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!

[fogbadge]

it doesnt, just suggested a date for a Nintendo direct

I'm just commenting on how funny it would be if the scenario it was depicting was this

well the fandom reaction might be worth it

 

[Curious Villager]

Well lets just say I wouldn't hold it past Level-5 if they where to want to promote Kat over the Prof since she is their current lead in the franchise right now. I suppose in terms of Sakurai, he may opt for Kat if he wants to represent the series core gameplay aspect first, especially since a lot of Layton fans want Layton to have a fencing based moveset, so it might be worth it to go for Kat first and then include Layton in a future game instead. But that's just me spitballing some scenario's I guess.

She would have quite a wardrobe for alts though, though then again, so did Link and Mario so she'd probably only get one or two extra alts I guess...

 

[Flyboy]

I can't lie, Katrielle was one of my immediate thoughts too, but I absolutely can't say I'd be disappointed. I love Kat! I know her game isn't as good as the Prof's games, but she was great in the anime.

 

[Curious Villager]

You know, I think I'd let Kat's potential inclusion over the Prof slide if they took full advantage over her affinity for different outfits and give her different alts based off other characters. Most notable ones would be the DLC outfits based off Layton, Luke, Flora and Emmy.

Heck they could maybe even pull a Hero and include three other characters as alts for her, there are a lot of Layton girls that share Kat's size and proportions, but I think the three that would probably make the most sense are Emiliana, Flora and Emmy. Maybe Lucy, Aurora and Claire too but I'm not quite as sure on those.

A pipe dream, but that would be amazing to see imo.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Let's consider the following; in regards to third-party series with a continuity (Most Pac-Man and Persona installments are standalone ), Sakurai has yet to break the pattern of "most noteworthy main character first". Even Castlevania had this, since he briefly considered Alucard, until he realised that fans would prefer the Belmonts.

So we'll have to see what happens.

 

[Curious Villager]

Even Twitter is bringing Katrielle up as a possibility so I guess we weren't the only ones who thought it could potentially be her.
I guess overall it probably depends on what Sakurai and Level-5 have agreed upon and how they would go about representing the series.

Its hard to tell, they do often go for the most noteworthy main protag, but other times, they may default to the latest one as well. Besides Joker, Hero's default design is also the most recent one.

So I guess it would probably depend on whether Sakurai, nintendo and Level-5 decided to go for either Hershel or Katrielle...

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Even Twitter is bringing Katrielle up as a possibility so I guess we weren't the only ones who thought it could potentially be her.
I guess overall it probably depends on what Sakurai and Level-5 have agreed upon and how they would go about representing the series.

Its hard to tell, they do often go for the most noteworthy main protag, but other times, they may default to the latest one as well. Besides Joker, Hero's default design is also the most recent one.

So I guess it would probably depend on whether Sakurai, nintendo and Level-5 decided to go for either Hershel or Katrielle...

I will say that Hero's situation is an unusual one. Enix banked so heavily on XI's promotion that Luminary took priority over even Erdrick, but the latter still got in as a skin anyway. So it's difficult to say if the same would be done for Katrielle and Hershel.

 

[fogbadge]

well theres every chance hes picking characters out of hats so it may not matter

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

well theres every chance hes picking characters out of hats so it may not matter

If anything, it's moreso other fighting games that feel that way for me. Smash picks usually make sense in retrospect, so if anything it's the least random of all the fighting games Bandai Namco published, in regard to guest choices (especially compared to SC's Star Wars characters and Negan in Tekken).

Also, most people think the characters are getting picked out of a list, but hey, what do we know, no one here may be right.

 

[Curious Villager]

I suppose it depends on your viewpoint. Sakurai does also tend to come forward to explain why he makes the choices that he does for most characters and considering the over analyzing nature of the Smash fanbase, most also tend to find a way to rationalize most of Sakurai's more curious character choices.

Its ironic, despite how Sakurai often gets called out for being too quiet or slow when it comes to bringing in more Smash info, he's actually been the most talkative compared to most other developers in the industry, to the point that even someone like Eiji Aunuma managed to get away with hinting at a remake of Link's Awakening three years prior to its reveal.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Its ironic, despite how Sakurai often gets called out for being too quiet or slow when it comes to bringing in more Smash info, he's actually been the most talkative compared to most other developers in the industry, to the point that even someone like Eiji Aunuma managed to get away with hinting at a remake of Link's Awakening three years prior to its reveal.

Smash fans be like:

 

[amageish]

I mean, I'd be perfectly happy with anything Layton in Smash, so as long as Kat came with the OST samples from across the full series, Kat is definitely fine by me. She's a really likeable character and it'd be fun to see her run amok in the world of Smash.

My big question is how they would handle her announcement. I feel like the trailer would either not acknowledge the Professor at all or they would lean into it, having him be the one to give his daughter the invitation with the intention of making it a touching father-daughter moment and actually making it a salt-fest.

As for her actual odds of being picked over the professor, I really don't know. Joker and Eleven are both very modern protagonists, but also from well-selling and popular games in the series. I don't know Layton Mystery Journey sales numbers, but I'm going out on a limb and saying it probably hasn't outsold every other game in the franchise like Persona 5 has...

well its not impossible, but does this rumour have anything going for it?

Yeah, the issue is that, AFIAK, the rumor is only popular right now because of the idea that it could be Tracer. Overwatched was leaked for Switch, so people went to see if anyone has "leaked" Tracer for Smash and found this.

 

[Curious Villager]

I mean, I'd be perfectly happy with anything Layton in Smash, so as long as Kat came with the OST samples from across the full series, Kat is definitely fine by me. She's a really likeable character and it'd be fun to see her run amok in the world of Smash.

My big question is how they would handle her announcement. I feel like the trailer would either not acknowledge the Professor at all or they would lean into it, having him be the one to give his daughter the invitation with the intention of making it a touching father-daughter moment and actually making it a salt-fest.

As for her actual odds of being picked over the professor, I really don't know. Joker and Eleven are both very modern protagonists, but also from well-selling and popular games in the series. I don't know Layton Mystery Journey sales numbers, but I'm going out on a limb and saying it probably hasn't outsold every other game in the franchise like Persona 5 has...



Yeah, the issue is that, AFIAK, the rumor is only popular right now because of the idea that it could be Tracer. Overwatched was leaked for Switch, so people went to see if anyone has "leaked" Tracer for Smash and found this.

I suppose her trailer would probably be something like someone else mentioned earlier, a letter to Layton finds its way to Kat's agency, she finds out that its an invitation for her father to join Smash, however, due to him still being missing, she insists to go in his stead and do him proud.

I'd kind of get a Robin reveal trailer type vibes and Layton would probably end up getting Chrom'd by being meme'd to the ground..... But hopefully we'd see him in the next Smash game down the line after he's been "found" and saving Kat after she gets herself in some danger. Kind of like Lucas's trailer.

As for LMJ's sales, I heard it did pretty well, I forgot the exact numbers, but it was probably around the sales of an average Layton game.


But yeah, the whole thing is only a rumour for now and only really popularized because it coincidentally came along with some Overwatch leak and people started linking it with that. So it could very well mean pretty much nothing in the end.

 

[fogbadge]

I suppose it depends on your viewpoint. Sakurai does also tend to come forward to explain why he makes the choices that he does for most characters and considering the over analyzing nature of the Smash fanbase, most also tend to find a way to rationalize most of Sakurai's more curious character choices.

Its ironic, despite how Sakurai often gets called out for being too quiet or slow when it comes to bringing in more Smash info, he's actually been the most talkative compared to most other developers in the industry, to the point that even someone like Eiji Aunuma managed to get away with hinting at a remake of Link's Awakening three years prior to its reveal.

sometimes his explanations seem contradictory, when compared to other characters

yeah sakurai is not in a great position, everybody hangs on to everything he says in a bizarre attempt to predict characters as well as every little detail in his videos like the colour of chairs, where as every one else just gets on with out any bother.

 

[amageish]

I suppose her trailer would probably be something like someone else mentioned earlier, a letter to Layton finds its way to Kat's agency, she finds out that its an invitation for her father to join Smash, however, due to him still being missing, she insists to go in his stead and do him proud.

I'd kind of get a Robin reveal trailer type vibes and Layton would probably end up getting Chrom'd by being meme'd to the ground..... But hopefully we'd see him in the next Smash game down the line after he's been "found" and saving Kat after she gets herself in some danger. Kind of like Lucas's trailer.

As for LMJ's sales, I heard it did pretty well, I forgot the exact numbers, but it was probably around the sales of an average Layton game.

Oooo, that could work and provide good set-up for the next game for sure. It'd also allow for some epic misdirection, if she doesn't acknowledge that it's a Smash letter or show its wax seal until the end of the trailer. Seems like she's just going on a new adventure, then Smash!

That makes sense. I mean, she would definitely work as the Layton rep; it just doesn't seem like she has the same justification in pushing her above the professor that Joker had for pushing him above Yu/Minato/etc.

But yeah, the whole thing is only a rumour for now and only really popularized because it coincidentally came along with some Overwatch leak and people started linking it with that. So it could very well mean pretty much nothing in the end.

I also kind of wonder how many female characters wouldn't confuse/surprise people? Like, 99% of commonly-speculated characters are male, with the few exceptions being thought of as discomfirmed (ex/ Shantae is a spirit; Dixie is first-party when DLC seems third-party focused and is also a spririt, etc.). The main one that comes to mind is Jill Valentine, but even then Leon S. Kennedy is just as popular if not more popular...

 

[Curious Villager]

sometimes his explanations seem contradictory, when compared to other characters

yeah sakurai is not in a great position, everybody hangs on to everything he says in a bizarre attempt to predict characters as well as every little detail in his videos like the colour of chairs, where as every one else just gets on with out any bother.

Yeah sometimes it does kind of feel like he just comes up with certain reasonings on the spot, or contradicts himself as to why he rejected certain characters but allowed others in instead or vice versa.
I guess he can't just go out and say "because I wanted/didn't want to add this character", even with that he'd just get called out for including characters for his own biases and all.

With every other dev's they don't really comment as much on the character choices they make. At least as far as I'm aware, the Mario Kart dev's weren't confronted as to why they include so many baby characters in the games for example.

Oooo, that could work and provide good set-up for the next game for sure. It'd also allow for some epic misdirection, if she doesn't acknowledge that it's a Smash letter or show its wax seal until the end of the trailer. Seems like she's just going on a new adventure, then Smash!

That makes sense. I mean, she would definitely work as the Layton rep; it just doesn't seem like she has the same justification in pushing her above the professor that Joker had for pushing him above Yu/Minato/etc.



I also kind of wonder how many female characters wouldn't confuse/surprise people? Like, 99% of commonly-speculated characters are male, with the few exceptions being thought of as discomfirmed (ex/ Shantae is a spirit; Dixie is first-party when DLC seems third-party focused and is also a spririt, etc.). The main one that comes to mind is Jill Valentine, but even then Leon S. Kennedy is just as popular if not more popular...

Yeah I suppose that could work, maybe have her wishing that Layton was here too for a bit of foreshadowing for a future Smash game. Much like Pit's trophy in melee of "shall Pit ever fight again" or Chrom's quote of "I suppose I'll get my chance another day"

Yeah that's pretty much the thing, I suppose she's fairly popular, at least thanks to the anime moreso than her game. Though Hershel is still significantly bigger than her that its a bit harder to justify her over the Prof outside of "because she is the current face of the series right now". Eitherway, I'd hope we'd still manage to get both character eventually if they where to go that route.


Personally I'd think this would fit Kat probably the best, at least as far as confusion goes as Layton is definitely the more popular choice as a character as well as the main face of the series for Smash, so seeing a different Layton character prioritized over him would definitely raise a lot of eyebrows. That as well as the fact that Katrielle's game wasn't all that well received but her series is still being pushed by Level-5 despite that.

But what do I know, I don't know how divisive most other female characters in gaming are...

 

[amageish]

With every other dev's they don't really comment as much on the character choices they make. At least as far as I'm aware, the Mario Kart dev's weren't confronted as to why they include so many baby characters in the games for example.

I feel like other fighting games get some degree of this scrutiny, plus fanservice-y games like Hyrule Warriors, but Smash Bros is definitely the champion of fan demand, including both max hype and max salt.

Yeah I suppose that could work, maybe have her wishing that Layton was here too for a bit of foreshadowing for a future Smash game. Much like Pit's trophy in melee of "shall Pit ever fight again" or Chrom's quote of "I suppose I'll get my chance another day"

Something like that for sure. Or maybe he turns up in her final Smash, just to perfectly recreate Chrom.

Yeah that's pretty much the thing, I suppose she's fairly popular, at least thanks to the anime moreso than her game. Though Hershel is still significantly bigger than her that its a bit harder to justify her over the Prof outside of "because she is the current face of the series right now". Eitherway, I'd hope we'd still manage to get both character eventually if they where to go that route.

Yeah, definitely. It'd be especially ironic if Nintendo picked the protagonist of the mainline one game they didn't help localize. I wouldn't object though.

Personally I'd think this would fit Kat probably the best, at least as far as confusion goes as Layton is definitely the more popular choice as a character as well as the main face of the series for Smash, so seeing a different Layton character prioritized over him would definitely raise a lot of eyebrows. That as well as the fact that Katrielle's game wasn't all that well received but her series is still being pushed by Level-5 despite that.

But what do I know, I don't know how divisive most other female characters in gaming are...

I mean, would any character who isn't one of the top 10 characters that are constantly brought up not be divisive? Sorry about the double-negative, but I think that's the best way to express that feeling... Smash community is fickle, so while a lot of female characters are not divisive in of themselves, I imagine someone like Arle from Puyo Puyo casually getting into Smash would piss people off solely on the grounds that she isn't a favourite overall. I mean, a lot of the salt around the idea of Tracer is because of her taking the Activision-Blizzard slot that people want to be filled by Crash.

That said, yeah, Kat would definitely be one of the top female characters as far as confusion goes. The only ones I can imagine provoking more of a "Wait... What?" are the characters who are technically video game characters, but generally not thought of that way - such as Saber from Fate, who is basically an anime character outside of Japan.

 

[Curious Villager]

I feel like other fighting games get some degree of this scrutiny, plus fanservice-y games like Hyrule Warriors, but Smash Bros is definitely the champion of fan demand, including both max hype and max salt.



Something like that for sure. Or maybe he turns up in her final Smash, just to perfectly recreate Chrom.



Yeah, definitely. It'd be especially ironic if Nintendo picked the protagonist of the mainline one game they didn't help localize. I wouldn't object though.



I mean, would any character who isn't one of the top 10 characters that are constantly brought up not be divisive? Sorry about the double-negative, but I think that's the best way to express that feeling... Smash community is fickle, so while a lot of female characters are not divisive in of themselves, I imagine someone like Arle from Puyo Puyo casually getting into Smash would piss people off solely on the grounds that she isn't a favourite overall. I mean, a lot of the salt around the idea of Tracer is because of her taking the Activision-Blizzard slot that people want to be filled by Crash.

That said, yeah, Kat would definitely be one of the top female characters as far as confusion goes. The only ones I can imagine provoking more of a "Wait... What?" are the characters who are technically video game characters, but generally not thought of that way - such as Saber from Fate, who is basically an anime character outside of Japan.

Yeah I suppose similar fanservice games like Hyrule Warriors have received similar scrutiny in the past. I think Mario Kart was always more about the tracks than the characters, I think the dev's themselves admitted as such at one point. So long as the Mario Kart 64 cast was there, that was essentially good enough for them.

Probably yeah.

Now that you mention it, that would be quite ironic. At least they still helped promote the games though, even though they have no part in localizing the games anymore. I wonder if Level-5 would finally bring over London Life to Europe if they where to do a Last Specter HD remaster as well....

Honestly, I suppose any character that isn't part of the community party bubble would probably receive a lot of scrutiny at this point, especially if we are not getting a second fighters pass. That said, they'd probably still rationalize someone like Arle for being a popular character in Japan and Puyo Puyo essentially being Sega's second biggest franchise if I'm not mistaken.
Tracer on the other hand, yeah probably.

Kat's main rationale would be that she is the current lead of the Layton franchise, she still isn't quite as popular as Hershel and her first game wasn't received too well either. So her inclusion would be more down to Level-5 wanting to promote her line of games now, or if Sakurai wants to give the first Layton character a puzzle based moveset to represent the series core gameplay aspect but feels he'd probably upset a lot of Layton fans that want Hershel to have a fencing based moveset or something, I don't know. Eitherway, her inclusion over the Prof would definitely be something very unusual. Even compared to Robin and Lucina's inclusions over Chrom back in Smash 4.

 

[fogbadge]

Yeah sometimes it does kind of feel like he just comes up with certain reasonings on the spot, or contradicts himself as to why he rejected certain characters but allowed others in instead or vice versa.
I guess he can't just go out and say "because I wanted/didn't want to add this character", even with that he'd just get called out for including characters for his own biases and all.

With every other dev's they don't really comment as much on the character choices they make. At least as far as I'm aware, the Mario Kart dev's weren't confronted as to why they include so many baby characters in the games for example.


But what do I know, I don't know how divisive most other female characters in gaming are...

if it were me id just right out admit it, hes in charge at its his decision to make so he shouldnt have to justify himself. then again i also would be able to resist messing with fans by including really random characters. i would be nice if the fans could accept it but alas even putting in a bunch of fan favourites are enough to pacify them


well i could be wrong but i think a lot of females in videos games are mostly just stock characters at this point. and a lot of them seem to have a certain audience in mind when theyre designed, or rather designed by that audience.

 

[amageish]

Yeah I suppose similar fanservice games like Hyrule Warriors have received similar scrutiny in the past. I think Mario Kart was always more about the tracks than the characters, I think the dev's themselves admitted as such at one point. So long as the Mario Kart 64 cast was there, that was essentially good enough for them.

Yeah, Mario Kart is pretty safe, though I feel like they will get less safe if they keep on adding more crossover characters. Link, Isabelle, Villager, and Inklings may have opened a diabolical box for them...

#LaytonforMarioKart9

Now that you mention it, that would be quite ironic. At least they still helped promote the games though, even though they have no part in localizing the games anymore. I wonder if Level-5 would finally bring over London Life to Europe if they where to do a Last Specter HD remaster as well....

Yeah, they have still been pushing them pretty heavily - especially with this Switch port. And I certainly hope they would include London Life in all regions, or maybe even just release it as its own free game as promotion for the series...

Honestly, I suppose any character that isn't part of the community party bubble would probably receive a lot of scrutiny at this point, especially if we are not getting a second fighters pass. That said, they'd probably still rationalize someone like Arle for being a popular character in Japan and Puyo Puyo essentially being Sega's second biggest franchise if I'm not mistaken.
Tracer on the other hand, yeah probably.

Kat's main rationale would be that she is the current lead of the Layton franchise, she still isn't quite as popular as Hershel and her first game wasn't received too well either. So her inclusion would be more down to Level-5 wanting to promote her line of games now, or if Sakurai wants to give the first Layton character a puzzle based moveset to represent the series core gameplay aspect but feels he'd probably upset a lot of Layton fans that want Hershel to have a fencing based moveset or something, I don't know. Eitherway, her inclusion over the Prof would definitely be something very unusual. Even compared to Robin and Lucina's inclusions over Chrom back in Smash 4.

Yeah, definitely. Puyo Puyo could probably get away with it argument-wise, but I imagine the reaction videos would still be pretty salty at least. Tracer definitely would be roasted - maybe less so now that's being speculated though.

Yeah, there definitely are reasons they could pick Kat, even if they're not exactly popular ones. Chrom had a logical enough reason for exclusion at the time; I don't think Layton really has any of those issues.

 

[Curious Villager]

if it were me id just right out admit it, hes in charge at its his decision to make so he shouldnt have to justify himself. then again i also would be able to resist messing with fans by including really random characters. i would be nice if the fans could accept it but alas even putting in a bunch of fan favourites are enough to pacify them


well i could be wrong but i think a lot of females in videos games are mostly just stock characters at this point. and a lot of them seem to have a certain audience in mind when theyre designed, or rather designed by that audience.

If only things where that simple, but this being the internet, every word you say gets looked closely on a huge magnifying glass or taken out of context. Especially for someone like Sakurai where the fans are known to overanalyze every single thing he does or says.

I don't really have much to say about most female characters in gaming myself, most of the ones that I like are usually just minor characters, side characters or sidekicks so I don't have much to add for those. I'd love to see Lip or Arle make it into Smash one day though.

Yeah, Mario Kart is pretty safe, though I feel like they will get less safe if they keep on adding more crossover characters. Link, Isabelle, Villager, and Inklings may have opened a diabolical box for them...

#LaytonforMarioKart9

Yeah, they have still been pushing them pretty heavily - especially with this Switch port. And I certainly hope they would include London Life in all regions, or maybe even just release it as its own free game as promotion for the series...



Yeah, definitely. Puyo Puyo could probably get away with it argument-wise, but I imagine the reaction videos would still be pretty salty at least. Tracer definitely would be roasted - maybe less so now that's being speculated though.

Yeah, there definitely are reasons they could pick Kat, even if they're not exactly popular ones. Chrom had a logical enough reason for exclusion at the time; I don't think Layton really has any of those issues.

>When you realize that Hino confirmed to be cool with seeing Layton in Mario Kart too...

Super Speed Bros when?

Its nice to know that Nintendo is still supporting the Layton series as much as they can, even though Level-5's been doing all the publishing for the series these days. Thinking about it now, don't you find it funny how the Smash fanbase tends to immediately speculate on any third party franchise getting a Switch port to having a chance at being DLC, yet this wasn't brought up all that much when LMJ Deluxe came along? Even funnier when you consider that really only one out of three DLC characters where even used as a promotional tool for an upcoming Switch port. Oh well...

I suppose that's the nature of Smash.

Yeah it would probably be more due to circumstantial reasons to go with Kat over Hershel rather than popularity based reasons.

 

[fogbadge]

If only things where that simple, but this being the internet, every work you say gets looked closely on a huge magnifying glass or taken out of context. Especially for someone like Sakurai where the fans are known to overanalyze every single thing he does or says.

must be such a surreal experience

 

[Curious Villager]

must be such a surreal experience

Its pretty much what everyone that is famous on the internet has to put up with really.

 

[fogbadge]

Its pretty much what everyone that is famous on the internet has to put up with really.

and it makes me glad im not one of them

 

[Curious Villager]

Well eitherway, the rumour is most likely fake but still an interesting "what if" scenario to ponder I suppose.

Only a few days left until this month is wrapped up and then its over to September, Banjo will probably release at some point that month. The Tokyo Game Show will be on (Hopefully they will finally reveal the next Layton game there.) And then there is the Nintendo Direct, hopefully the identity of Fighter 4 will finally be revealed there. Here's hoping...

 

[amageish]

>When you realize that Hino confirmed to be cool with seeing Layton in Mario Kart too...

Super Speed Bros when?

Layton finally gets confirmed for the long-waited crossover...

Yes, he will be teeing off in Super Smash Golfers, the upcoming sports game by Camelot! Isaac from Golden Sun and Waluigi are engaged in an epic golf tournament over who is Camelot's best original character, and they're dragging everyone into it. This crossover title stars everyone's favourite characters who are not already playable, in Smash Brothers, including Geno, Bandana Waddle Dee, Doomguy, and the literal dozens of Capcom characters people want for Smash.

/s

but I would play it

Its nice to know that Nintendo is still supporting the Layton series as much as they can, even though Level-5's been doing all the publishing for the series these days. Thinking about it now, don't you find it funny how the Smash fanbase tends to immediately speculate on any third party franchise getting a Switch port to having a chance at being DLC, yet this wasn't brought up all that much when LMJ Deluxe came along? Even funnier when you consider that really only one out of three DLC characters where even used as a promotional tool for an upcoming Switch port. Oh well...

I mean, as Miyamoto said, the games are expensive to localize, so I bet they aren't opposed to still getting the games on their consoles while not having to pay for them. They also have a long relationship with the Layton series, so I see no reason it would end now.

The assumption that any series coming to Switch means DLC for Smash is coming is an odd one for her, especially as 2/3rds of the DLC characters do not have any current plans for their main game of origin to come to Switch, with neither seeming especially likely (note that Microsoft has, following Ori's reveal, made a statement saying that they have "no plans" to bring more first-party titles to other platforms, so a Rare Reply port alongside Banjo would require them to be lying).

Yeah it would probably be more due to circumstantial reasons to go with Kat over Hershel rather than popularity based reasons.

Definitely would just be a case of timing - though it's not like timing hasn't hurt/helped characters before. Though, frankly, the more we walk about it, the more I kind of want it now... If she had all of her Layton cosplay outfits as alts, then we could really be maximizing Layton fanservice with her and it would be pretty cool.

Well eitherway, the rumour is most likely fake but still an interesting "what if" scenario to ponder I suppose.

Only a few days left until this month is wrapped up and then its over to September, Banjo will probably release at some point that month. The Tokyo Game Show will be on (Hopefully they will finally reveal the next Layton game there.) And then there is the Nintendo Direct, hopefully the identity of Fighter 4 will finally be revealed there. Here's hoping...

It's been fun to see speculation head towards the more obscure characters if nothing else...

I'm really hyped for the TGS and the potential September Direct. I'm not personally certain about fighter four being revealed before Banjo gets debriefed/released though...

 

[GoodGrief741]

Layton finally gets confirmed for the long-waited crossover...

Yes, he will be teeing off in Super Smash Golfers, the upcoming sports game by Camelot! Isaac from Golden Sun and Waluigi are engaged in an epic golf tournament over who is Camelot's best original character, and they're dragging everyone into it. This crossover title stars everyone's favourite characters who are not already playable, in Smash Brothers, including Geno, Bandana Waddle Dee, Doomguy, and the literal dozens of Capcom characters people want for Smash.

/s

but I would play it

10/10 would preorder.

 

[Curious Villager]

Layton finally gets confirmed for the long-waited crossover...

Yes, he will be teeing off in Super Smash Golfers, the upcoming sports game by Camelot! Isaac from Golden Sun and Waluigi are engaged in an epic golf tournament over who is Camelot's best original character, and they're dragging everyone into it. This crossover title stars everyone's favourite characters who are not already playable, in Smash Brothers, including Geno, Bandana Waddle Dee, Doomguy, and the literal dozens of Capcom characters people want for Smash.

/s

but I would play it



I mean, as Miyamoto said, the games are expensive to localize, so I bet they aren't opposed to still getting the games on their consoles while not having to pay for them. They also have a long relationship with the Layton series, so I see no reason it would end now.

The assumption that any series coming to Switch means DLC for Smash is coming is an odd one for her, especially as 2/3rds of the DLC characters do not have any current plans for their main game of origin to come to Switch, with neither seeming especially likely (note that Microsoft has, following Ori's reveal, made a statement saying that they have "no plans" to bring more first-party titles to other platforms, so a Rare Reply port alongside Banjo would require them to be lying).



Definitely would just be a case of timing - though it's not like timing hasn't hurt/helped characters before. Though, frankly, the more we walk about it, the more I kind of want it now... If she had all of her Layton cosplay outfits as alts, then we could really be maximizing Layton fanservice with her and it would be pretty cool.



It's been fun to see speculation head towards the more obscure characters if nothing else...

I'm really hyped for the TGS and the potential September Direct. I'm not personally certain about fighter four being revealed before Banjo gets debriefed/released though...

Well it wouldn't be the first time Layton made a guest appearance in some Golf game, sort of...

Spoiler

Yeah I suppose so long as they continue to help support the Layton (and Ace Attorney) series on their platforms, there isn't as much of a need for them to start their own VN/Mystery adventure game series. Especially since a lot of fans already closely associate the Layton and Ace Attorney series with Nintendo. As well as Level-5 and Nintendo being very close buddies and all ever since they hit the scene with them on the DS.

Yeah I think that's probably the best way to go with it if they where to go with Kat, take advantage of her cosplay outfits as well as her general design. You'd be able to take more advantage in getting more Layton characters in there, even if its just her cosplaying as them. She'd probably be fun to mod too when model swapping becomes a thing as her overall structure and proportions already matches up with a lot of other Layton characters. Especially if her moveset revolves around the series core gameplay elements as a lot of Layton characters have already made use of that in the past. Giving her a larger general template to work with.

I think what they'd probably do is reveal fighter 4 as well as finally give us access to Banjo's character page. Probably also confirming that he'd be coming very soon.

 

[amageish]

10/10 would preorder.

Coming soon to a Switch near you!

Well it wouldn't be the first time Layton made a guest appearance in some Golf game, sort of...

Right, I forgot about that cameo. Really odd for Layton to have appeared in a first-party Sony golf game now that I think about it...

Yeah I suppose so long as they continue to help support the Layton (and Ace Attorney) series on their platforms, there isn't as much of a need for them to start their own VN/Mystery adventure game series. Especially since a lot of fans already closely associate the Layton and Ace Attorney series with Nintendo. As well as Level-5 and Nintendo being very close buddies and all ever since they hit the scene with them on the DS.

It's definitely a gain for them for sure. They tend to lean into the association for sure, given all the promotional material they've done...

Yeah I think that's probably the best way to go with it if they where to go with Kat, take advantage of her cosplay outfits as well as her general design. You'd be able to take more advantage in getting more Layton characters in there, even if its just her cosplaying as them. She'd probably be fun to mod too when model swapping becomes a thing as her overall structure and proportions already matches up with a lot of other Layton characters. Especially if her moveset revolves around the series core gameplay elements as a lot of Layton characters have already made use of that in the past. Giving her a larger general template to work with.

Yeah, definitely. It'd be a pretty cool way of doing it TBH. The modding potential would of course be huge, but also just the general in-game fanservice... It'd still be a super weird choice, but a fun weird one!

I think what they'd probably do is reveal fighter 4 as well as finally give us access to Banjo's character page. Probably also confirming that he'd be coming very soon.

That would make sense, fair. I assume Banjo won't get any info until the day before he releases though, as is custom at this point.

 

[Curious Villager]

Coming soon to a Switch near you!

Right, I forgot about that cameo. Really odd for Layton to have appeared in a first-party Sony golf game now that I think about it...

It's definitely a gain for them for sure. They tend to lean into the association for sure, given all the promotional material they've done...

Yeah, definitely. It'd be a pretty cool way of doing it TBH. The modding potential would of course be huge, but also just the general in-game fanservice... It'd still be a super weird choice, but a fun weird one!

That would make sense, fair. I assume Banjo won't get any info until the day before he releases though, as is custom at this point.

I think that was essentially his first appearance outside of a Nintendo console (or a mobile/IOS/android device).
Probably the only one too if I'm not mistaken. It was pretty odd when I first heard of it, not to mention how very off model he looks. If they had made the hat a bit smaller and removed the eyebrows it might have looked a bit better....

Probably yeah, Nintendo does have a bit of a history of avoiding "redundancy" for lack of better term. They apparently don't care to make a new F-Zero because of Mario Kart, or lack of new idea's or something, even though most fans would probably be happy enough to see a new F-zero with online added along with it. They have also been more experimental with Paper Mario due to the existence of the Mario & Luigi games.

Which is probably why they haven't really delved much into VN/adventure type games and rather just support the Layton and Ace Attorney series instead since its a lot more cost effective for them unless Level-5 and Capcom decide to pack their bags and make the series Sony exclusive one day or something, which I don't think they would, especially since Level-5 themselves stated that the reason they keep the Layton series on Nintendo consoles is due to the large Nintendo fanbase that enjoy these games. So they will always have a place there.

Yeah more or less, Kat would probably have a larger modding potential overall, I guess the Layton series affinity with their main female characters having large heads, small/thin bodies and long legs would actually pay off for something I guess....

I guess only time will tell. Time is running a bit short though since we only have 6 months left before the February deadline and surely fighter 4 should be in a presentable state by now as I'm assuming they have been working on that character since at least Joker came out...

 

[amageish]

I think that was essentially his first appearance outside of a Nintendo console (or a mobile/IOS/android device).
Probably the only one too if I'm not mistaken. It was pretty odd when I first heard of it, not to mention how very off model he looks. If they had made the hat a bit smaller and removed the eyebrows it might have looked a bit better....

Yeah... It's a very weird cameo by every definition. I wonder how it came to be honestly - was someone in the team just a mega-fan of Level-5 properties and asked to get Layton and Jibanyan in? Or was Level-5 looking for ways to expand their brand and knew Everybody's Golf has had crossovers before?

Probably yeah, Nintendo does have a bit of a history of avoiding "redundancy" for lack of better term. They apparently don't care to make a new F-Zero because of Mario Kart, or lack of new idea's or something, even though most fans would probably be happy enough to see a new F-zero with online added along with it. They have also been more experimental with Paper Mario due to the existence of the Mario & Luigi games.

Yeah, definitely. Nintendo makes weird decisions like that, as (at least in terms of online Nintendo fandom) a new F-Zero or Paper Mario would be very very very popular. I mean, heck, it seems like we're never getting a new Pokemon Snap simply because the original exists and they don't have any new gimmick ideas, when the original is an N64 game that could easily be remade into a modern prettier game.

Which is probably why they haven't really delved much into VN/adventure type games and rather just support the Layton and Ace Attorney series instead since its a lot more cost effective for them unless Level-5 and Capcom decide to pack their bags and make the series Sony exclusive one day or something, which I don't think they would, especially since Level-5 themselves stated that the reason they keep the Layton series on Nintendo consoles is due to the large Nintendo fanbase that enjoy these games. So they will always have a place there.

I think Layton especially needs to keep itself to wherever the the most "casual" gamers are present, which is likely going to remain Nintendo unless Sony suddenly decides to make cheaper systems haha. I do wonder if they've purposefully held off on the English localization until after the Switch Lite, as I do know a few people who plan on getting a Lite and also are excited to get back into the Layton series on it.

Yeah more or less, Kat would probably have a larger modding potential overall, I guess the Layton series affinity with their main female characters having large heads, small/thin bodies and long legs would actually pay off for something I guess....

Yeah, the Layton series is very known for its diverse silhouettes, unique artstyle, and also definitely not that for its heroines. It would make modding easy though. Plus, as a dedicated Emmy fan, I would like to see her in Smash in some form (or you know, at least in the anime... or anywhere...).

I guess only time will tell. Time is running a bit short though since we only have 6 months left before the February deadline and surely fighter 4 should be in a presentable state by now as I'm assuming they have been working on that character since at least Joker came out...

That is very true. Hopefully they hit their deadline at least...

 

[Curious Villager]

Yeah... It's a very weird cameo by every definition. I wonder how it came to be honestly - was someone in the team just a mega-fan of Level-5 properties and asked to get Layton and Jibanyan in? Or was Level-5 looking for ways to expand their brand and knew Everybody's Golf has had crossovers before?



Yeah, definitely. Nintendo makes weird decisions like that, as (at least in terms of online Nintendo fandom) a new F-Zero or Paper Mario would be very very very popular. I mean, heck, it seems like we're never getting a new Pokemon Snap simply because the original exists and they don't have any new gimmick ideas, when the original is an N64 game that could easily be remade into a modern prettier game.



I think Layton especially needs to keep itself to wherever the the most "casual" gamers are present, which is likely going to remain Nintendo unless Sony suddenly decides to make cheaper systems haha. I do wonder if they've purposefully held off on the English localization until after the Switch Lite, as I do know a few people who plan on getting a Lite and also are excited to get back into the Layton series on it.



Yeah, the Layton series is very known for its diverse silhouettes, unique artstyle, and also definitely not that for its heroines. It would make modding easy though. Plus, as a dedicated Emmy fan, I would like to see her in Smash in some form (or you know, at least in the anime... or anywhere...).



That is very true. Hopefully they hit their deadline at least...

Hino stated that he's always open for collaborations, so I guess the company that made that golf game just went up and asked Level-5 if they could use their characters in their golf game. Which I guess is quite reassuring to know that Level-5 is so easy to work with, especially for Smash. Hino has stated before that he's open to see his properties be featured in Smash and that he'd help to make the process go as smooth as possible so hopefully Nintendo has considered giving them a spot too, knowing how easy they are to work with.

Yeah that's kind of the thing with Nintendo sometimes, I guess they don't want to revive any series unless they can incorporate some new gimmick to the game, or some third/second party steps forward to offer help in making a new entry, at least for their smaller franchises.

I guess that's partly why Level-5 is trying to push the series on IOS devices these days besides Nintendo since that's really where most casual gamers are playing their games on these days. Like I said, they keep it on Nintendo consoles too, mainly for the Nintendo fans that came to grow up and cherish the series. I suppose the same more or less goes for Ace Attorney.

Yeah, most of the time they tend to keep the more diverse looking design's for the NPC's which I guess I can't blame them, I think Level-5 themselves remarked how the most popular characters seem to be all the "good looking" ones in the World of Professor Layton fanbook. That said, they could afford to diversify the female characters design's a bit more rather than recycling Flora's base design over and again for most of the main female characters. Which makes me question all the more why they continue to avoid bringing her back into the series while still reusing her base design for other characters throughout the series but oh well.... at least it makes modding easier, like you said.

Same, I think they will. Banjo should hopefully be coming soon and we should hopefully be hearing about fighter 4 soon as well, which leaves us with just fighter 5, That one might just be in the planning stages by now I'd suppose...

 

[amageish]

Hino stated that he's always open for collaborations, so I guess the company that made that golf game just went up and asked Level-5 if they could use their characters in their golf game. Which I guess is quite reassuring to know that Level-5 is so easy to work with, especially for Smash. Hino has stated before that he's open to see his properties be featured in Smash and that he'd help to make the process go as smooth as possible so hopefully Nintendo has considered giving them a spot too, knowing how easy they are to work with.

I suppose that makes sense. And, yes, it is at least a good sign in terms of how nice they are to work with, if a somewhat out-there collaborations was able to happen smoothly.

Yeah that's kind of the thing with Nintendo sometimes, I guess they don't want to revive any series unless they can incorporate some new gimmick to the game, or some third/second party steps forward to offer help in making a new entry, at least for their smaller franchises.

It's pretty weird for sure. Hopefully things like Cadence of Hyrule and Koei's inolvement in Fire Emblem Three Houses reflects desires to do more collobrations in the future!

I guess that's partly why Level-5 is trying to push the series on IOS devices these days besides Nintendo since that's really where most casual gamers are playing their games on these days. Like I said, they keep it on Nintendo consoles too, mainly for the Nintendo fans that came to grow up and cherish the series. I suppose the same more or less goes for Ace Attorney.

Very true! I hadn't considered that, but that is definitely a good reason for the iOS lower-price version of Mystery Journey. Definitely similar for AA's mobile focus as well... It's nice for both to continue to get love on Nintendo platforms as well though. It felt weird doing Mystery Journey on iOS and not 3DS...

Yeah, most of the time they tend to keep the more diverse looking design's for the NPC's which I guess I can't blame them, I think Level-5 themselves remarked how the most popular characters seem to be all the "good looking" ones in the World of Professor Layton fanbook. That said, they could afford to diversify the female characters design's a bit more rather than recycling Flora's base design over and again for most of the main female characters. Which makes me question all the more why they continue to avoid bringing her back into the series while still reusing her base design for other characters throughout the series but oh well.... at least it makes modding easier, like you said.

Yeah, I recall reading that in the book. It's not a huge surprise, but I do feel like a lot of the characters could be loved for their personalities/stories and don't need to coast off of being the prettier ones. The recycling of Flora's design is weird, especially as you note how they seem to be writing her out of the series. Prior to the reveal of Lady Layton, I was honestly expecting either a grown-up her or Emmy to be the protagonist of the next game (for some reason I felt like it wouldn't be Luke), so it's kind of a shock for them to both just be MIA. I even recall some people thinking Kat was Flora based on the first trailer... Hopefully they bring her back soon enough, and maybe diversify designs at the same time.

Same, I think they will. Banjo should hopefully be coming soon and we should hopefully be hearing about fighter 4 soon as well, which leaves us with just fighter 5, That one might just be in the planning stages by now I'd suppose...

That'd make sense. I know some people are speculating that they'll go full-circle and announce fighter 5 at the Game Awards, which could be cool, though I think part of the beauty of Joker's reveal was the unexpectedness. I feel like every trailer at TGAs will have people going "Now, is this for an actual game, a Smash announcement, or both...".

 

[Curious Villager]

I suppose that makes sense. And, yes, it is at least a good sign in terms of how nice they are to work with, if a somewhat out-there collaborations was able to happen smoothly.

It's pretty weird for sure. Hopefully things like Cadence of Hyrule and Koei's inolvement in Fire Emblem Three Houses reflects desires to do more collobrations in the future!

Very true! I hadn't considered that, but that is definitely a good reason for the iOS lower-price version of Mystery Journey. Definitely similar for AA's mobile focus as well... It's nice for both to continue to get love on Nintendo platforms as well though. It felt weird doing Mystery Journey on iOS and not 3DS...

Yeah, I recall reading that in the book. It's not a huge surprise, but I do feel like a lot of the characters could be loved for their personalities/stories and don't need to coast off of being the prettier ones. The recycling of Flora's design is weird, especially as you note how they seem to be writing her out of the series. Prior to the reveal of Lady Layton, I was honestly expecting either a grown-up her or Emmy to be the protagonist of the next game (for some reason I felt like it wouldn't be Luke), so it's kind of a shock for them to both just be MIA. I even recall some people thinking Kat was Flora based on the first trailer... Hopefully they bring her back soon enough, and maybe diversify designs at the same time.

That'd make sense. I know some people are speculating that they'll go full-circle and announce fighter 5 at the Game Awards, which could be cool, though I think part of the beauty of Joker's reveal was the unexpectedness. I feel like every trailer at TGAs will have people going "Now, is this for an actual game, a Smash announcement, or both...".

Indeed, I think it was pretty smooth sailing for Capcom as well during the Ace Attorney crossover. Which makes me wonder why Level-5 won't go out and do some larger collaborations. Like maybe collaborate with Koei Tecmo for a Dynasty Warriors type game, or Capcom for a fighter game. I guess we'll see what they will be doing in the future.

Indeed, Nintendo has been going out there for some more collaborations outside of Smash. Perhaps with the next Wario Ware or Animal Crossing they could potentially go for some larger crossovers too at some point? That might be interesting to see perhaps.

Yeah, I'd like to see them do more Layton spin off's for IOS devices again, and perhaps localize them outside of Japan as well. I would have loved to play some of the IOS Layton spin off games that unfortunately never made it overseas.

Yeah I think what they'd need to do is just flesh them out more, I mean, they'd probably still not be as popular as the prettier looking characters knowing the nature of fandoms and all, but it would still bring in a more diverse and colourful looking cast of characters rather than relegating most of them for NPC roles.
Level-5's overall treatment of Flora is just odd in general, I kind of hope some interviewer steps forward one day and asks them about why she seemingly just disappeared from the series. And yes, I've seen that about fans theorizing that there was a connection between Kat and Flora, the same also happened with Aurora too, I guess that's what you get for recycling her base design over and again and not doing much with the character overall...
I think the overall premise of LMJ would have probably worked better with Flora too rather than creating an entire new character but yeah.

I think the final fighter will probably be revealed at a Smash Direct, probably to wrap things up or confirm a second fighters pass I suppose.

 

[King Sonnn DeDeDoo]

Indeed, Nintendo has been going out there for some more collaborations outside of Smash. Perhaps with the next Wario Ware or Animal Crossing they could potentially go for some larger crossovers too at some point? That might be interesting to see perhaps.

Kind of off topic, but I've always thought a Professor Layton crossover game into Animal Crossing world would work great as a spin-off game. Layton and Luke get off on the wrong train station and get roped into solving some mystery for a bunch of pushy animals. Exploring familiar locations in the village and solving puzzles for various Animal Crossing characters. They could even bring back a revamped version of the Inn mini-game from Curious village as it goes with the whole home decor theme of Animal crossing.

Anyway here is a cute artwork I found while thinking about this. (hope it loads, image loading on Smashboards has been giving me trouble lately)

 

[fogbadge]

Kind of off topic, but I've always thought a Professor Layton crossover game into Animal Crossing world would work great as a spin-off game. Layton and Luke get off on the wrong train station and get roped into solving some mystery for a bunch of pushy animals. Exploring familiar locations in the village and solving puzzles for various Animal Crossing characters. They could even bring back a revamped version of the Inn mini-game from Curious village as it goes with the whole home decor theme of Animal crossing.

Anyway here is a cute artwork I found while thinking about this. (hope it loads, image loading on Smashboards has been giving me trouble lately)
View attachment 236143

id never let them leave my town

which is a problem as my town is full of people i never let leave

 

[Curious Villager]

A Layton and Animal Crossing crossover would be something very interesting to see. I guess London Life was kind of the closest thing we had to a Layton life sim game. I wouldn't mind seeing Level-5 have another go at it at some point. Maybe even collaborate with the Animal Crossing Dev's for a Layton themed life sim game might be interesting to see. It would definitely make good use of all the quirky and colourful NPC's throughout the series history.

 

[amageish]

Indeed, I think it was pretty smooth sailing for Capcom as well during the Ace Attorney crossover. Which makes me wonder why Level-5 won't go out and do some larger collaborations. Like maybe collaborate with Koei Tecmo for a Dynasty Warriors type game, or Capcom for a fighter game. I guess we'll see what they will be doing in the future.

Layton Warriors? I love myself Warriors games, but had never considered that... It'd be interesting to see them take on a medium wherein everyone would have to be more of a trick character, without any ordinary weapons involved at all. It'd also be interesting to see if they added any unique puzzle mechanics, like how Fire Emblem Warriors had the weapon triangle or how Dragon Quest Heroes had the tower defence elements... I'd be very down for it if it happened, if not also somewhat confused...

Indeed, Nintendo has been going out there for some more collaborations outside of Smash. Perhaps with the next Wario Ware or Animal Crossing they could potentially go for some larger crossovers too at some point? That might be interesting to see perhaps.

Both of those would be pretty hype choices for crossovers. I believe WarioWare has also had them in the past already, with the ocassional third-party game entering 9-Volt's selections? It'd definitely be cool to see a full crossover with it and something else though. It would also definitely work with Layton, given how puzzles and microgames could be fused together.

Yeah, I'd like to see them do more Layton spin off's for IOS devices again, and perhaps localize them outside of Japan as well. I would have loved to play some of the IOS Layton spin off games that unfortunately never made it overseas.

I would really really really like those localized for sure. Also just random things would be fun to see - as I mentioned before, I'm still not opposed to bringing Layton's version of Ultimate Werewolf/Mafia back from the dead...

Yeah I think what they'd need to do is just flesh them out more, I mean, they'd probably still not be as popular as the prettier looking characters knowing the nature of fandoms and all, but it would still bring in a more diverse and colourful looking cast of characters rather than relegating most of them for NPC roles. Level-5's overall treatment of Flora is just odd in general, I kind of hope some interviewer steps forward one day and asks them about why she seemingly just disappeared from the series. And yes, I've seen that about fans theorizing that there was a connection between Kat and Flora, the same also happened with Aurora too, I guess that's what you get for recycling her base design over and again and not doing much with the character overall... I think the overall premise of LMJ would have probably worked better with Flora too rather than creating an entire new character but yeah.

True, I'm sure that they wouldn't be the top picks, but it'd be nice to see them happen regardless. I would really like to know what happened to Flora as well, as it's just super weird. Obviously it'd be odd to put her in the prequels, but the decision to instead have a heroine who now also has an unexplained absence is... well, an odd one to say the least. Maybe we'll find out something next game, especially as we otherwise have a full Layton family reunion going on. I agree that the premise of LMJ would have worked with Flora, as would having made Aurora/Kat have more original designs, though obviously now it's hard to imagine anyone replacing Kat in the game we have gotten.

I think the final fighter will probably be revealed at a Smash Direct, probably to wrap things up or confirm a second fighters pass I suppose.

That would make sense and also be how it worked for Sm4sh. I do honestly wonder if we will get further DLC, given Sakurai's seeming dislike of the practices surrounding it...

 

[AmphabulouSnake]

Ultimately it is Nintendo's decision whether or not the dlc should continue, if they see value in continuing to support Smash Ultimate that way

 

[fogbadge]

Layton Warriors? I love myself Warriors games, but had never considered that... It'd be interesting to see them take on a medium wherein everyone would have to be more of a trick character, without any ordinary weapons involved at all. It'd also be interesting to see if they added any unique puzzle mechanics, like how Fire Emblem Warriors had the weapon triangle or how Dragon Quest Heroes had the tower defence elements... I'd be very down for it if it happened, if not also somewhat confused...

layton warriors? thats crazy, im on board