With regards to the OP, maybe worth saying that the Layton series is a Puzzle-Adventure game in the first sentence? I dunno, the word "adventure" might remind people that he's about more than sudokus.
We should also note that Lady Layton is no longer an upcoming game (or even called Lady Layton, for that matter) but regardless, the Professor is still clearly the face of the series, constantly referenced in that game and with numerous appearances in the anime and more to follow. The Layton Series official outlets e.g. Twitter also continue to feature Professor Layton himself prominently and Level-5 are still pushing the series very hard indeed, including re-releasing the classic Professor Layton games.

Another "Pro" for Layton is his immense casual appeal as well as appeal in more serious videogame circles - just like Isabelle. He'd certainly sell as DLC, particularly in Japan and Europe where his games have found much favour amongst gamers and non-gamers alike.

There's also the fact that representation for the puzzle genre gives Layton a lot of potential for unique gameplay. This is ultimately what new Smash characters have got to offer - unique gameplay. This is the main reason why I can't see him using a sword, at least not extensively, in Smash. I think the Layton support base would benefit a lot from pushing the more unique potential in his Smash incarnation if we are to convince the "hardcore" Smash fans in the speculation scene on SmashBoards that we're as serious as someone like Isaac. (I mean, it's been a decade for us too...)
Issues of "representation" or who "deserves it" are simply not valid reasons to those who design the game - it's all about gameplay potential first and appeal to the playerbase second. Layton has both of these in spades. We need to make that as clear as possible if we are to raise his profile.

I really don't know what else to include in cons. He really has a lot going for him and it just comes down to whether or not Sakurai and co are prepared to make him a workable character.

Oh and my big post on my Smash interpretation of Professor Layton is nearly ready. The moveset is complete, I'm happy with it all at this stage and feel I've got the blueprints for a unique Smash character gameplay-wise that sticks to the core of Professor Layton's character (thanks to pulling numerous references from games and the movie) and captures the essence of the series in general too. All I've got to do now is finish some rough concept art.

Hopefully, that will be OP-worthy when complete!
--
Curious Villager while I'm here, can I ask how to add that Layton icon to a signature? Or add images to posts in SmashBoards in general in a way that everyone can see it?

 

[fogbadge]

Yeah, although their both echo fighters though.
I mean, I can see Edgeworth or Apollo as an echo for Phoenix if he made it in...

Edit: Oh wait, you mean Ryu? I suppose so, though wasn't he already datamined very early on during the Ballot? I can see why he didn't get much votes since many already knew he was coming at the time.

no i meant the belmonts i dont think any of the characters from last time were affected by the ballot despite what sakurai claims

 

[Curious Villager]

PK Bash
That would certainly be interesting, though it depends how they will handle DLC this time around and if they go with the same model of last time or do season passess.

Yeah Phoenix did technically debut on the GBA so that might be a little iffy, but if they want, I guess they can probably call it the "Handheld Legends Pack" and have it include Isaac, Layton, Phoenix, their home stages, music, trophies, maybe some Assist Trophies and echoes too. Those three seem to be the only handheld characters with significant support from what I can tell...

Thank you for the additional input, I've updated the OP with them.

That sounds very wonderful, I'll be looking forward to what you have to show, PK Bash!

Also if you want to add the icons to your signature, on the top of the page you should see your username, click on it, then click on signature. Then click on the insert image icon (It's the portrait drawing left from the smiley face icon) then either drag and drop the image into the box if you saved it, or click the by URL button and put the URL of the image there. Hope that helps.

no i meant the belmonts i dont think any of the characters from last time were affected by the ballot despite what sakurai claims

Oh I see, yeah probably, I even have doubts on Bayonetta "winning" the ballot but at least she's up there too, though Simon at least still did well in the global poll from what I see and a good number of third parties already shown where apparently also high on that poll so It's at least worth keeping an eye on.

 

[BluePikmin11]

I don't have much faith in Phoenix personally. I think Capcom's biggest IPs will be represented in Smash with a playable character, that being Resident Evil. Sales-wise, Layton has surprisingly performed much better than the Ace Attorney franchise, with AA totaling in 6.7 million in sales (Lower than the sales of Bomberman franchise). Layton surprisingly holds the bigger legacy. As cool as Phoenix would be, I think at best, Phoenix will be an Assist Trophy.

 

[Curious Villager]

I don't have much faith in Phoenix personally. I think Capcom's biggest IPs will be represented in Smash with a playable character, that being Resident Evil. Sales-wise, Layton has surprisingly performed much better than the Ace Attorney franchise, with AA totaling in 6.7 million in sales (Lower than the sales of Bomberman franchise). Layton surprisingly holds the bigger legacy. As cool as Phoenix would be, I think at best, Phoenix will be an Assist Trophy.

I guess there are a lot of variables on what gets a character included, particularly for third parties. Which may explain why someone like Shovel Knight only made it as an Assist Trophy despite its apparent demand and why Sakurai opted for Simon over Bomberman.

At least we know that there is high demand for a Level-5 character, with Jibanyan being highly requested in Japan and Layton in the West. I feel like Layton might triumph Jibanyan though as he is significantly more highly requested in the West and I'd imagine even Level-5 would probably encourage Sakurai to opt for Layton first, that as well as the series being the most successfull one the company has yet.

 

[BluePikmin11]

So to any Layton fan, are you in that mood for another sequel trilogy of the Layton games? Seems like most are pretty satisfied with the prequel trilogy, I generally don't see a demand for a third trilogy, it is mostly fans wanting Layton in Smash or having the games ported to the Switch.

 

[Curious Villager]

So to any Layton fan, are you in that mood for another sequel trilogy of the Layton games? Seems like most are pretty satisfied with the prequel trilogy, I generally don't see a demand for a third trilogy, it is mostly fans wanting Layton in Smash or having the games ported to the Switch.

There are a number of fans that still want to see some more games with the Prof and Level-5 thought ahead to put the events of LMJ far enough in the future that there is an option for that if they were to decide to go back to making more games involving Hershel again.

I'd like to see another trilogy with Hershel again, or at least as more of a mentor/guidance figure with Luke and/or Flora holding the main helm this time around. As I'm not sure what else they can add for Hershels character, there was an option for him to find someone to settle down with but LMJ kind of threw a wrench into the plan so I'm not sure what more they can do with him.

I guess for now, most people would probably want to focus more on Kat's story and then see how things will go from there.
But yeah, most of the focus from the fans is getting him into Smash and continuing to support the games for now.


Anyway, I'm currently hoping that Sakurai will give Smash Ultimate a good healthy support with DLC, I can't help but feel a little optimistic for Hershel's chances for Smash Ultimate (at least for DLC), but I guess I shouldn't set myself up for disappointment...

Also, where about a week away before the start of October so there is the Level-5 Vision for us to look forward to. I'm not expecting any "Layton solves the case!" type of surprise reveal or anything but I'm still interested to see what Hino's plans are for next year and if they will reveal the next Layton game there.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Hmm. Imagine if they did a DLC pack called "DS Legends" that included Phoenix, Layton, maybe Edgeworth/Apollo and Kat as Echoes, and one other playable character from the era that is synonymous with the DS (perhaps Neku from The World Ends With You), plus stages, assist trophies (which seems to be how the DS got all its representation in Smash tbh) and so on.

The only issue though that I can see with the idea of pushing Phoenix as a DS icon is that Ace Attorney actually debuted on the GBA in Japan. Which means that as far as Sakurai is concerned, Phoenix would be a GBA character.
You can still imagine a joint character trailer though!

Wouldn't it make a little more sense to put the Ouendan/EBA in there? They were DS icons, too.

 

[GoodGrief741]

So to any Layton fan, are you in that mood for another sequel trilogy of the Layton games? Seems like most are pretty satisfied with the prequel trilogy, I generally don't see a demand for a third trilogy, it is mostly fans wanting Layton in Smash or having the games ported to the Switch.

Yeah, I’m always down for some more Layton. As long as it’s not LMJ, Christ Almighty spare me from more of that.

An Apollo Justice-style follow up would probably work best, have Luke or Flora take over and just give us more awesome archaeology-puzzle-mystery goodness.

 

[fogbadge]

im always up for more layton

 

[MegaMarioMan9]

So Level-5 just dropped a bomb on us: Curious Village HD is available TODAY! With new cutscenes and a price point of 10 USD it's a steal.

https://twitter.com/LaytonSeries/status/1044638498358083584

 

[BluePikmin11]

So Level-5 just dropped a bomb on us: Curious Village HD is available TODAY! With new cutscenes and a price point of 10 USD it's a steal.

https://twitter.com/LaytonSeries/status/1044638498358083584

I wonder if Christopher Miller returned to voice Layton again. Hoping he does.

If anyone plays this app, let me know.

 

[Curious Villager]

Oh my , what's with the new logo?

Hah! It certainly pops out more than before. I like it.
A bit odd Level-5 just dropped the game without any real fanfare notice though. Hopefully they will advertise it so it gets noticed more. Once I get a better phone, I'll be sure to buy it.

Oh also...

See, even Level-5 agrees the Layton series is a legacy franchise!

 

[Flyboy]

This ranking has reminded me that I’ve noticed a slow but steady rise in popularity for Phoenix Wright in the past few months. Atleast from my experience he seems to be popping up in more and more wishlists and polls than I’ve seen before despite things not really changing for him speculation wise. While I know vocal support isn’t that important in the grand scheme of things, I’ve been trying to analyze what has caused Phoenix’s vocal support to rise and possibly see if we could recreate it to get some more of a presence for Layton for Smash.

The demographics of people in Smash speculation and support might be starting to shift to more people who grew up with/heavily played the DS. There seems to be a growing sentiment of appreciation of the DS, I remember a popular picture being shared awhile back that showed the data of which Smash characters originated on which consoles, with the DS being woefuly under represented despite being one of Nintendo’s most popular consoles.

I guess what I’m saying is that maybe a good strategy for drumming up support for Layton is to appeal to the growing sense of DS nostalgia and championing him as the perfect representative of that era. Maybe even try to combine support with Phoenix supporters, foster a dream of the two DS icons that got a crossover game together, should join Smash together.

At the end of the day character choices are up to Sakurai, but I was mainly just throwing out ideas for rallying support during the DLC period, which seem more favorable for Layton’s chances.

I'm jumping in here from the general thread to shout-out this post.

Layton vs. Wright was a fantastic game, and Layton was actually among the first Mii Fighters I made in 4. To have both Phoenix and Layton in the same Smash game and joining together would be the dream so even though I'm a number one Phoenix supporter all the way you can consider me an adjacent Layton supporter as well.

 

[Curious Villager]

Welcome on board Flyboy Happy to have you here too! I've added you to the supporters list.

By the way, there was this recent poll I thought you guys might like to see. Its from a french community.

http://www.jeuxvideo.com/forums/42-3013499-57661044-1-0-1-0-resultats-du-ballot-de-la-communaute.htm

It's a ballot of about 450 users voting and Layton made it into the top 20. It's nice to see him still doing well within European communities. I know he's highly popular in the UK and Spain too. Hopefully he did well enough in the official ballot too.

 

[Curious Villager]

Sorry for the double post again (I should probably bring up something that sparks up a bit more of a discussion here...) but eh, someone on Tumblr found a fun little easter egg in the HD remake of Curious Village.

If you turn the image upside down, the symbol down below bears a close resemblance to the official Smash Bros series icon. It more than likely doesn't mean anything though, but still a pretty cool find.

Anyway, where getting closer to the upcoming Level-5 vision which should take place sometime this month if I'm not mistaken. Is there anything in particular you guys are hoping to see from it? A new Layton game most surely will be announced there, what are you guys hoping to see from it?

If their sticking with Katrielle's plot, I'm hoping that they will have a bit more of a focused plot this time around as well as delve a bit deeper in regards to her past with Layton, we've already gotten a sneak peak on it in the Layton anime, but hopefully it will get a bit more expanded on.

I'm also hoping to hear more about Hino's plans for next year, if I recall correctly, he mentioned something along the lines of wanting to have closer ties with various companies he has worked with in the past. This of course includes Nintendo, so wishful me is hoping they will be able to work something out in regards to their content and Smash, though we'll probably not hear anything about it until Sakurai himself shows anything about it in regards to that.

Guess we'll have to wait and see.

 

[King Sonnn DeDeDoo]

Sorry for the double post again (I should probably bring up something that sparks up a bit more of a discussion here...) but eh, someone on Tumblr found a fun little easter egg in the HD remake of Curious Village.


If you turn the image upside down, the symbol down below bears a close resemblance to the official Smash Bros series icon. It more than likely doesn't mean anything though, but still a pretty cool find.

Anyway, where getting closer to the upcoming Level-5 vision which should take place sometime this month if I'm not mistaken. Is there anything in particular you guys are hoping to see from it? A new Layton game most surely will be announced there, what are you guys hoping to see from it?

If their sticking with Katrielle's plot, I'm hoping that they will have a bit more of a focused plot this time around as well as delve a bit deeper in regards to her past with Layton, we've already gotten a sneak peak on it in the Layton anime, but hopefully it will get a bit more expanded on.

I'm also hoping to hear more about Hino's plans for next year, if I recall correctly, he mentioned something along the lines of wanting to have closer ties with various companies he has worked with in the past. This of course includes Nintendo, so wishful me is hoping they will be able to work something out in regards to their content and Smash, though we'll probably not hear anything about it until Sakurai himself shows anything about it in regards to that.

Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Nice find with that symbol, even though I likewise doubt it means anything. I hope we get a confirmation of a new Layton series game this year. I have not played Katrielle’s game yet, but from what I can tell it was a bit of a disappointment in the story department. Perhaps they could improve upon this by making the old series characters play apart into the new series.


It looks like Hino said in an interview earlier this year that all their main titles will be on the switch. This portion of the interview was interesting to me

“This year, I would like to properly thank everyone who worked with us so far, and further strengthen our relationships with those people. Whether business or creative, I would like to deepen our bonds with everyone more than ever before.”

“I would like to make clear our standing as a company in the industry during Level-5 Vision 2018, which will be held in the fall. In 2018, in addition to thanking the various companies that have been involved with us, this year will likely be a turning point where we will henceforth properly represent those relationships.”

To me it seems like that Level-5 is attempting to grow even closer to Nintendo, the company they work the most with, we will have to see how exactly this “deepening of bonds” and thanking the companies they worked with will play out in the coming months.

 

[Curious Villager]

Nice find with that symbol, even though I likewise doubt it means anything. I hope we get a confirmation of a new Layton series game this year. I have not played Katrielle’s game yet, but from what I can tell it was a bit of a disappointment in the story department. Perhaps they could improve upon this by making the old series characters play apart into the new series.


It looks like Hino said in an interview earlier this year that all their main titles will be on the switch. This portion of the interview was interesting to me

To me it seems like that Level-5 is attempting to grow even closer to Nintendo, the company they work the most with, we will have to see how exactly this “deepening of bonds” and thanking the companies they worked with will play out in the coming months.

Yeah, if the anime is anything to go by, they might do something similar to Miracle Mask where you play a portion of the game in the present as Katrielle and a portion in the past with Layton, with probably Rosa or someone connecting the two, I agree that they should bring back more old characters in the new entry.

Yeah, I'm interested in that part too. I mean having their characters in Smash would probably be the best way to represent their bond with all the companies they worked with, since most of them, if not all of the companies Level-5 have had a history with at one point or another is present there (Capcom, Konami, Gamefreak, Square Enix and of course, Nintendo) I'm not expecting any reveals though as that hasn't worked out for other characters outside of general and Smash Directs. Though whatever they have in store, I'm interested to see how they will carry their company forward in the future and what they have got in store for it. Hopefully they will announce the date soon.

 

[GoodGrief741]

Sorry for the double post again (I should probably bring up something that sparks up a bit more of a discussion here...) but eh, someone on Tumblr found a fun little easter egg in the HD remake of Curious Village.


If you turn the image upside down, the symbol down below bears a close resemblance to the official Smash Bros series icon. It more than likely doesn't mean anything though, but still a pretty cool find.

Anyway, where getting closer to the upcoming Level-5 vision which should take place sometime this month if I'm not mistaken. Is there anything in particular you guys are hoping to see from it? A new Layton game most surely will be announced there, what are you guys hoping to see from it?

If their sticking with Katrielle's plot, I'm hoping that they will have a bit more of a focused plot this time around as well as delve a bit deeper in regards to her past with Layton, we've already gotten a sneak peak on it in the Layton anime, but hopefully it will get a bit more expanded on.

I'm also hoping to hear more about Hino's plans for next year, if I recall correctly, he mentioned something along the lines of wanting to have closer ties with various companies he has worked with in the past. This of course includes Nintendo, so wishful me is hoping they will be able to work something out in regards to their content and Smash, though we'll probably not hear anything about it until Sakurai himself shows anything about it in regards to that.

Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Here’s hoping that symbol is a tease!

I hope they announce a new Layton game, but I honestly don’t know where they could go. If it were up to me I’d just strike Mystery Journey from canon, but it doesn’t really make sense cross promotion wise with the anime.

I don’t know how I’d feel about Layton being playable again, I like the idea of his story being over, and bringing back the old protagonist leads to the same mentality that ruined Ace Attorney 5 and 6.

 

[Flyboy]

I just want Layton Bros. 2...

I really loved Katrielle as a character and the anime was a ton of fun. I hope further Katrielle games have better stories.

Also, honestly, at this point it wouldn't surprise me if Level 5 became a second party developer. Between Layton and YoKai Watch they're all in with Nintendo.

 

[King Sonnn DeDeDoo]

I just want Layton Bros. 2...

I really loved Katrielle as a character and the anime was a ton of fun. I hope further Katrielle games have better stories.

Also, honestly, at this point it wouldn't surprise me if Level 5 became a second party developer. Between Layton and YoKai Watch they're all in with Nintendo.

Never played Layton bros., how good is it?

 

[Jovahexeon Joranvexeon]

I just want Layton Bros. 2...

Well, if it's any consolation, according to Lady Layton, Layton Bros is still canon.

 

[Flyboy]

Never played Layton bros., how good is it?

Sooo good. It's more like Ace Attorney or Hotel Dusk in that it's about piecing together mysteries and exploring crime scenes and solving puzzles that relate to said scenes rather than the traditional Layton brain teasers, but as an Ace Attorney fan that appealed to me immensely. Well worth every penny and the characters are absolutely wonderful. Lucy and Alfendi are a joy to spend time with.

 

[GoodGrief741]

I just want Layton Bros. 2...

I really loved Katrielle as a character and the anime was a ton of fun. I hope further Katrielle games have better stories.

Also, honestly, at this point it wouldn't surprise me if Level 5 became a second party developer. Between Layton and YoKai Watch they're all in with Nintendo.

I’d rather have Alfendi carry the franchise than Kat. Although I didn’t watch the anime, is her character better there?

 

[Curious Villager]

I’d rather have Alfendi carry the franchise than Kat. Although I didn’t watch the anime, is her character better there?

From what I've heard, the anime handles things much better than the game, I haven't fully watched the anime myself other than the Hershel episodes, though I should probably give it a proper shot. Especially since most of the episodes are adapted from the game itself.

I should try out Alfendi's game too now that you guys mention that, I still have yet to play it myself.

 

[Flyboy]

I’d rather have Alfendi carry the franchise than Kat. Although I didn’t watch the anime, is her character better there?

She's just so bubbly and enthusiastic and focused on solving mysteries and to me that is very relatable. And fun! I love them all. Put Kat, Lucy, and Alfendi in one game and let them take over for a while.

 

[NintenJen]

Hoping that symbol is a tease... let Ultimate be the Smash game that the Layton series finally gets some recognition.

Also, speaking of prompting more discussion....

As I'm sure most of us are doing, I've been my eyes peeled regarding any news about Level-5 Vision. Such as checking Akihiro Hino's twitter and Level-5's, but so far I haven't seen anything. Maybe they'll announce later it this month.

However, I did find this while lurking through Akihiro Hino's twitter page:

He follows Sakurai! In return, Sakurai follows him back!

I know it's not much, but it's nice that they keep track of each other through social media. Maybe out of courtesy since they are part of the same industry, so they probably respect each other. That also means Sakurai is aware of Level-5 and their importance to the Japanese game industry.

Next, found this. I don't know if any of you have heard of Press Start -Symphony of Games-, but in case you haven't - it's a series of Japanese game music concerts that started in 2006. It was started by several professionals in the industry, such as Nobuo Uemastu, Kazushige Nojima, Taizo Takemoto, Shogo Sakai, and yep you guessed it - Masahiro Sakurai.

In their fifth anniversary collection, Professor Layton's theme was featured. Here is the track, you might be familiar with it:

Again, not much... but it makes me happy that Sakurai was producer of a project that decided to pick Professor Layton music as part of their concerts. Maybe he had a decision on that? I wouldn't be surprised that if Layton does get in Ultimate, that track is added to Smash. It would be a nice reference to a project he's part of. Or if Sakurai decides to add Layton music in general.

Press Start was also mentioned in this Iwata Asks with Sakurai, here, if you're interested. It also goes into how music in Smash is done. According to Sakurai, the concert series helped him meet with several composers that would help make music for Smash. Pretty interesting stuff.

 

[BluePikmin11]

Wow! That is seriously interesting. :O

 

[King Sonnn DeDeDoo]

Oh random thought about Professor Layton, how tall do you think he would be in game if he was a playable character? Since his hat would account for a large portion of his in-game model, do you think his hat would be included into his hurtbox?

 

[Curious Villager]

Hoping that symbol is a tease... let Ultimate be the Smash game that the Layton series finally gets some recognition.

Also, speaking of prompting more discussion....

As I'm sure most of us are doing, I've been my eyes peeled regarding any news about Level-5 Vision. Such as checking Akihiro Hino's twitter and Level-5's, but so far I haven't seen anything. Maybe they'll announce later it this month.

However, I did find this while lurking through Akihiro Hino's twitter page:

He follows Sakurai! In return, Sakurai follows him back!

I know it's not much, but it's nice that they keep track of each other through social media. Maybe out of courtesy since they are part of the same industry, so they probably respect each other. That also means Sakurai is aware of Level-5 and their importance to the Japanese game industry.

Next, found this. I don't know if any of you have heard of Press Start -Symphony of Games-, but in case you haven't - it's a series of Japanese game music concerts that started in 2006. It was started by several professionals in the industry, such as Nobuo Uemastu, Kazushige Nojima, Taizo Takemoto, Shogo Sakai, and yep you guessed it - Masahiro Sakurai.

In their fifth anniversary collection, Professor Layton's theme was featured. Here is the track, you might be familiar with it:

Again, not much... but it makes me happy that Sakurai was producer of a project that decided to pick Professor Layton music as part of their concerts. Maybe he had a decision on that? I wouldn't be surprised that if Layton does get in Ultimate, that track is added to Smash. It would be a nice reference to a project he's part of. Or if Sakurai decides to add Layton music in general.

Press Start was also mentioned in this Iwata Asks with Sakurai, here, if you're interested. It also goes into how music in Smash is done. According to Sakurai, the concert series helped him meet with several composers that would help make music for Smash. Pretty interesting stuff.

Oh wow, that's very interesting to know! I knew that Sakurai and Hino crossed path's several times, including having Layton requested for Smash in front of both of them, I didn't know that they kept close contact with each other though. That's really good to know.

I feel like Negotiating for Layton in Smash Ultimate should be fairly straightforward for them since the more I'm seeing and hearing from them, the more it feels like their pretty close buds. Even Nintendo is very close with Level-5 as a company, they have been a real major player during the DS and 3DS era, and if the last interview is anything to go by, that will continue into the Switch's lifespan too.

Seeing both Layton and Jibanyan doing well in popularity poll's too should hopefully encourage Sakurai to get in contact with Level-5 to have their content included in Smash Ultimate. I've got no doubt that they will happily cooperate and make the whole process go as smooth as possible.

Oh random thought about Professor Layton, how tall do you think he would be in game if he was a playable character? Since his hat would account for a large portion of his in-game model, do you think his hat would be included into his hurtbox?

That depends, is Tuxedo Mario's hat a part of his hurtbox?
I should probably take a double check into every characters heights. Though I'd imagine he might be about as tall as Peach. (Top hat not included)

 

[GoodGrief741]

Oh random thought about Professor Layton, how tall do you think he would be in game if he was a playable character? Since his hat would account for a large portion of his in-game model, do you think his hat would be included into his hurtbox?

Taller than Ike probably.

 

[NintenJen]

Some unfortunate news regarding the Curious Village HD easter egg picture Curious Villager posted. I did some digging on the tumblr post, and one user pointed out that 'Smash' symbol might just be a reference to the Big Ben sticker found in the real life version of the notebook that you can purchase.

However, something strikes me odd. I am curious as to why in the game, that sticker is in a minimalist design. While the notebook in the game is simplistic in general... they made Katrielle's charm in detail, replacing the UK heart sticker which was detailed to begin with. They also kept her symbol intact. So why does the Big Ben sticker look so simple? They could have retained some of its original properties such as the colors, and Level-5 has the money for animation. Then again, maybe they were lazy. As the rest of the notebook is missing some properties from the real one like the pink stripes.

They're also a bit different. Here's a comparison (I even flipped the picture to compare):

If you notice, the line that crosses, where the word 'London' is supposed to be in the game one is narrower toward the left side, the real one does not have that.
Here's the Smash logo if you wanna add to the comparison.

This is all just silly speculation with no merit, but it's fun to look at. I'm probably buying too much into this though, but it could be a hint with how different the sticker is in the game and being more similar to the Smash logo than the real one. The Layton twitter was dropping hints for CVHD, wouldn't be too far fetched if the game devs were dropping hints for other titles that involve Layton in the game. But anything regarding Smash would have to be kept really low profile and minimum due to NDAs from Nintendo, so Level-5 can't say anything. But something like this would be a perfect way to subtly hint Layton in Smash, especially since I haven't really seen anything about this 'easter egg' until now.

And if it is a hint, and since the sticker is in Kat's notebook... could that mean she is in Smash instead of her father? (Lucina was picked in Smash 4 instead of her father, Chrom. That could be a possibility.) Suppose it is a Smash reference, why would Katrielle have it and not Hershel? Or maybe her dad is in, and she tags along as an echo fighter? Again, I feel like I'm just grasping straws with little to no basis, but it's kinda fun to talk about such trivial things. xD This thread hasn't been so active after all.

I'd totally be down for a Kat echo, by the way.

Oh random thought about Professor Layton, how tall do you think he would be in game if he was a playable character? Since his hat would account for a large portion of his in-game model, do you think his hat would be included into his hurtbox?

I always felt like Layton would be the same height as either Cloud or Bayonetta. Maybe Ike. I don't think his hat would matter much, since... well we have characters who wear hats like Mario who I don't think their apparel is affected by hitboxes.

Oh wow, that's very interesting to know! I knew that Sakurai and Hino crossed path's several times, including having Layton requested for Smash in front of both of them, I didn't know that they kept close contact with each other though. That's really good to know.

I feel like Negotiating for Layton in Smash Ultimate should be fairly straightforward for them since the more I'm seeing and hearing from them, the more it feels like their pretty close buds. Even Nintendo is very close with Level-5 as a company, they have been a real major player during the DS and 3DS era, and if the last interview is anything to go by, that will continue into the Switch's lifespan too.

Seeing both Layton and Jibanyan doing well in popularity poll's too should hopefully encourage Sakurai to get in contact with Level-5 to have their content included in Smash Ultimate. I've got no doubt that they will happily cooperate and make the whole process go as smooth as possible.

Akihiro Hino was also in good terms with Satoru Iwata, who no doubt was close with Sakurai. Iwata stated how he and Hino had a lot in common as developers. Iwata was also the reason why Nintendo invested in publishing the Professor Layton series overseas. If you're curious about the source behind these, it's this magnificent interview... another Iwata Asks with Akihiro Hino. This part of the interview talks about the Professor Layton series and and the next part after it talks about its impact around the world and Europe. I recommend it to all of you here to take a good read at it, because you learn some interesting stuff such as what I stated above. From the interview, it really seems like Iwata respected the Layton series and was possibly a fan. And I think as tribute for his wonderful contributions to Nintendo and gaming after his passing, Hino and Sakurai could do something with Professor Layton and his series being added to Smash.

And I'll leave this fun tidbit, there was a rumor a few years back that Iwata possibly wanted Hino to succeed him as Nintendo's president! Imagine that, Level-5 could have merged with Nintendo and Layton would have most definitely been in Smash by now.