Proto:Professor Layton and the Last Specter

This page details one or more prototype versions of Professor Layton and the Last Specter.

This article is a work in progress. ...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes.

To do: Add differences between the rest of the sprites (conversations, overworld, etc.) Add text differences (with a subpage for it). Maybe make subpages for certain things if their respective sections get too long?

...But what does it mean? This game has text or audio that needs to be translated. If you are fluent with this language, please read our translation guidelines and then submit a translation!

Visitors to Tokyo Game Show 2009 were given a Level-5 Premium Platinum cartridge, which not only contained a demo for Last Specter, but Ni no kuni and Inazuma Eleven 2 as well. The cartridge was eventually dumped online like its Silver and Gold predecessors, allowing for easy access by those not present at the event.

The Last Specter demo in question starts with a slightly-edited version of the cutscene where the professor, Luke, and Emmy have their hotel room destroyed by the specter, and from there allows the player to experience the game up until meeting Luke face-to-face for the first time. After that, it plays the full version of the hotel room destruction scene, shows the release date and price, and resets. While a majority of the main differences between the demo and final versions are just visual, there are still quite a few of them regardless.

Differences

General

• The audio quality for cutscenes and spoken lines is much more compressed. The Laytonmobile's motor humming is also higher pitched.
• Many sprites and backgrounds are a couple shades darker than their final versions.

Gameplay

• The beginning scene with Descole reciting the legend of the specter and speaking to Raymond is not shown, nor is the one of Emmy meeting the professor.
• The cutscene of the hotel room being destroyed is edited to be shorter, has no voice credits, and has lines spoken at different times.
• There is only one explanation image for Picarats.
• The title fades in before the second part of the opening car scene.
• The title cards for the prologue and Chapter 2 are not present.
• There is no instruction for saving, the Puzzle Index, Mysteries, or Episodes.
• When the player finds a Hint Coin, the text box is affixed to an area near where the screen was tapped, instead of being in the center.

Proto	Final

• There are only two illustrations for puzzle results, with one being for a correct answer and the other for an incorrect answer.
• The Chippe officers, Brock, and Finch are never met.
• Any mention of a witch or witch's mark is omitted.
• The professor does not hand the letter to Clark Triton upon meeting him.

Graphics

Title

The title screen is much different, showing the North Ely Hotel at night. It also includes 'trial version' text, a link to the official website, and a back button to return to the game selection screen.

Proto	Final

UI

• The overall design of the Professor's Trunk is the same, but the coin used to represent Hint Coins has more shading, the text labels on the Touch Screen are shifted over a couple pixels, the Puzzle Index is brown instead of the final blue, there are three early silhouettes for the minigames in a different order, and the icon for Episodes is missing.

Proto	Final

• The text bubble has a lighter drop shadow and an underline with no green border, the 'New!' labels' shadow is farther out, and the fifth entry is '壊れた道と家屋' (kowareta michi to kaoku) instead of '壊れた家屋と魔女の印' (kowareta kaoku to majo no shirushi).

Proto	Final

• For Mysteries: Layton's drop shadow extends out further, as does the text bubble's; the text bubble only has a single green underline; the icons are up a little higher; the 'Mist Upon the Village' mystery uses just a gradient as its image; the eighth and ninth mysteries have been swapped; the 'Evan Barde' mystery uses an actual silhouette of its namesake instead of his home; and the 'ふかまるナゾリスト' label is both a different color and above the icons instead of below them. Additionally, the icon used in the mystery descriptions is a sprite of Layton's head instead of a green box, and there are no additional comments made by the professor.

Proto	Final

Maps & Backgrounds

• The final versions of all three top-screen maps included in the prototype are less saturated than the final version, and lack the extra shading on the roofs of the houses. The section of the river in the top-left of the Crossroads map also flows in a straight line instead of a curve.

Proto	Final

• There is no torn-off door with the witch's symbol on it near the Wrecked Home, which correlates with the omission of anything related to the witch subplot.

Cutscenes

• Clark Triton's pupils are slightly higher. This was likely changed so it would look more like his eyes were focused on the typewriter instead of above it.

Proto	Final

• Bucky's boat is drawn with oars, which were removed in the final game. He is shown rowing with them in cutscenes and in the credits, so why they were removed from the picture is unknown.

Proto	Final

• Clark's mouth does not move when he is telling Layton and Emmy about the specter.

Sprites

• The sprites of the characters on the top screen that indicate who is currently traveling with the professor and where the player currently is have a handful of differences from the ones in the final game.

Proto	Final	Notes
		Layton's skin tone is more saturated, his left ear has one more pixel of shading, his hat is only shaded on one side instead of both, the hair by his eyes is not present, his jacket is shaded around his neck more, and the lines for his arms are not drawn in.
		Emmy's hair is more voluminous at the bottom, and she lacks shading on her lower face. Likewise, she has shading around her neck that is not present in the final version, and her torso is a straight line with lower shoulders.

• Many of the spritesheets are missing various sprites, whether because they relate to features or characters not present in the demo, or simply because they're unfinished.

	Proto	Final
p1101.ca (Aldus and Chippe Overworld)
p1102.ca (Charlie, Chippe, and Louis Overworld)

• While holding her camera, Emmy is smiling. She has a more serious look in the final version.

Puzzles

• The puzzle judgement screen that acts like a slide puzzle of the solver's face is not present.

• All of the puzzles included are worth a different amount of Picarats than in the final, minus the first one.

Puzzle	Picarat Amount (Proto)	Picarat Amount (Final)
#002	10	20
#003	15	20
#004	20	30
#005	15	25
#006	20	30

• The success screen for Tourist Spotting actually highlights the shadows underneath the characters' feet, instead of just having arrows pointing to them. The background is also a different color, and the 'C' letter is not darkened out.

Proto	Final

• The puzzle where you have to cut the ropes blocking the bridge is not present.

Unused, Early Elements

Disclaimer

The "this is a work of fiction" disclaimer does not appear at the beginning of the game like it normally would, but its file does exist. The text remains the same, but the background is the North Ely Hotel at night, similar to the graphic used for the Touch Screen on the title screen.

Proto	Final

UI

Trunk

While only the silhouettes of the minigames are visible in the trunk, their full icons can be seen by ripping the spritesheet. This reveals their entire early designs, with the biggest differences being between the toy train and fish. Interestingly, the little Stachenscarfen in the icon for the Puppet Theater resembles his sticker from Unwound Future's Picture Book.

Alongside the icons are ones for a disabled Journal and Index, which are never used in the demo and completely removed from the final version.

Proto	Final
	No equivalent.
	No equivalent.

Mysteries

The only Mysteries that can be unlocked in the demo are the first two, leaving the full icons for the others unseen, much like the minigames in the trunk. Upon ripping the full spritesheet, it can be seen that the 'Cursed Witch' icon initially didn't have a shadow over Arianna's face, and the 'Evan Barde' icon used more 'evil'-looking artwork of him and was colored orange. The name of the 'Cursed Witch' mystery was also originally spelled "さいやくのまじょ" (saiyaku no majo) instead of "やくさいのまじょ" (yakusai no majo).

Proto	Final

Episodes

Despite how the icon for Episodes is not present in any form, its interface is. The Touch Screen background stays identical between both versions, but the top screen uses a text box instead of a bubble, and all of the human head sprites are replaced with film and projector motifs.

Proto	Final

Cutscene Images

The prototype contains a handful of unfinished cutscene artwork, most of which are just missing proper backgrounds. None of them can be seen through normal gameplay, as they are all from scenes that take place after meeting Luke (where the demo ends).

i5200.ci is the scene of Luke chasing after Keats.

Proto	Final

i5260.ci is the scene showing someone underneath the Black Raven costume.

Proto	Final

i5320.ci and i5320.ci are the upper and lower screen art for the scene where Seamus is revealed to be Tony in disguise.

Proto	Final

i5360.ci is the scene where Luke hands the professor his notes.

Proto	Final

i5370.ci is a part from the scene where Luke explains to the professor and Emmy how he uses the water levels to predict when the specter would attack.

Proto	Final

Sprites

Chapter 6 Emmy Map Icon

The outlined sprite of Emmy's head that serves as a marker for the current location on the map is not present in the demo, as it's only used in Chapter 6 when the player takes control of Emmy rather than the Professor. The differences between it and the final version are largely the same has her other map icon, those being that her hair is somewhat more voluminous and her face lacks shading-- although with this icon it's her entire face, not just the lower part.

Proto	Final

Luke Dialogue Icon

Since the demo ends right before the player meets Luke, none of his comments made when tapping on areas of the map are ever seen. His icon used in the map dialogue text boxes is still present alongside the professor's and Emmy's, although he has 'dot' eyes like them instead of the visible sclera he has in the final version.

Proto	Final

Character Overworld Sprites

The following are ordered by filename.

	Proto	Final	Notes
p1001.ca (Dean Delmona)			Sprite is less refined, in a different pose, and has no animations.
p1002.ca (Rosa Grimes)			Sprite is less refined, in a different pose, and has no animations.
p1004.ca (Colby)			Sprite is less refined, in a different pose, and has no animations.
p1005.ca (Chelmey and Barton)			Sprites are less refined and have no animations. Likewise, Chelmey's right arm is also not visible and his feet are shaped differently.
p1006.ca (Monica)			Sprite in the demo is just a grey placeholder rectangle.
p1007.ca (Augustus)			Sprite is less refined, in a different pose, and has no animations.
p1008.ca (Hanna)			Sprite is less refined, in a different pose, and has no animations.
p1009.ca (Mick)			Sprite is less refined and has no animations. His hair is also a different shape in the demo.
p1010.ca (Ewan)			Sprite is less refined, in a different pose, and has no animations.
p1011.ca (Chappy)			Sprite is less refined and has no animations.
p1115.ca (Keats)			Sprite is less refined and has no animations.

Other

Many assets from Unwound/Lost Future are present in the files, likely because the DS Layton games reuse the same engine, and the fourth game was in the process of being developed over the third.