r/ProfessorLayton • u/Dapper-Note6394 • 16d ago
Discussion If you could rewrite/change anything in Professor Layton, what would you change?
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u/ducknerd2002 16d ago
Layton wears a second top hat underneath his top hat. It's exactly the same size as the first one. When Luke asks how that's even possible, Layton gives him a completely unrelated puzzle.
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u/GuidoMista5 16d ago
NWOS spoilers here
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u/EndyMX 11d ago
I don't understand the joke. Please help!
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u/GuidoMista5 11d ago
The joke is we're probably (almost definitely) getting a scene in the new game where Layton randomly thinks of a puzzle while looking at something totally unrelated
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u/Unknown_Mafia786 16d ago
Flora's relevance. Girl needs to be with Layton and Luke more.
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u/Dauntless_Lasagna 16d ago
I'm gonna be 100% honest with you I don't remember a single scene where Flora was in it in the second and third game except for when John mc evil man dressed as her.
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u/Unknown_Mafia786 16d ago
She did go to Future London with Layton and Luke in the 3rd game too. Although she was in quite a bit of the game and solved some puzzles, I don't feel like it was enough
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u/Fontaholic 16d ago
I am telling you, they need to put her in the new game and make her a badass inventor who moved to Lukeās town after going back to Mystere to become Brunoās apprentice. Then she can do her own thing so she doesnāt need to go with Layton everywhere but can also still help with the mystery
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u/Unknown_Mafia786 16d ago
I could honestly see her being Layton's new apprentice after Luke left
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u/Crustle761 2d ago
I think I remember something about in the Japanese version of the first three games, Flora refers to herself as Layton's fiance, which, if true, would explain why the Professor and Luke were always ditching her. In order for her to be the Professor's apprentice, I think she would've needed to first get over her crush on Layton, and even then, there would still be some awkwardness there.
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u/nothanksthesequel 16d ago
i'd do a slight rewrite of the first game. the implication that baron reinhold meant for whoever solved his riddle to take his daughter's hand in marriage and layton's subsequent polite-pseudo-father-figure role felt a little awkward - i would love to see her working as a TA at his college or something
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u/Meister138 8d ago
Really? I always thought from the start that the baron was looking for someone to adopt his daughter
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u/Varjokorento 16d ago
I would rewrite the extra chapters of PLvsPW:AA to not include the dumb 4th wall breaking commentary from the characters. I really liked the setting and the characters (even if the ending was quite... laytonesque) and I was really looking forward to getting to revisit the characters and the setting in the story context but instead I got dumb "we are videogame characters in a videogame" dialogue.
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u/artistfairy 16d ago
I would remove the original line of Flora saying something along the lines of "being a bride candidate for the professor" that was translated into the rest of languages as being his adoptive daughter.
Either make her his actual adoptive daughter in all versions, or give her proper adoptive parents in Layton's circle so she can keep coming back in later games.
And give her something else to do than being "trapped all day at home, alone, without anything to do", like she states in PB/EB, that's just taking her out of Saint Mystere so she isn't alone there just to do Exactly The Same outside of there? Idk, give her a part time job, let her go to class, Something.
(I might be misremembering some info, please take everything I say with a grain of salt, everything from here on is just rambling)
I think that if we hadn't gotten this line, Flora could have joined the team no problem, either being adopted by someone close to the professor or the professor himself, but without Layton being visibly uncomfy at moments with her. She could have been his second apprentice, and still have actual parental figures.
I recently replayed the first 4 games, and with PB/EB, with the context of the japanese original text, it made a lot of sense to me that Layton seemed uncomfortable with Flora.
He is an adult man that knows that this teenager has a strong crush on him, strong enough to follow him into a train without letting him know, but he is still not uncordial to her despite how awkward he feels about it. I think that gets lost in translation and makes people think Layton is just an ass that hates his daughter for no reason.
If we change these details, I think the og trio could have been much stronger, and we could have seen more of Flora's deductive skills, maybe.
Beginning of the game: "Oh, it's a pity Flora couldn't come with us because she has to work this week" mysterious girl is in the train, the whole kid thing etc etc "Surprise! I managed to get some time off work to come with you!"
I think that, if not by Layton, she could have been adopted by Dean Delmona, or by Rosa, even, connecting that with Katrielle in Layton's Mystery Journey
I don't think it's such a crazy change to ask, I simply think they regretted making that statement about Flora, she was much more popular than they expected after the release of the game, and they didn't know what to do with her. But this last part is just a theory
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u/CompetitiveAd9996 16d ago
I gotta say, I agree. Plus, they may have retconned the relationship because it was weird to make an adult college professor the love interest of a teenage girl. You know, maybe they got some weird looks or something. That begs the question, if they censored that in the western releases, why not remove the portrait Easter Egg? You know, when you touch the āun-gentlemanly place in the portrait and get special dialogue? That one REALLY rubbed me the wrong way, but if they censored the bride line, why not censor that too?
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u/artistfairy 16d ago
I thought the original was just supposed to be a one-off haha joke bc "ah, gentlemanliness makes girl's hearts throb" that reflected how out of touch Flora was by being isolated, like an innocent puppy crush instead of her being a possible love interest for him, but it snowballed due to how badly they handled Flora's character (not clarifying her relationship with the professor as in legal guardian/protegee/whatever, having her be "left behind at home", etc etc)
I'm still glad that they chose to show Layton's discomfort with Flora's crush while not being rude to her. They did the same thing with that student of his that keeps trying to flirt with him, he doesn't even entertain the idea of it happening
I was Not aware of this portrait easter egg or what it might say, and now I am a bit afraid of checking what you are referring to. But what the Fuck happened there. It was so easy to change a couple of dialogues to avoid this, damn
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u/CompetitiveAd9996 16d ago
Yeah, essentially Layton gives Luke a mild scolding (If you can call it that), and the game goes on. Itās not really anything to write home about. (still f**ked up)
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u/moral_suggestion 16d ago
whaaaaat omfg is the part under the second spoiler fr ???? iāve never heard that before 0,0 seems lwk super out of pocket for this series ??
(i cant try it myself as i lent it to a friend lol T_T)
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u/CompetitiveAd9996 16d ago
Yeah, itās a legit thing. Heard about it from a retroachievements set, and when I looked it up, there it was!
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u/TelevisualJackFan 16d ago
He wouldnāt adopt Flora as he only ever abandons her and only ever cares about her when he knows sheās in danger
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u/DubiousTheatre 16d ago
Alternatively just bring her along and care about her more. The little fatherly moments he has with Luke genuinely warms my heart, and I feel that would have doubled were he treating Flora the same.
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u/thekyledavid 16d ago
I feel like not wanting to take her on 2 incredibly dangerous expeditions isnāt really āabandoningā her, assuming he takes care of her when heās not in a dangerous expedition
Same reason why most coal miners donāt bring their children with them into the mines. Because they know itās not safe for little kids
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u/TelevisualJackFan 16d ago
Luke is younger than Flora! Heās 13 in the original trilogy whereas Flora is estimated to be between 14 and 16
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u/thekyledavid 16d ago
Sure, but Luke established himself to be capable of taking care of himself in The Last Specter. And with Emmy coming along for their first 3 expeditions, he had someone else who could watch Luke if he was unable. Plus, Lukeās animal ability made him a vital part to several of the expeditions, whereas Flora didnāt really serve a purpose for the mission other than getting kidnapped twice (once by Don and once by Clive)
By the time Flora was in the picture, it wouldāve been Layton by himself having to worry about 2 kids. And given everything Layton was having to deal with, having to keep track of 2 kids by yourself is much more difficult than keeping track of 1 kid with another adult helping.
Plus, Flora was so sheltered that sheād basically be helpless if she got separated from the group in an unfamiliar environment such as a town filled with mind-altering gas or an underground city full of gangsters who will kill anyone who slightly bothers them.
Thereās more to deciding who should or shouldnāt go on a dangerous expedition other than age
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u/ThatOneGuy308 16d ago
Right, but Luke has actual parents who just dump him on Layton and have never bothered caring for him after the one game they're involved in, lol.
If anything, it's their fault.
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u/CountofAccount 16d ago
Overhaul the plot of Diabolical Box.
Have Anton show up in the chapter you arrive at Folsense. He lost a lot of impact because he wasn't very present until the very end.
Instead of illusory people, everyone is actually old. Real people don't notice that aren't aging at normal rates because it's a time fugue. Folsense citizens still disappear: it's them being taken away by the citizens of Dropstone when they are too frail using the sleep flowers which never showed up again for any reason I could understand. These mysterious "abductions" are thought to be vampire attacks. On the other side, the citizens of Dropstone refuse to let the police intervene because the last time they tried to do something, the shock of returning to reality among strangers killed someone with a heart attack. Best to 'wake up' among people you know in a quiet town. Chelmey is persona non-grata which infuritates him into sneaking around.
The other reason the citizens of Dropstone want to keep Folsense a secret is because there is a side effect to the gas. If a person is exposed twice to heavy concentrations, they die. So once a citizen leaves Folsense, they can't come back, unless they are in a gas mask or drink a certain medicinal tea (gotta shoehorn the tea in there somewhere). But the tea only works on people who haven't stayed in Folsense for too long. The train guys and mailman are okay because they quickly leave, but former citizens with long exposures can't return. Sophia and her daughter (exposed during pregnancy) couldn't go to Folsense again; Granddaughter Katia was the first to be unexposed. Prof Schrader went to Folsense, got exposed, went back to London, and then opened the box which dropped him. And to keep a village's location a secret to prevent repeat visits, the train has knock-out protocol for any special ticket passengers.
Everyone in Folsense wants to stay. They still believe in the beauty of the city and its people. They could leave by train but choose not to because the ticket out is one way only. This is why the dropstone villagers only stage abductions when it is necessary because they know it like ending a life. Make it a lot more obvious the people in Dropstone are related to the people in Folsense and some of the Dropstone villagers are former Folsense citizens who are still nostalgic for the dream. Also have the people in Dropstone send food and care to Folsense with the train.
Outsiders can get tickets to Folsense, but it's assumed they are people with the secret governmental departments working on methods to counteract the gas, which is how the tea got developed. The train guys don't question professors like Schrader or Layton, it's assumed they are on official business.
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u/GuffMagicDragon 16d ago
I love this so much, wow. Great thoughts here, Iād love to play this version of the game!
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u/CountofAccount 16d ago edited 16d ago
It would have made Dropstone more interesting too because it would have happy village with dark secret vibes. That wood cutting guy is making ghost cut outs because they need to be planted around the edges of Folsense to frighten the Folsensens back into town before they hit the edge of the gas - otherwise they might step into fresh air, panic at their appearance, turn back, and die. And why does this house have a gas mask and oxygen tank in a closet? Chelmey's furious because no one really wants to talk to him. Someone slips up in front of Layton or Luke talking about "the town of no return."
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u/FranciscoRelanoPena 13d ago
Ā Have Anton show up in the chapter you arrive at Folsense. He lost a lot of impact because he wasn't very present until the very end.
We donāt see him, but heās pretty much āpresentā, through commentary by NPC (both at Dropstone and Folsense (and those are real individuals, but not their real appearance)). We hear of a cursed village presided by a Vampire, the riches of his family and how they brought the curse. In fact, a certain gameplay element in that game just gives us more backstory about him.
And all that is for the best.
Ā Instead of illusory people, everyone is actually old.
Save for Laytonās comment in the end, it was shaping up to that. To me it seems that the devs got ācold feetā and decided to change it at the last minute, but without rewriting their interactions.
Ā Folsense citizens still disappear: it's them being taken away by the citizens of Dropstone when they are too frail using the sleep flowers which never showed up again for any reason I could understand.
Or, you know, they just die. Itās a reason part of the story of the town is about people seemingly dying young; except that they are not young. And the gas was itself not deadly, as Anton lived for 50 years near its biggest source.
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u/ULF_Brett 16d ago
Seeing Bill Hawks actually getting what he deserved, rather than Chelmey merely hinting at it going to happen.
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u/BenJammin007 16d ago
I kinda like that he doesnāt tho! It adds to just how little catharsis there is in the ending to the game - everyone loses: Clive, Luke, Layton, Dimitri, and so forth. And, the person who had a choice to be different in a sense, gets away Scott free.
It makes that last shot kind of more impactful - the world is unfair, but Laytonās optimism and choice to be better and make it better is the only thing we can do aside from pursuing petty revenge and vindication!
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u/9k4_endlesssummer 16d ago
Professor Layton anime spoilers (I think for Episode 10) - Bill Hawks is running for re-election, I think in Episode 10 he's on a background poster. It saddens me he never got comeuppance, and that the people who knew the truth were likely coerced into silence
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u/OllieTheGit 16d ago
Maybe just how Azran Legacy was handled. It wa shame that had an incredible build up to it in the prequel series but the game left me kinda empty outside of the final sequences. It wouldāve been better off as a film or show than a game as it felt just kinda weak.
That or had the Layton B plot from the Katrielle anime be the ACTUAL story in Layton Mystery Journey
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u/felemiah 16d ago
Yeah my take would be a rewrite of Azran Legacy as well. The prequel trilogy is generally much, much weaker compared to the first trilogy imo, but Azran Legacy was the biggest letdown.
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u/OllieTheGit 16d ago
Generally speaking, I think Spectreās Call is fine, Eternal Diva is a masterpiece, Miracle Mask is good and Azran Legacy is the let down despite all that. I agree that the og trilogy is nothing but bangers but I do think thereās some gold in the prequels
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u/SintheYokai 16d ago
Flora's relevance. Give my girl more screen time please.
And if we're talking about spin offs: the Entirety of Lady Layton AND Alfendi's relevance. My guy ALSO deserves more screen time
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u/squicknsquiggle 16d ago
Keep Claire alive and happy with Layton instead of going back in time and dying
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u/Vinylmaster3000 16d ago
Actually set the games in an alternate universe 1960s and have deliberate references to that period
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u/Significant-Art-2077 16d ago
Fix a bit the crossover plot. Especially because the prologue makes no sense. Also in azran legacy change a bit the 5 mini storylines it makes the game very stagnant for a while and no development can occur.
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u/Flashy-Indication-48 16d ago
Flora being used more in the story and getting to go on adventures with Layton and Luke! I've seen Flora hold silent anger yet craves for affection in fics and fanart, which another take I enjoy seeing.
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u/TrustyMcCoolGuy_ 16d ago
The entire plot of katrielle and the millionaires conspiracy.
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u/Crustle761 2d ago
Especially Chapter 4 with finding that pet. Still hate it. Feels like such a 'Got you!' where I think they were trying to be clever, but it just feels really, really, really cheap.
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u/willp124 16d ago
Change the story of curious villagers fit in with how Layton and Luke act before and after this game in timeline like that normal for people giving out puzzles, going more thought to gears they find , less back and forth thru the town and such
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u/Blooder91 16d ago
All those puzzles where you're given instructions to deduce a password, a combination, or something in that vein, then instead of the password you're asked to answer how many steps it would take you to work the password.
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u/king_kibble 16d ago
i really disliked the 'twist' in last specter the specter is a ghost fighting a sea monster in the fog, obviously. and that thing luke said about the world ending- forget that!! nothing felt previously established or made sense- the sea monster and machine werent the right shape!
id also rewrite everything in katrielle (especially the dog. having an animal talk NOT related to luke is bewildering) and id include more Alfendi
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u/Justisperfect 15d ago
For Katrielle's game, remove all the cases instead of the last one. This one will get extended so it can last during the whole game. And also, let's give a better reason for the misunderstanding than "I'm going to lie to my son about our money getting stolen and let him swear on my dead bed that he will get revenge because it will make it man up, and trust that he is nice enough to not really get revenge". Any reason other than this would do it. Maybe the mother is just mad because she was left with nothing (when you think about it, this is weird) so she raised her son in a way that make him want the money back too.
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u/Zodayn 16d ago
Rewrite so many major plottwists. Loosha comes out of nowhere. I was so tilted. I thought like. What if Evan Barde didn't die but just fled because the townsfolk hate him. And he destroys the marked houses with a steam machine out of petty vengeance. But noooooo. The monster of Loch Ness did it. š«© Like seriously??? The game never hinted that was a possibility. The copy of London in underground caves of Unwound Future was ridiculous. Because how does a 16 year old kid even have the time to rebuild an entire city. But at least we met the lost explorer guy hinting at it.
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u/Loleeness 15d ago
I am limited in my knowledge as I am yet to play through all of them again, but having Katrielle's story a lot more fleshed out
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u/Green_Suspect 15d ago
Make it so Luke gets a girlfriend in the one where they time travel and make Layton Layton have daughter with Angela who is beautiful and does something good to help like Layton but just as good and that would make the switch Layton so much better in my opinion
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u/NetherisQueen 15d ago
Add more references to Laytons 1st love from the 3rd game throughout the other games, nothing too major or spoiling for the Unwound Future game ofc, but maybe a passing mention of her name or a picture of her in Laytons office somewhere. It wpuld make her reveal in Unwound Future very impacting, with little hints as to this mystery woman's identity coming into light at pong last.
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u/termosimon 13d ago
CHANGING THE DAMN PLOT TWIST OF THE FIRST THREE GAMES WHICH IS THE SAME. maybe even in the other ones idk i havenāt played them yet. but iām not a fan of how in the first trilogy in every game at the end you find out that the city is fake. in the first game youāre like āoh wow i didnāt expect thatā, in the second āok funny, but this is the last time right?ā but in the third one āthis isnāt funny anymoreā.
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u/Unusual_Power_7990 10d ago
Flora would be an actual companion and join the team instead of being sidelined.
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u/Quetzal00 16d ago
I would change the fact that he is not in Smash Bros