The New Professor Layton Game Raises A LOT of Questions

Professor Layton and the New World of Steam was just announced in the latest Nintendo Direct! After 10 long years the Professor Layton series will finally be getting a new main-line entry. However, this raises a lot of questions in regards to how they will incorporate things like Katrielle from Layton's Mystery Journey or Alfendi Layton from the Layton Brothers mobile game into this new Nintendo Switch game. In this video we put the pieces of the puzzle together and see what answers we can find!
For those who wish to look more into the Layton Mystery Detective Agency anime, the six* significant episodes are: 10, 20, 34, 35, 49, and 50. Thank you for checking out my video! :)
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A very Special Thanks to:
-Abdulla Mahboub
-Alex
-Christopher Conte
-EvilsDeathAzul
-Justatreeandall
-Phillip Shinn
-Swimming
-Tealgamemaster
-TheGreenLightningMRT
-Wayoshi

[@robertbrookes2000]

A great positive of being such a Layton fan, I'm now getting all these great videos on the Layton series from channels I haven't seen before.

[@TheGameDisplay]

That's really kind of you to say! Thank you so much for checking out the video. :)

[@BananenKind69]

The game is gonna be after unwound future cause there is official artwork of the game with a young Luke

[@TheGameDisplay]

In that case, it's crazy they would do all that Katrielle stuff and then just ignore it! Thank you for checking out the video. :)

[@MilenaOrlando]

@@TheGameDisplay it probably wasnt their original plan, but since katrielle flopped they decided to do things this way

[@Bleekje]

@@MilenaOrlando Definitely, but I think they aren't done yet with katrielle, but since they are just returning with their first Layton game (and technically first Level-5 game) in 6 years, they might want to play it safe by first going back to a new adventure with Layton and Luke.

[@MilenaOrlando]

@@Bleekje yeah I agree. I personally dont mind Katrielle as a character, I just wish the game was done better in terms of puzzles and misteries, so if they make more games with her its fine, just dont replace professor layton formula

[@SuperMophie]

@@TheGameDisplay The official Layton series website has a secret puzzle in which you solve it you get acces to those wallpaper in which one of them has Luke in it

[@PoisonAllison]

i've wanted the "next adventure" that luke teased at the end of unwound future to be followed up on ever since it first released, so it would be really cool if that's the direction they decide to go in. i still have a lot of apprehension about how they're going to be able to execute a game that has both a compelling story and actually good puzzles with so much having changed (shakeups at level-5, the move to switch, the death of akira tago, etc.) since the last time they made a strong main series game, but i want it to be good so bad.

[@TheGameDisplay]

It really is hard to imagine them re-capturing the magic of the original 6 games with how much has changed since then. After Layton's Mystery Journey did us dirty it's natural to be skeptical. Fingers crossed they do it right! Thank you for watching. :)

[@PoisonAllison]

well there's step one :)

[@doctorg5056]

Now that they've released an image of Layton and Luke together in New World of Steam, I think it basically confirmed that it takes place either during the original Curious Village/Pandora's Box/Lost Future trilogy or shortly after Lost Future, based on Luke having not aged, based on his costume, and based on the apparent absence of Emmy.

[@leoluna7412]

My guess is immediately after Unwound Future (or Lost Future, whichever works for you), since with the New World title and all that, it could very well take place in America. I'll admit it didn't look like America, but hey, you never know.

[@UnsettledSoldier]

I hope Descole, Emmy or Flora are in the game 🤞

[@Taupea5]

Actually a Japan trailer release reveals it one year after Unwound / Lost Future

[@wesleyc5713]

Not only do I hope that the new Layton game is after Lost future/before Katrielle Layton but I also hope it reveals Alfendi Origin

[@TheGameDisplay]

That would be great! It will be exciting to see what elements of the series they incorporate into this new adventure. Thank you for watching! :)

[@ClockMaster-mq2hm]

and that would also mean, this game would take place in at least, or after 1974. (PLatLF took place in 1974)

[@drunkensailor5612]

@@ClockMaster-mq2hm wasn't it 1964? I thought that Curious Village took place in 1960

[@ClockMaster-mq2hm]

@@drunkensailor5612 the "time mashine" in the clock shop in the third game shows 1974

[@shinichi4476]

I Sooooooooo want Alfendi’s adoption story. He deserves it !

[@asrax7800]

I mean, we know that Katrielle was taken in by Layton when Luke was already grown up, after all "big Luke" is the one who saved her from the ship. That means that since Luke is still a child in the game, they would be able to ignore any Katrielle/Alfendi related content without any plot holes. I would like some references tho lol

[@ivancalvo4055]

honeslty i really hope they do flora some justice with this game

[@TheGameDisplay]

Poor Flora, always be relegated to cucumber sandwich duty. Will be interesting to see where they take things! Thank you for watching. :)

[@HannahCharlesworth98]

And *this* is why I love the Layton franchise. It's been, what, 3 days since the announcement? And dozens of youtubers are already scrambling together theories 🥰 really hope Level-5 pay attention to this time and see that this is a worthwhile series to reboot. Also hoping they don't retcon anything, i think it'd be a huge disservice to the fan base!

[@TheGameDisplay]

Really happy you're enjoying the theories! Thank you so much for checking out the video. Fingers crossed that Level-5 gets this right! The Layton series has always been great for references and throwbacks to other entries, so I hope that this new game is the same. :)

[@CodexAdrian]

It doesn't look like this game will take place after Katrielle. If you inspect the website carefully (I won't say how so you can still figure it out) it will reveal that there's a puzzle, and upon solving it there's images that reveal Luke is indeed in this game, but he isn't old, he seems to still be pretty young.

[@oscarwillimott9296]

I would of loved it if Katrielle's vague memories of Hershel were actually false. It: A, would explain why Layton, with his strict morals ("A gentleman must always... XYZ") would leave a child effectively orphaned; B, would explain why we never get to see Katrielle's mother; and C, would be a nice Professor Layton Twist™.

[@TheGameDisplay]

It definitely felt like Lady Layton was missing that Professor Layton Twist. Let's hope they remember to add one into this new game. XD

[@FB18Ben]

The LMJ anime not being localized outside of Japan isn't true. In Germany (where I live) you can buy dubbed physical releases of the entire thing.

[@TheGameDisplay]

That's news to me! Thank you for the update.

[@lolvin817]

We're really lucky in Germany, I'm watching it for the second time 😂

[@creation1233]

I’ve read other comments talking about how Luke is shown younger. But GOD do I want it to have the Layton kids in it, and hopefully some news on Descole since he’s still living, I always wondered where he went since he isn’t shown in either Mystery Room or Millionaire Mystery.

[@LordLemmysLabs]

I hope that this new game is the start of another trilogy and it eventually shows Layton meeting and adopting both Katrielle and Alfendi. Considering how old Luke was in the anime with how young Katrielle is, they *might* need to have bigger time skips between games to justify the fact the official art has Luke at approximately the same age he has been... So I kinda doubt they'll do that, but it's definitely something I'd like to see. I also hope they give Flora a bigger role instead of just kinda... being there or being the "damsel in distress".

[@honey-nut3834]

Maybe it could end up taking place some time in the Industrial Revolution? Steam power was pretty prevalent at that time and it would explain all of the complicated machinery maps. I would guess that this game would most likely take place before Layton’s Mysterious Journey just for Level 5 to not deal with the plot holes. The idea that Layton has a daughter is already a confusing subject to me since there was really no thought into it in former games.

[@Tata_Chat2000]

Am I the only one who really trusts Level 5 on this return ?? I mean... I didn't play Katrielle bcs I care about Layton and Luke and Flora and to à certain extent Emmy and Dr Schrader, Don Paolo, Descole etc. I like Layton, not his daughter. But try to relax on this new game ;) They SAW we disliked Katrielle. They saw it and know it. They ignore it as much as they can. And I mean... look at the actual world of steam in the trailer and the 2 pictures we have... it couldn't scream more Layton than that : the town modern but oldy, strange forms in the buildings, a mystery ambiance, the véhicules are all dark, as if the town was... sleeping, freezed. And Layton and Luke in a flying machine up this strange town with strange steams coming from these buildings. Everything in the environment seems way more poetic than ever. I got REAL Layton vibes everywhere. And I mean by that vibes from the original trilogy (I like the 2nd one trilogy... but way not as much. And less and less from LS to AL). We have all the elements common to the 3 first games. This is pure Layton guys ! At least for me. So well, personnally, I cried and screamed at the announce, I am the happiest person ever, and personnally I couldn't be more confident. Sincerely. It's gonna be magic 🧡🎩 Personnally I beat it's gonna be after UF, bcs of Luke's design mainly, and the whole atmosphere. And for me it would be my ultimate dream. I waited for this "Next Aventure" that Luke refers to in his last letter since FOREVER (10 years 😭). I just, I cannot wait 🤌 I'm shaking again just by realizing again that it happened, Layton is back...

[@TheGameDisplay]

So far it really does look like Level-5 learned from their mistakes. I appreciate your optimism! I'm definitely going to wait until I have my hands on the game before I judge. But until then, it will be fun to speculate exactly what they plan to do with the game and series! Thank you for watching and commenting. :)

[@eeveegirl791]

i desperately want them to just dismiss the entirety of whatever was going on with katrielle and go back to how it used to be. Basically i just really want laytons mystery journey removed from canon

[@TheGameDisplay]

Considering how few people played Lady Layton and how even fewer watched the anime, that wouldn't actually be all that difficult! Will be interesting to see what they decide to do. Thank you for watching! :)

[@MR-SINISTER76]

​@@TheGameDisplay tbh i dont think lady layton was all that bad aside from the puzzles sucking but since i never watched the anime that im assuming took place after the game idk if they ever found layton after the game ended and im glad this is coming for more than 1 reason but mostly because it would have sucked if thats the game the series ended on it deserves a better final game than that

[@bwutton]

Actually, the anime was localized. For example in Germany!

[@svnnyphobia]

i legit couldn’t be more happy!!! i wasn’t really into pl when the original games came out so now finally being a fan when a new game is coming out is so exciting for meee

[@Bijo69]

I’m hoping it’s another trilogy after unwound future since we see Luke in his original trilogy outfit in the artwork on the website for NWoS

[@OriginProductions1963]

You’ll also notice he’s wearing a red bowtie. Also, Layton’s costume is different! I'm surprised no one has noticed that he's wearing a shirt!

[@VorpalSnickerSnack]

Don't forget about Layton Brothers, the jazz was fucking awesome. Might have only made 4 Professor Layton references? The detectives names, the hint of the father, "only Layton's son" remark, and the call. Edit: Was typing as listening and clearly missed a fuck ton.

[@TheGameDisplay]

Certainly can't forget about that! It will be really interesting to see how it all comes together, or if it just gets ignored completely. Thank you for watching and commenting! :)

[@TheGameDisplay]

For those who wish to look more into the Layton Mystery Detective Agency anime, the six* significant episodes are: 10, 20, 34, 35, 49, and 50. Thank you for checking out my video! :)

[@houngtony9149]

There a oficiallike drawing from Layton New game, the timeline is the old trilogy one

[@seroujghazarian6343]

The funny things, you can play all Layton games on the bus. They're all on Handhelds, and funnily enough, NWoS won't change that a bit.

[@salazar84]

Considering the wallpaper with Luke still looking as a child... Katrielle is pretty much erased from existence/shot in the back/sent to the basement like Alfendi got.

[@elemomnialpha]

I love Katrielle as a character so I really hope she does show up in the new game And him literally coming out of stasis like the series itself would be cool

[@spoonflaps12]

I had no idea the story continued in the anime. I need to...ahem..."take a look" at those episodes!

[@TheGameDisplay]

I can't believe they never localized the anime considering it's essentially the conclusion to the Lady Layton game. I'm sure you'll enjoy those episodes! Thank you for watching and commenting. :)

[@Hannahhhhhhhhhhhh]

yay professor layton videos finally get recommended to me

[@TheGameDisplay]

Thank you so much for checking it out! :)

[@20Ginko00]

Personally I'd love the game to be somewhere after Unwound Future or even before that. I really wanna see more content of Descole and Layton. After what happened in Azran Legacy, I'm really set on seeing another story of them together.

[@OhMyRod]

I also honestly think it would be after Katrielle's story. Nobody seems to mention that Layton has a slight redesign (now with an orange polo, with buttons all the way down). It wouldn't make too much sense for him to change his outfit after UF, then wear his og fit again in the Kat anime. (Also, I really think it's adult Luke in that hidden wallpaper in the website, he seems to tall otherwise 😅)

[@TheGameDisplay]

Right? The redesign jumped out to me as well. Definitely gives the vibe that it will take place after the Katrielle story, but I suppose there's no telling just what Level-5 might do! Thank you so much for watching and commenting. :)

[@nindroid13]

I'm a bit skeptical with the new game being in the timeline after katrielle's game since in their website, you can get a wallpaper for the upcoming professor layton game and luke in the wallpaper is the old child luke we all came to know and love. so I have a strong feeling that the upcoming game will take place after unwound future.

[@emmanuelpuglisi2014]

Apparently, not only katrielle Is ignored, even 3ds games (you can see that in the Layton site, where's the list of the games). So only the Ds games, except last Specter, are canonic, and this new game Will problably be 4th game in the timeline.

[@TheGameDisplay]

That's crazy! It will be really interesting to see what direction they take things then. Thank you for watching and commenting! :)

[@abigaildiamante9096]

I dont think it means they're ignoring the prequel trilogy, they're just advertising the games that can still be bought from them, with only the original trilogy getting hd mobile ports (which is what the banners in the site were advertising)

[@averywebb3093]

i personally don’t see mystery room or mystery journey as canon… i think it’s after UF! i imagine the spin-offs will be retconned considering how hated they are lol

[@kickthepumpkin3701]

Great video, Andrew! Love all the content you're putting out lately!

[@TheGameDisplay]

I really appreciate that! Thank you for always checking out my videos. :)

[@pica2754]

Thank you for making this video because you answered a lot of my questions. I am so glad I didn't play the Katrielle game lol. I would love it if the game was released this year. If the game went back in time before unwound future I wouldn't mind lol. As long as I get professor layton.

[@TheGameDisplay]

Thank you for watching! To this day I still think about how disappointed I was after playing Layton's Mystery Journey. I was so hyped for it, thinking that there could be no such thing as a bad Layton game, but I was wrong. XD

[@arnab_bukit]

i got a feeling that the new game will not relate to any of the older games at all. they might already come up with some sort of twist more sad than azran legacy as well

[@BlueSky-uf6oy]

I'm in a weird section of the Layton fanbase, remembering it being a thing ~15 years ago but only just getting into the series last year via Katrielle then the mobile ports of the original trilogy, but I'm definitely picking this up. With their emphasis on "New" in the title, maybe the gameplay and possibly story will have some big changes? I've always enjoyed the puzzles but felt the stories could have some improvement. Imho, the villains could be better (Don Paolo really didn't need to exist in the first 2 games), there could be some more grounded character drama (like the motive behind Dimitri and Clive) alongside the wacky scenarios (the end of Pandora's Box nearly made me tear up), and I always found it difficult to go back and solve people's problems/puzzles when it turned out they weren't real. All of that plus better heroes outside of Layton and Luke, I always wished Flora could have her moment in the sun and not just contribute by being captured. Story-wise they could draw more inspiration from Ace Attorney (that they already did creating the series) with it's complex schemes, villains with reasonable (by anime standards) motives and multiple strong supporting heroes like Maya, Pearl, Athena, Kay, etc. Sorry for the rant, I just wanted to share some thoughts I had and despute my criticisms, I can easily see why this franchise has held a special place in people's hearts for so long. Because of the mobile ports I haven't been able to play the later trilogy, but if these games so far were put on mobile, Level 5 could benefit a lot from putting them on Steam.

[@TheGameDisplay]

It sounds to me like you would really enjoy the prequel trilogy, as a lot of the points you mentioned are addressed there. Games 5 and 6 are 3D though, so I suppose that makes things more difficult when it comes to porting them to other platforms. It will be really cool to see what they do with this new game! Thank you so much for watching and commenting! :)

[@purrplecolored]

LEVEL FIVE IS BACKKKKKKKK💪💪💪💪💪🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

[@TheGameDisplay]

Woohoo! It's about time. :)

[@Electro-Dragon]

do you think they will release on 3ds

[@chocolatelover19]

The unwound future is a underrated game unfortunately

[@TheGameDisplay]

Truly a masterpiece! Let's hope this new game can do the series justice.

[@FB18Ben]

The teaser picture on the Layton website showing Layton and a mainline age Luke kind of confirms that this happens before anything shown in the LMY content. Although I do hope they retcon that entire crap, I don't want this excuse of content to restrain the mainline story.

[@Ciccigreen]

Oh God, please let them forget mystery journey exist!

[@UTAGaming]

The anime was actually fully localized with dub and everything in Germany.

[@TheGameDisplay]

Isn't that crazy? I wonder why Germany and no where else. Thank you for watching. :)

[@heidibarker9550]

I think this new mystery could take place in a pre-Luke era. I hope not because I love Luke. or this takes place during the Layton Brothers and Katrielle era but in another city. (p.s. I love Alfendi and Lucy, I hope they are developed more.)

[@TheGameDisplay]

That's a really fascinating theory I hadn't heard before! Thank you for sharing it, and for checking out the video. There's also a part of me that would like to see just what's up with Alfendi. Perhaps someday. :)

[@TheGameroomAwakens]

I've only played Miracle Mask and was there mostly for the puzzles but enjoyed the story. I hear Magical Journey's puzzles weren't as good. Did you also find this to be the case? Did your disappointment lie mostly with the story or the puzzles as well? I'd love a remaster of all the DS games in one package. Can't see it happening though. 😁👍

[@TheGameDisplay]

Yes! The puzzles were also a big reason why Layton's Mystery Journey just wasn't as good as the other games. Unfortunately, puzzle designer Akira Tago passed away before Mystery Journey was made, and Kuniaki Iwanami took over, which I suppose explains the difference. Hopefully they sort that out for this new game! And in terms of a Layton collection coming out, the original 3 games were all remastered in HD more mobile platforms. I always figured they would pack those up and release them on the Switch, but no such luck. Thank you for watching! :)

[@TheGameroomAwakens]

@@TheGameDisplay Thanks for the insight! I had no idea about the mobile versions. I'll have to look into those. Interesting too that one creative mind can have such an impact on a big release.

[@TheGameroomAwakens]

@@TheGameDisplay Phew, the mobile versions aren't cheap! 15 - 25 AUD per title.

[@TheGameDisplay]

@@TheGameroomAwakens Ouch! I didn't realize they were that high. That's a lot for mobile games. Worth it if you've never played them before, but you might as well pick up the DS versions at that rate!

[@slackjaw2643]

I’m glad it’s not about his kid. I couldn’t get through the game

[@TheGameDisplay]

Fingers crossed they get this new game right! 🤞

[@lolvin817]

You can buy the anime in germany as physical, it's great. But the only languages ​​available here are japanese and german...

[@TheGameDisplay]

I had no idea! It's great to hear that it was at least localized somewhere. Thank you for watching! :)

[@XX-nf6kj]

Actually I think Katrielle was not too bad. Story-based it was quite childish (though I wouldn't say mainline PL games were aimed too much at adults either) and did indeed not include many new details about the main plot. But the graphics, music, animations and puzzles were of good quality in my opinion.

[@lpfan4491]

I genuinely hope they just execute on the larger narrative in a satisfying way. I know the series is more about the characters and emotions, but it but it really gets bothersome when most things cross the horizon of being charming-zaney to wearing out the suspension of disbelief, sometimes played for drama and tragedy, but it's meh either way. I never really looked into the sequel-spinoffs thus far, but for most of the adventures of the Professor himself, most of the larger mysteries are some shade of absolute rediculous shenanagans to the point where the few times they actually had supernatural or supernatural-adjacent stuff happening, it were some of the most grounded events in the IP.

[@thesuperthingymabob8209]

I'm pretty sure it was released together on mobile and 3ds?

[@TheGameDisplay]

Lady Layton? It was released worldwide on mobile on July 20th 2017, and the 3DS version came out in Japan on that same day. In North America we had to wait until September for the 3DS game. But I suppose technically you are right! I didn't know that myself. :)

[@SamLovesGhostTrickAndPjsk]

Emmy altava should be in the new game ‼️

[@TheGameDisplay]

Emmy is great! Thank you for watching. :)

[@alexanderlevi9558]

Which are the five "important" eps in the Katrielle anime? And hopefully they don't simply just drop that ongoing storyline since well "Katrielle sucked we're not bringing her up again" since it wouldn't be fair

[@fallingawayfromthenorm]

I know it’s kind of a hot take but I kind of hope this is like an alternative timeline where none of the spin off games are canon for this specific timeline lol. I personally just couldn’t get into or behind the newer games or anime.

[@mystery-kid7659]

also, kathryns game says nothing about the dog, y'know, basically the first mysterie

[@mystery-kid7659]

also, did you notice Flora is nowhere to be seen XD

[@rmsgrey]

Yeah, Katrielle's story begins by establishing one major mystery and hinting at a second - the dog's mysterious amnesia (and ability to communicate with select characters) is no further forward at the end of the game than it was at the start. And then there's Katrielle's own primary quest - to find out what happened to the Professor - which, again, makes absolutely no progress throughout the entire course of the game. I'm not completely opposed to having an ongoing mystery across multiple games, but having multiple ongoing mysteries with absolutely no progress made on any of them, and the game instead focusing on episodic content, with a final mystery that, to be fair, does tie in with the episodes, makes the big mysteries feel like a total tease. The prequel trilogy does a decent job of providing ongoing mysteries and gradually exploring them across the three games - the nature of the Azran, and who Descole is - but neither of them is introduced as the central motivation of Spectre's Call - and both get some progress made in each game.

[@dgshoe]

Personally, I believe it's a reboot

[@alexos9011]

The anime felt like a finale to the whole franchise but honestly I didn't like it at all. I'm glad the Layton series is getting a second chance to thrive

[@ShyGirlMellow]

Can you give me the names of the important episodes of the mystery Journey anime please

[@TheGameDisplay]

Thank you for watching! You'll want to check out 10, 20, 34, 35, 49, and 50. :)

[@ShyGirlMellow]

@@TheGameDisplay thanks a lot, I appreciate it! I’m not telling you what to do, but have you thought about doing a timeline video for all the Layton games? Kind of like a recap for all the games before the new one comes out.

[@TheGameDisplay]

@@ShyGirlMellow You're welcome! And that's a cool idea. I appreciate the suggestion! :)

[@ShyGirlMellow]

@@TheGameDisplay you’re welcome! God bless!

[@naruhodo_ryuno]

Seeing Professor Layton on the Direct shocked me. I never expected that the series will live on. In my opinion, the story of the NWOS would be after Layton and Luke's adventure in Unwound Future. This will be more interesting than if the story would happen after Katrielle's adventures since there are too many characters there that need a spotlight. Plus, Layton should always have his trusty 10-year-old apprentice and not a grown man. Luke is way better as a child. Whatever the circumstances will be, I am looking forward to this game. I am not expecting it to be as good as Unwound Future or Azran Legacy. I just want it to be on the perfect spot but better than Mystery Journey.

[@TheGameDisplay]

It was a true shock to me as well! Level-5 had kind of given the impression that they were done with the series. I'm super happy to see that wasn't actually the case! And while I'm sure this new entry won't beat out games like Unwound Future, fingers crossed they can make something better than Katrielle! Thank you for watching and commenting. :)

[@Thecolonelshinn]

It doesn't look like my cup of tea, but I'm glad you're getting a new game to look forward to! The anime's artwork looks really good.

[@TheGameDisplay]

I appreciate you still checking out the video! :)

[@bleedingcoochie69]

LUKE

[@farbfrosch4448]

The anime isnt exclusive to japan.

[@breatulu]

i want to see clive in prison. please.

[@mustache9358]

Bro really forgot about Layton Brothers 💀💀 😈😤💦💯

[@TheGameDisplay]

Layton Brothers is mentioned at 5:03

[@mustache9358]

@@TheGameDisplay you caught me 😪 please forgive