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!

[BluePikmin11]

That is a great point regarding the gender option. I never thought of that, and I forgot it was even an option when I voted in the ballot three years ago. If Sakurai is paying ample attention to the demographic, then Layton is a prime candidate for Ultimate.

 

[ThoughtfulWanderer]

That is a great point regarding the gender option. I never thought of that, and I forgot it was even an option when I voted in the ballot three years ago. If Sakurai is paying ample attention to the demographic, then Layton is a prime candidate for Ultimate.

Part of me feels that it could just end up being used as a general marketing tool to see which demographics are the biggest fans of particular series, because if Sakurai and co. see a top 10 or top 15 that's noticeably above all others, how could they ignore it? This would be a scenario where K. Rool, Ashley, Bandana Dee, Isaac, etc. might be favored.

At the same time? Sakurai knows he can't make every individual fanbase happy no matter how hardcore and vocal they are, and he also knows that not everybody else likes the most voted characters. He likes to look to more than just the minority, so he might devote some of his focus towards appealing to larger demographics to make sure larger groups of people will like the roster with a limited number of newcomers. That could mean anything for the above characters, but we might see some choices that aren't very often predicted like Layton.

 

[Curious Villager]

It is true that the Layton series is generally much more favoured among casual and female audiences. Even Miyamoto himself praised the series along with Animal Crossing for getting a larger female playerbase into gaming during the DS era and It's more or less the reason why Hershel was succeeded by a female protagonist in the Layton's Mystery Journey series.

If Sakurai really does look at the ballot more on which characters appeal to which demographics (K.Rool for American audiences, Isaac for European audiences, Ashley for Japanese audiences, Layton for female audience, Simon Belmont for retro gamer audience etc for example) rather than just looking at who made the top ten and calling it a day, I'd imagine that Layton would probably be in a better position for Smash. But of course, that all depends on how they will be approaching the ballot and how well everyone did in it.

 

[Isaac: Venus Adept]

If Sakurai really does look at the ballot more on which characters appeal to which demographics (K.Rool for American audiences, Isaac for European audiences, Ashley for Japanese audiences, Layton for female audience, Simon Belmont for retro audience etc for example) rather than looking at who made the top ten and calling it a day, I'd imagine that Layton would probably be in a better position for Smash. But of course, that all depends on how they will be approaching the ballot and how well everyone did in it.

If all the newcomers you listed were the newcomers in the game that'd be the perfect set of newcomers for me plus Rayman and Banjo

 

[BluePikmin11]

It feels like were so close to solving the puzzle, I am getting optimistic about his chances, but I do not want to get my hopes up too high.

 

[fogbadge]

It feels like were so close to solving the puzzle, I am getting optimistic about his chances, but I do not want to get my hopes up too high.

to bad we unlocked all the hints a burned up most of the picorats

 

[NHarmonia]

I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical of if Layton could be worked into Smash, but that moveset in the OP is more then enough to change my mind. The Usage of references to nearly every Layton game is a nice nod as well.

 

[Erureido]

So guess who's getting a Nendoroid?

Wonder Festival 2018 Summer news – Inkling Girl figma, KOS-MOS figure, Layton Nendoroid, more https://t.co/IzBQRuOOOW pic.twitter.com/UKXjj2wq69

— Nintendo Everything (@NinEverything) July 29, 2018

Yep, Professor Layton is finally getting his own Nendoroid figure! That's a great thing to see.

I just hope this means we'll have more Layton series Nendoroids in the future (I know I'd love to buy myself a Descole Nendoroid if one ever existed).

 

[fogbadge]

thats pretty cool


though a layton amiibo would be even better

 

[Curious Villager]

So guess who's getting a Nendoroid?

Wonder Festival 2018 Summer news – Inkling Girl figma, KOS-MOS figure, Layton Nendoroid, more https://t.co/IzBQRuOOOW pic.twitter.com/UKXjj2wq69

— Nintendo Everything (@NinEverything) July 29, 2018

Yep, Professor Layton is finally getting his own Nendoroid figure! That's a great thing to see.

I just hope this means we'll have more Layton series Nendoroids in the future (I know I'd love to buy myself a Descole Nendoroid if one ever existed).

Oh gosh that's awesome! I agree, hopefully a few other Layton character's will be getting one too at some point (Besides Katrielle and Luke)

 

[GWTCN]

Okay, so a while ago, back when the Ballot was a thing, on the previous Layton thread, I made a comprehensive list of what I would do for adding Layton to the game, and not just for a moveset, but for stages, items, pallette swaps, music, the whole nine yards. I think it's about time I do it again, despite the fact that I don't rate his chances as highly as I did back when Smash 4 was a thing, but here we go.

Moveset
For starters, while I would make Layton a fencer, I would give him a unique mechanic to make him stand out. Layton has the ability to switch which Smash attack he wants to perform while charging one up. For example, if you hold the button to do a forward Smash, but tilt the stick upwards before you release the button, it becomes an up Smash. This gives Layton the ability to 'puzzle' his opponents, making him a more strategic fighter, which I feel is more what the character deserves than just being another swordfighter.

Neutral Special: Accusation. Layton turns on a dime and points behind him like he does when making an accusation in his games. The button can be held for more attack power and range.

Side Special: Investigation. The magnifying glass from the 3DS titles appears on the screen, which the player can then control while holding the B-button. While the magnifying glass is hovering over a character, the player can release the button to release either a hint coin, the white 'examination' lines or the red exclamation mark denoting a puzzle. Each of the three effects does more damage than the last.

Up Special: Glider. Layton quickly pulls out his glider he build at the end of Curious Village and shoots upward suddenly, damaging any fighter caught in the updraft. From there, Layton can gracefully float left or right to the ground or can jump out of the glider to attack.

Down Special: Puzzle Piece. Layton pulls out a puzzle block made infamous from the series' Sliding Block puzzles. He can then throw it like a regular item. The shape of the block determines the damage and how many hits it can take before breaking.

Final Smash: Puzzle Solved. The background goes dark, and Layton disappears from the battlefield. A reticule appears on the screen in the shape of the Layton series logo. The player can move the reticule around while Layton flashes on screen 3 times, like he does when attempting to solve a puzzle in his games. On the 4th flash, Layton either points proudly at the screen if the icon was hovering over a fighter at the time, or drops his hat in shame if it isn't. If the former happens, the fighter in question takes 50% damage and massive knockback. If the latter happens, the player can try again 2 more times, with the damage dealt (Picarats earned) dropping to 35% and finally 20%. If the Final Smash is unsuccessful after the 3rd attempt, the Final Smash ends and Layton returns to the battlefield.


Palette Swaps
1: Layton's clothes become a teal blue colour, resembling Luke Triton
2: Layton's clothes become a mango orange colour, resembling Flora Reinhold
3: Layton's clothes become a yellow colour, resembling Emma Altava
4: Layton's clothes become an olive green colour, resembling Inspector Chelmey
5: Layton's clothes become a purple and red colour, resembling Don Paulo
6: Layton's clothes become a brown and white colour, resembling Jean Descole
7: Layton's clothes become an orange and purple colour, resembling Granny Riddleton

Victory Screens
1: Layton walks away from the screen, then sharply turns and points to it as the camera quickly zooms in. As he does so, he says 'Every puzzle has an answer'
2: Layton swishes his sword by his feet, then tips his hat and smiles to the camera, saying 'That's what a gentleman does'
3: Layton sits in a chair, sipping a cup of tea. Luke Triton is jumping with joy around him, eventually stopping to say, 'You did it, Professor!'

Victory Theme
... Professor Layton's Theme, obviously.

Stage
Sliding Block Puzzle: Rather than take a location from a specific game, I went with a unifying feature found in every game: the sliding block puzzles. While the aesthetics of the stage make it look like a bunch of solid blocks being shifted around in a box, these are actually the platforms shifting. The top of each block is a drop-through-able platform, so the terrain is constantly changing throughout the battle. Each time the stage is loaded, it is a new configuration of blocks. A unique feature of the stage is that if Layton himself is battling, he can perform his Down taunt to activate something similar to Snake's codec conversations or Palutena's Guidance, where Layton, Luke, Emmy and maybe some other characters (Flora, Chelmey, Descole, Grosky) will discuss the other fighter(s) in the battle.

Assist Trophy
Don Paulo: When Don Paulo appears, he uses his mastery of disguise to take the appearance of a random fighter in the battle. While Don Paulo is active, no indicators demonstrating who is who will appear, and players will be unable to tell at a glance who is the real fighter and who is Don Paulo. Don Paulo is one the Assist Trophies who is KO-able.

Item
Slot Machine Gun: The weapon assembled by Professor Layton and Future Luke in The Unwound/Lost Future, this is an item that must be assembled first, similar to the Dragoon. Once a player has picked up all 3 pieces of the gun, they begin shooting coins in one direction for spread damage. The coins deal high damage and fair knockback.

Music
The following music plays on the Sliding Block Puzzle stage:
- Professor Layton's Theme (Remix)
- Professor Layton's Theme (Professor Layton and the Curious Village)
- Puzzles (Remix)
- Puzzles 1 (Professor Layton and the Curious Village)
- Puzzles 5 (Professor Layton and the Last Specter)
- Descole's Theme (Live Version) (Professor Layton and the Last Specter)
- Theme of the Last Battle (Professor Layton and the Last Specter)
- The Curious Village (Professor Layton and the Curious Village)
- Airship Chase (Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy)
- Future British Gentleman (Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva)
- Puzzle Battle (Professor Layton and the Lost Future)
- Akbadain Breakthrough (Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask)
- Don Paulo's Theme (Professor Layton and the Curious Village)
- Lost Forest (Professor Layton and Pandora's Box)
- Pursuit ~ Casting Magic (Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney)
- Confrontation (Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney)
- The Witches' Theme (Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney)
- The Courtroom's Magician (Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney)

And that's my lot. Let me know what you guys think, especially since I've been planning what I would do in an entire Smash bros. game, just for fun, and getting Layton right is really important to me.

 

[PK Bash]

GWTCN
You could give his neutral special a Falcon Punch flavour by making it reversable like that move, and making it stronger if you reverse it, that might be pretty interesting. Unless you wanted it's whole gimmick to be reversing Layton around with a single input.

I like the idea of him spawning a throwable item, it seems very Layton and would work nicely for the type of character he'd be. Maybe when he throws the item it sticks in place like one of those bumper items? Similar-ish yet different to ROB's gyro, or Mechakoopa. And you could hit it to move it around the stage perhaps.

The side special is a nice idea, although it does make me a little concerned that it might have Din's Fire Syndrome by having barely any hitbox (by being small and/or only being active for 1 frame or something), and being too easy to dodge around to punish Layton. Maybe you could do a PK Thunder sort of thing with it where by guiding it on to Layton, a red "!" emerges with tremendous power? Whereas anywhere else, it will only spit a hint coin or examination lines? There's potential for a usable move there, just gotta be careful not to invite any unfortunate traps that could cause it to be a liability in Layton's gameplan. At least it wouldn't put him in special fall

For the final smash, maybe you could do a Bayonetta sort of thing where he has to build the gun (or solve the puzzle or whatever) in a set time and gets a damage boost for dealing damage to opponents in the process? To stop the player from just focusing purely assembling the gun, which would kind of take them out of the fight. I think anything that would cause the player to lose interest in actually fighting in order to achieve something else (e.g. assemble the gun) should be avoided, you don't really want any disconnect, but having a damage metre (maybe in the form of a Picarat counter that increases Picarats with every hit, up to 80 picarats or something?) would keep the focus on the fight whilst the player also builds the gun.

The Smash gimmick is a cool idea. You can imagine strategies such using FSmash to pressure the opponent to roll or pick some kind of action (because fsmash is the strongest one and can break shields or something) and then change it to dsmash to cover those options, or maybe you want to switch to up smash because it's the least laggy smash and you need to regain control of Layton as quickly as possible if they move away... I could see some cool potential in that idea. It would probably need some counterbalance to it - for example, switching to a different smash attack mid-charge makes the smash attack hit with half the power it would have hit with had you not switched smashes mid-charge. I dunno, I'm not a game designer, but I doubt they'd give him a mechanic like that without having some kind of tradeoff for that relative freedom which no other character enjoys.

Excellent choice of music.

Some cool ideas here and it's nice to see some creative thinking, top stuff.

 

[Curious Villager]

I like the idea's you guys have going, keep it up!

By the way, here is the current work in progress for Layton's 3D model that I've made.

Just need to do the hands and shoes. Let me know how It's looking so far and if there are any tweaks or adjustments you guys feel I should do.

 

[PK Bash]

I like the idea's you guys have going, keep it up!

By the way, here is the current work in progress for Layton's 3D model that I've made.


Just need to do the hands and shoes. Let me know how It's looking so far and if there are any tweaks or adjustments you guys feel I should do.

Wow, you're very talented.
Only thing I would say, don't know if it's just the angle I'm looking at it from but it looks like his ear is a little bit too low or a little mis-shapen? Very minor nitpick though, just for the sake of offering feedback!

 

[Curious Villager]

Thank you for the feedback PK Bash
Here's the current work in Progress for Layton's model now, plus some palette swaps.

I'm going to polish up the model first before I start applying things like Bump Maps and all. Let me know how It's looking so far and if there are any tweaks that need to be done.

 

[fogbadge]

lets see im guessing, luke, flora, emmy, katrieal, anton, don palo and chelmey

 

[Curious Villager]

lets see im guessing, luke, flora, emmy, katrieal, anton, don palo and chelmey

Almost. It's Luke, Flora, Emmy, Katrielle, Don Paolo, Descole and Chelmey.

 

[fogbadge]

Almost. It's Luke, Flora, Emmy, Katrielle, Don Paolo, Descole and Chelmey.

ah well its been a while i couldnt recall don palo's colour scheme

 

[Curious Villager]

So we're getting a Smash Direct on the 8th of August.
Layton's Mystery Journey comes out on the 9th of August for Switch in Japan.

Coincidence?

Spoiler

Probably yes.

 

[BluePikmin11]

Now that you mentioned it, now I keep daydreaming that Akihiro Hino and Level-5's Twitter account will RT the Direct announcement, with me imagining the hype and replies that could come in this support thread if it were to happen. .-.

 

[Curious Villager]

Now that you mentioned it, now I keep daydreaming that Akihiro Hino and Level-5's Twitter account will RT the Direct announcement, with me imagining the hype and replies that could come in this support thread if it were to happen. .-.

Same, even though it probably won't happen (even though the timing is almost too perfect)
We should probably keep an eye on Level-5's Twitter pages in case they do drop any potential hint's for the Smash Direct...

 

[NintenJen]

Ahhh, this support thread is lovely! I wanna say that I've been a lurker here and I finally made account to show support for the good Professor in Smash! It makes me so happy to see people wanting him too. Layton is my most wanted and I would be so ecstatic to see him! He has so much potential and Level-5 hasn't been represented yet, so maybe he has a chance? I don't want to set my expectations too high, but if he is ever confirmed as a playable character I would cry tears of joy.

 

[ThoughtfulWanderer]

So we're getting a Smash Direct on the 8th of August.
Layton's Mystery Journey comes out on the 9th of August for Switch in Japan.

Coincidence?

Spoiler

Probably yes.

And dare I say, Level 5 will announce a release date for Mystery Journey Switch in the west to coincide with a Smash reveal? A man can dream and have said dream crushed like that poor soul there

 

[Curious Villager]

Ahhh, this support thread is lovely! I wanna say that I've been a lurker here and I finally made account to show support for the good Professor in Smash! It makes me so happy to see people wanting him too. Layton is my most wanted and I would be so ecstatic to see him! He has so much potential and Level-5 hasn't been represented yet, so maybe he has a chance? I don't want to set my expectations too high, but if he is ever confirmed as a playable character I would cry tears of joy.

Hey I'm very happy to hear that. Also welcome to Smashboards NintenJen, I've added you to the supporters list too!

 

[fogbadge]

with seven third party characters im not sure there should be any more unless it is layton (or a couple others id be fine with)

 

[NintenJen]

Hey I'm very happy to hear that. Also welcome to Smashboards NintenJen, I've added you to the supporters list too!

Oh thank you! I appreciate that! Kudos to you and everyone here who keep this thread going. I really love the Layton series and I find it so underappreciated in the gaming community. Getting Layton in Smash would help boost recognition. Plus, I yearn for amazing remixes/remasters of its beautiful soundtracks in Smash. Finally, playing the Professor would be so much fun and I think he would be a unique rep in Smash.



Also, I hope I'm not alone in this... but I'm baffled as to why nothing Level-5 related is in Smash yet. (I can understand not a playable character, but not even a stage or trophy?) Maybe because they're still a relatively young company, but they have grown over the years into one of Japan's top successful gaming companies. They have good relations with Nintendo due to being loyal to them with some of their titles. You would think Big N would put something from Level-5 in Smash, but nothing.

There's the common explanation that probably because all the other third parties represented in Smash so far are from huge, long standing companies with history. Which is understandable that they get priority due to their impact on gaming. (Platinum Games is more recent, but Hideki Kamiya, one of the founders worked for Capcom through Clover Studio. Also, Bayonetta won the ballot.) However, Nintendo has represented more smaller franchises through trophies/stages/music or what not, but Level-5 is in the dark. I do have a theory that another reason why Level-5 hasn't gotten anything is also because all the third parties represented have worked on Nintendo IPs. (Ex: Square worked on Super Mario RPG, Platinum helped develop Star Fox Zero, Capcom did some LoZ titles, Konami with the Mario DDR game, and Bandai Namco helped develop Smash). From my knowledge, Level-5 has always been largely independent and haven't really worked on any Nintendo IPs. They have always done their own thing. From there, I could assume that Nintendo would prioritize companies who have worked on their IPs, since Smash is their game and all.

It would explain why Ubisoft (a Western developer) got content like the Rayman trophy in Smash 4 aside from seniority. They worked with Nintendo on the Rabbids x Mario game, so I believe they're the next third party get a rep in Ultimate along with Microsoft due to Banjo Kazooie and Rare. While my most wanted is Layton, I wouldn't be so surprised if he doesn't get in Ultimate. Not at this time, at least.

However, this is all just speculation. I could be wrong, because Sakurai is a bag of tricks. Maybe the Professor will show up this upcoming direct. If he doesn't then maybe at the Level-5 vision in October, they'll announce a new title with Nintendo. Akihiro Hino did say the event was supposed to represent Level-5's relationships with other companies and thank them, it's also their 20th anniversary. If that happens, Level-5's chances of finally getting representation increases. And we can get our ass kicking gentleman in Smash, maybe as DLC. (Hino is aware that Layton scored well on the Ballot and is his favorite creation, so I feel he would go with him being their rep.)

Or... he could become an assist trophy and/or Jibanyan gets in but I would prefer Layton as playable. I think he merits a spot in Smash and was huge in the DS era. I don't think Hino would want that either, he's told Sakurai he wants Layton as a playable character in the past. Things change though. ;-;

 

[Curious Villager]

Oh thank you! I appreciate that! Kudos to you and everyone here who keep this thread going. I really love the Layton series and I find it so underappreciated in the gaming community. Getting Layton in Smash would help boost recognition. Plus, I yearn for amazing remixes/remasters of its beautiful soundtracks in Smash. Finally, playing the Professor would be so much fun and I think he would be a unique rep in Smash.



Also, I hope I'm not alone in this... but I'm baffled as to why nothing Level-5 related is in Smash yet. (I can understand not a playable character, but not even a stage or trophy?) Maybe because they're still a relatively young company, but they have grown over the years into one of Japan's top successful gaming companies. They have good relations with Nintendo due to being loyal to them with some of their titles. You would think Big N would put something from Level-5 in Smash, but nothing.

There's the common explanation that probably because all the other third parties represented in Smash so far are from huge, long standing companies with history. Which is understandable that they get priority due to their impact on gaming. (Platinum Games is more recent, but Hideki Kamiya, one of the founders worked for Capcom through Clover Studio. Also, Bayonetta won the ballot.) However, Nintendo has represented more smaller franchises through trophies/stages/music or what not, but Level-5 is in the dark. I do have a theory that another reason why Level-5 hasn't gotten anything is also because all the third parties represented have worked on Nintendo IPs. (Ex: Square worked on Super Mario RPG, Platinum helped develop Star Fox Zero, Capcom did some LoZ titles, Konami with the Mario DDR game, and Bandai Namco helped develop Smash). From my knowledge, Level-5 has always been largely independent and haven't really worked on any Nintendo IPs. They have always done their own thing. From there, I could assume that Nintendo would prioritize companies who have worked on their IPs, since Smash is their game and all.

It would explain why Ubisoft (a Western developer) got content like the Rayman trophy in Smash 4 aside from seniority. They worked with Nintendo on the Rabbids x Mario game, so I believe they're the next third party get a rep in Ultimate along with Microsoft due to Banjo Kazooie and Rare. While my most wanted is Layton, I wouldn't be so surprised if he doesn't get in Ultimate. Not at this time, at least.

However, this is all just speculation. I could be wrong, because Sakurai is a bag of tricks. Maybe the Professor will show up this upcoming direct. If he doesn't then maybe at the Level-5 vision in October, they'll announce a new title with Nintendo. Akihiro Hino did say the event was supposed to represent Level-5's relationships with other companies and thank them, it's also their 20th anniversary. If that happens, Level-5's chances of finally getting representation increases. And we can get our *** kicking gentleman in Smash, maybe as DLC. (Hino is aware that Layton scored well on the Ballot and is his favorite creation, so I feel he would go with him being their rep.)

Or... he could become an assist trophy and/or Jibanyan gets in but I would prefer Layton as playable. I think he merits a spot in Smash and was huge in the DS era. I don't think Hino would want that either, he's told Sakurai he wants Layton as a playable character in the past. Things change though. ;-;

We can only hope.

I don't know if Brownie Brown is a part of Nintendo, but they where the guy's who helped work on Mother 3 and also helped develop London Life, a side game that was bundled in the fourth Professor Layton game (Outside of Europe *grumble* *grumble*)
That said, Nintendo did help them in publishing the Layton series among other games outside of Japan. Level-5 seems to have a good relationship with other major Japanese third party companies too as they did work together with Square Enix with the Dragon Quest series and Bandai Namco helped publish the Ni No Kuni series. They also collaborated with Capcom for the Ace Attorney crossover of course. And while I don't know if Konami did anything with Level-5, they did develop Doctor Lautrec which was a game that was inspired by the Layton series. Even Gamefreak respects the company to the point that the Gen 7 Pokemon games where quite heavily inspired by the Yokai Watch games, which is particularly noticeable in the Pokemon anime.

The only third party company that Level-5 hasn't had much history with is Sega I think. Then again, I might have to look that up, but overall. The company seems to be in a good healthy relationship with most other major third party companies.

As for the lack of Level-5 content in Smash. I mean keep in mind the only third party companies that got something in Smash where Ubisoft and the guy that created Commander Video, who apparently requested Sakurai themselves to have their characters represented in the game. (I thought Fatal Frame was one too but apparently that series was bought by Nintendo according to some folks here) It may have been a factor that Level-5 themselves did not approach Sakurai to have some Layton trophies in the games, or probably weren't aware that they could do that. If that's the case though, then it might be possible that we may see Layton as a trophy at least in the base game. (Which I would hope they would do. Seeing the Layton series be acknowledged at all would be a victory in its own right)

But yeah, if Layton's in the game and isn't revealed in this Direct, then Level-5's Vision conference would probably be the next best bet.

As for Jibanyan, if he does make it in instead, hopefully that would help Layton's chances to make it in as DLC at least, assuming he isn't relegated to an Assist Trophy or Mii Fighter costume...

 

[GoodGrief741]

We can only hope.

I don't know if Brownie Brown is a part of Nintendo, but they where the guy's who helped work on Mother 3 and also helped develop London Life, a side game that was bundled in the fourth Professor Layton game (Outside of Europe *grumble* *grumble*)
That said, Nintendo did help them in publishing the Layton series among other games outside of Japan. Level-5 seems to have a good relationship with other major Japanese third party companies too as they did work together with Square Enix with the Dragon Quest series and Bandai Namco helped publish the Ni No Kuni series. They also collaborated with Capcom for the Ace Attorney crossover of course. And while I don't know if Konami did anything with Level-5, they did develop Doctor Lautrec which was a game that was inspired by the Layton series. Even Gamefreak respects the company to the point that the Gen 7 Pokemon games where quite heavily inspired by the Yokai Watch games, which is particularly noticeable in the Pokemon anime.

The only third party company that Level-5 hasn't had much history with is Sega I think. Then again, I might have to look that up, but overall. The company seems to be in a good healthy relationship with most other major third party companies.

As for the lack of Level-5 content in Smash. I mean keep in mind the only third party companies that got something in Smash where Ubisoft and the guy that created Commander Video, who apparently requested Sakurai themselves to have their characters represented in the game. (I thought Fatal Frame was one too but apparently that series was bought by Nintendo according to some folks here) It may have been a factor that Level-5 themselves did not approach Sakurai to have some Layton trophies in the games, or probably weren't aware that they could do that. If that's the case though, then it might be possible that we may see Layton as a trophy at least in the base game. (Which I would hope they would do. Seeing the Layton series be acknowledged at all would be a victory in its own right)

But yeah, if Layton's in the game and isn't revealed in this Direct, then Level-5's Vision conference would probably be the next best bet.

As for Jibanyan, if he does make it in instead, hopefully that would help Layton's chances to make it in as DLC at least, assuming he isn't relegated to an Assist Trophy or Mii Fighter costume...

I don’t think Brownie Brown is part of Nintendo, but they have maintained a relationship (iirc they developed a Kappa game for the 3DS).

Also, London Life was legit. Had to say it.

 

[GWTCN]

I do think we'll get 1 or 2 new characters in this new Direct, and it's likely that one of them will be third party. If there are any new 3rd party characters, they're going to be revealed before the game releases, since while there are definitely going to be characters in the game that don't get confirmed until release, they're going to give us all the 3rd party characters before the game comes out so they can hype them up. I do think Rayman has the best chance of any, since my theory is that Nintendo asked for his rights to make him playable, but didn't get the okay until it was too late to implement him, so they put him in as a trophy. That's also my theory as to why Bomberman is just an Assist Trophy in this game, since it makes no sense to ask for the rights to the character if you're just going to make him an Assist Trophy.

So, while I think Rayman is the most like 3rd party candidate to get in, I'm still holding out hope for Layton, even though on a purely selfish level, there's one other 3rd party rep I hope gets in over him, being Crash Bandicoot. Crash was the first game I ever played, and the announcement on the N. Sane Trilogy in 2016 would roughly line up with the time they were deciding the final roster for Ultimate. There's no reason both Layton and Crash couldn't get in, but if I had to pick one over the other, Crash holds a special place in my heart, and I just want him in there so badly. That said, I did that entire post detailing how the Layton franchise could be represented, so don't think I'm discrediting the good Professor. I'm keeping all of my fingers crossed for the Direct, and I'm sure you all are too.

 

[NintenJen]

We can only hope.

I don't know if Brownie Brown is a part of Nintendo, but they where the guy's who helped work on Mother 3 and also helped develop London Life, a side game that was bundled in the fourth Professor Layton game (Outside of Europe *grumble* *grumble*)
That said, Nintendo did help them in publishing the Layton series among other games outside of Japan. Level-5 seems to have a good relationship with other major Japanese third party companies too as they did work together with Square Enix with the Dragon Quest series and Bandai Namco helped publish the Ni No Kuni series. They also collaborated with Capcom for the Ace Attorney crossover of course. And while I don't know if Konami did anything with Level-5, they did develop Doctor Lautrec which was a game that was inspired by the Layton series. Even Gamefreak respects the company to the point that the Gen 7 Pokemon games where quite heavily inspired by the Yokai Watch games, which is particularly noticeable in the Pokemon anime.

The only third party company that Level-5 hasn't had much history with is Sega I think. Then again, I might have to look that up, but overall. The company seems to be in a good healthy relationship with most other major third party companies.

As for the lack of Level-5 content in Smash. I mean keep in mind the only third party companies that got something in Smash where Ubisoft and the guy that created Commander Video, who apparently requested Sakurai themselves to have their characters represented in the game. (I thought Fatal Frame was one too but apparently that series was bought by Nintendo according to some folks here) It may have been a factor that Level-5 themselves did not approach Sakurai to have some Layton trophies in the games, or probably weren't aware that they could do that. If that's the case though, then it might be possible that we may see Layton as a trophy at least in the base game. (Which I would hope they would do. Seeing the Layton series be acknowledged at all would be a victory in its own right)

But yeah, if Layton's in the game and isn't revealed in this Direct, then Level-5's Vision conference would probably be the next best bet.

As for Jibanyan, if he does make it in instead, hopefully that would help Layton's chances to make it in as DLC at least, assuming he isn't relegated to an Assist Trophy or Mii Fighter costume...

Wait, London Life wasn't included in the European version of Last Specter? Sorry, I'm American... but damn, I didn't know that! Reminds me of how Capcom isn't releasing a physical version of Mega Man 11 over there. Why does Europe get screwed over releases? ._.

Those are some good points! I do know that Nintendo did publish the Layton franchise overseas, Miyamoto has also praised the series for bringing in more female players and Iwata told Akihiro Hino that they were similar in an interview. That gives me a little hope that Level-5 could get something this time. I could see Capcom and Bandai Namco probably suggesting to Sakurai about Level-5 representation. Especially if anything Ace Attorney related gets into Smash. (I would flipping lose it if both Layton and Phoenix Wright show up a double reveal.)

Level-5 always does their own thing. So, maybe it just haven't crossed their minds on approaching Sakurai and Nintendo. However, they are open to collaborations and if Capcom or Bandai Namco encourage them to talk with Sakurai, maybe they could seal something. I also brought up that Hino is aware that people want Layton in Smash, it would be a nice gift to the fans for Level-5's 20th anniversary with the series that put them on the map. I guess we'll see at the Level-5 Vision conference should nothing come this upcoming direct. (Unless, Layton gets announced as an assist trophy... which would bum me out. But, at least that would mean that the series finally gets recognition.)

 

[fogbadge]

Wait, London Life wasn't included in the European version of Last Specter? Sorry, I'm American... but damn, I didn't know that! Reminds me of how Capcom isn't releasing a physical version of Mega Man 11 over there. Why does Europe get screwed over releases? ._.

we've been asking that for years

 

[Curious Villager]

Wait, London Life wasn't included in the European version of Last Specter? Sorry, I'm American... but damn, I didn't know that! Reminds me of how Capcom isn't releasing a physical version of Mega Man 11 over there. Why does Europe get screwed over releases? ._.

Those are some good points! I do know that Nintendo did publish the Layton franchise overseas, Miyamoto has also praised the series for bringing in more female players and Iwata told Akihiro Hino that they were similar in an interview. That gives me a little hope that Level-5 could get something this time. I could see Capcom and Bandai Namco probably suggesting to Sakurai about Level-5 representation. Especially if anything Ace Attorney related gets into Smash. (I would flipping lose it if both Layton and Phoenix Wright show up a double reveal.)

Level-5 always does their own thing. So, maybe it just haven't crossed their minds on approaching Sakurai and Nintendo. However, they are open to collaborations and if Capcom or Bandai Namco encourage them to talk with Sakurai, maybe they could seal something. I also brought up that Hino is aware that people want Layton in Smash, it would be a nice gift to the fans for Level-5's 20th anniversary with the series that put them on the map. I guess we'll see at the Level-5 Vision conference should nothing come this upcoming direct. (Unless, Layton gets announced as an assist trophy... which would bum me out. But, at least that would mean that the series finally gets recognition.)

Localization issues I'm afraid. Nintendo needs to translate games in europe to about 5 languages (sometimes more for certain games) which is why games usually release last in Europe. London Life was completely scrapped because Nintendo stated that they wanted to release the game as soon as possible and if they where to localize London Life, they had to delay the game even further. I would have said go ahead and delay it, we where already made to wait about a year or so anyway, we can wait a few more month's. Either that or release the game separately on DSI Ware. Sadly nothing much came of it.
Some speculate that the earlier release of the 3DS Layton games in Europe was Nintendo's way of apologizing for not localizing London Life there as they got a pretty hefty backlash for that.

If Phoenix Wright where to make it into the game, I can certainly see Layton's support rising even further as a lot of Layton fans loved seeing Hershel cross over with Phoenix Wright and have been asking for the two to be reunited for another game too. Seeing the two together in Smash would be perfect!

Here's hoping.

we've been asking that for years

Ugh don't remind me, I'm still having flashbacks of Brawls release. Out everywhere else, not even a release date for Europe until like a month or so later...

At least they have been improving on their releases in more recent years though. At least for their more major titles.

 

[PK Bash]

I would flipping lose it if both Layton and Phoenix Wright show up a double reveal.

Oh my god I'd scream like a kid.
Can see it now.
You have a showdown between Mega Man and Ryu. Camera panning dramatically as they fight, pellets and Hadoukens and Tatsus and Air Shooters. They both go for a Shoryuken.
Screen goes black and we just hear "Hold it!", speech bubble and all. Camera pans to Phoenix, who thumps his desk with two hands. Splashscreen. Objection theme, remixed. Gameplay reel of Phoenix. We cut back to the trailer with Phoenix in his confident pose.
And then we see Layton's silhouette walk up, as Phoenix looks around with some surprise.
End trailer.

...sorry. Lost myself for a minute there.

I'd like to get London Life one day. I was quite sad that we never saw it over here in the end, but as an aside to the main game, and a fun, relaxed RPG in the vein of something like Harvest Moon or Animal Crossing, it looked right up my street. I'm not massively precious about it now, it's been the thick end of a decade, but if we ever get a "Professor Layton Collection" or something, it would be great to see London Life on there.

 

[ThoughtfulWanderer]

Oh my god I'd scream like a kid.
Can see it now.
You have a showdown between Mega Man and Ryu. Camera panning dramatically as they fight, pellets and Hadoukens and Tatsus and Air Shooters. They both go for a Shoryuken.
Screen goes black and we just hear "Hold it!", speech bubble and all. Camera pans to Phoenix, who thumps his desk with two hands. Splashscreen. Objection theme, remixed. Gameplay reel of Phoenix. We cut back to the trailer with Phoenix in his confident pose.
And then we see Layton's silhouette walk up, as Phoenix looks around with some surprise.
End trailer.

It'd almost feel wrong to have one in the game but not the other. I'd have a massive hype explosion even if Layton was playable but Nick was just an AT. Don't know how many votes he got but I think he might not be too far behind Layton. I saw a lot of online hype and support for Nick back when the ballot was active.

 

[GWTCN]

Here's how I see that trailer going:

- Cinematic in the style of a Layton cutscene in which he receives an envelope with a familiar looking seal on it
- He gets sucked into the envelope and appears on Battlefield
- 'Professor Layton Puzzles It Out' splash card followed by gameplay footage
- Smash Bros. Ultimate logo begins to form
- OBJECTION cuts it off
- Anime cutscene of Wright appearing alongside Layton
- 'Phoenix Wright Closes the Case' splash card followed by gameplay
- Ends with both of them facing off in game before the Smash Bros. logo appears
- Stinger with anime cutscene of both of them on Final Destination with the shadow of Master Hand coming into focus
- Layton: "But there are some mysteries that are beyond even our powers to solve"
- End trailer

 

[NintenJen]

we've been asking that for years

Understandable.

Localization issues I'm afraid. Nintendo needs to translate games in europe to about 5 languages (sometimes more for certain games) which is why games usually release last in Europe. London Life was completely scrapped because Nintendo stated that they wanted to release the game as soon as possible and if they where to localize London Life, they had to delay the game even further. I would have said go ahead and delay it, we where already made to wait about a year or so anyway, we can wait a few more month's. Either that or release the game separately on DSI Ware. Sadly nothing much came of it.
Some speculate that the earlier release of the 3DS Layton games in Europe was Nintendo's way of apologizing for not localizing London Life there as they got a pretty hefty backlash for that.

If Phoenix Wright where to make it into the game, I can certainly see Layton's support rising even further as a lot of Layton fans loved seeing Hershel cross over with Phoenix Wright and have been asking for the two to be reunited for another game too. Seeing the two together in Smash would be perfect!

Here's hoping.

Interesting. I hope for more consistent releases in the future. It's really unfortunate that there are a bunch of titles don't get released in the West (or at least partially like NA or Australia get the title but not Europe). Fire Emblem had this issue in the beginning were FEs 1 - 6 were only released in Japan. I believe Ace Attorney has some titles exclusive to Japan too, and of course Mother 3 has yet to step foot in the West.

And absolutely! They work so well together, having Layton & Wright see each other again in Smash would be amazing! Even better if Ultimate has a story mode and if they get in, we could see them team up again! I also thought of a possible secret taunt you could unlock if you play as either in their respective stages. Layton and Wright would make commentaries about each fighter they're up against, similar to Snake's Codecs and Palutena's Guidance. It would make some fun and witty banter! Bonus if another character like Chrom or Slippy Toad talks to them when Layton or Wright are up against characters like Robin and Falco. We can also get cameos from Luke, Emmy, Chelmey, Maya, Edgeworth, and Gumshoe. Sigh, one can dream, you know?

Oh my god I'd scream like a kid.
Can see it now.
You have a showdown between Mega Man and Ryu. Camera panning dramatically as they fight, pellets and Hadoukens and Tatsus and Air Shooters. They both go for a Shoryuken.
Screen goes black and we just hear "Hold it!", speech bubble and all. Camera pans to Phoenix, who thumps his desk with two hands. Splashscreen. Objection theme, remixed. Gameplay reel of Phoenix. We cut back to the trailer with Phoenix in his confident pose.
And then we see Layton's silhouette walk up, as Phoenix looks around with some surprise.
End trailer.

...sorry. Lost myself for a minute there.

No, no, you're fine! I would be lying if I said that I haven't dreamed of seeing Layton and Wright in a reveal trailer. I'm pretty sure most of us here want that. xD

 

[Curious Villager]

Well now that we've seen the Direct and got to see who has been revealed so far (Sadly no Layton yet, but he hasn't been disconfirmed either thankfully)
I'm actually more interested on the concept of Echo fighters now that we've learned more of it.
What do you guys think of the prospect of seeing Katrielle as Layton's Echo fighter if he where to make it in? (I'd say Luke but he might be a bit too short to work..)

 

[GoodGrief741]

I don’t think Katrielle, as far as we’ve seen her, would fit a moveset for Herschel. She might, depending on what it’s like, but I can’t picture her fencing, or using the slot machine gun.

Then again, I might be too much of a stickler for canon.

 

[Curious Villager]

It depends on how they will go about it. Echo's in general don't really follow their canon counterparts to the exact T.
Now that I'm thinking about it, Luke might just work after all, while he's smaller than Layton, his proportions work out from what I can tell. (Long body, short legs etc)

 

[BluePikmin11]

The fact that Western third-parties like Shovel Knight can be present in this game, suggests to me that if Sakurai willing to work through the difficulty with Western companies for content, maybe the dream to getting Level-5 content in Smash isn't that far away now.