Level-5 News Articles
Sunday26th Feb 2023
News Level-5 CEO Teases What's Next For Yo-Kai Watch
The "next amazing thing" is in the works
Level-5 made quite the comeback at the most recent Nintendo Direct - announcing a new Professor Layton and much more. One notable omission was the Yo-kai Watch series. There's no need to worry though, as the Japanese developer seems to already be preparing something... In a brief message on social media,...
Tuesday21st Feb 2023
News Level-5 Showcasing New IP & More In Upcoming March Live Stream
Professor Layton, too
Level-5 had a major comeback during the latest Nintendo Direct presentation - announcing the return of Professor Layton and even some new IP. If you are keen to know about the Japanese company's upcoming Switch projects, you'll be able to learn more in its "Vision 2023" showcase - airing on 9th March at 8pm JST. That's 3am PT...
Thursday9th Feb 2023
News Level-5 To Reveal Inazuma Eleven Game Details At Online Event This Month
Room for Fantasy Life and Professor Layton too?
Level-5 shocked us all with its surprise appearance at the February Nintendo Direct Showcase (where both Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, Professor Layton and the New World of Steam and DECAPOLICE were announced) and now the previously operation-reducing studio is back with more news as...
Wednesday8th Feb 2023
News Professor Layton And The New World Of Steam Is Bringing The Puzzle Franchise Back To Switch
This reminds me of a puzzle...
In a twist of fate that none of us saw coming, the Nintendo Direct Showcase featured an announcement for the return of our most beloved detective in a teaser for Professor Layton and the New World of Steam! There is very little that we know about the title for the moment apart from that it is from Level-5, it stars...
News Level-5 Announces Detective RPG DECAPOLICE For 2023 Release
Who had that on their Nintendo Direct bingo card, then?
Well, that was unexpected. Level-5 just revealed a new game during the February 2023 Nintendo Direct called DECAPOLICE. It's an entirely new IP, too – and a welcome surprise. Combining detective elements with JRPG action, Deca Police looks like a sci-fi thriller with cute characters and a...
Tuesday3rd Jan 2023
News Level-5 Teases New IP Announcement Coming This Year
But will it make it out West?
For most of us Nintendo fans, Level-5 holds a special place in our hearts. Between the Professor Laytons, Inazuma Elevens and Yo-Kai Watches, the chances are that we have all come across the studio at least once or twice in our gaming days. Now, it looks like a new IP is on the horizon. Shared in the company's 'Happy...
Monday2nd Jan 2023
Talking Point Professor Layton And The Lost Franchise: Where Did The Beloved Puzzle Series Go?
This reminds me of a puzzle...
From the late 2000s to the mid-2010s, my gaming experience was all about learning to become a gentleman. This was a central topic which ran throughout the Professor Layton series. If Professor Hershel Layton wore a trench coat, I wore a trench coat; if he drank fruity tea, I drank fruity tea; if he was reminded of a...
Thursday29th Dec 2022
News Level-5 Shows Off Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road Of Heroes Gameplay & New Character
And talks about the year ahead
Just weeks after the World Cup, Level-5 has shared another look at its upcoming title Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road of Heroes (previously known as Inazuma Eleven: Heroes’ Great Road). The latest teaser artwork shows off a new character. His name hasn't been revealed just yet, but he's apparently an extremely talented...
Wednesday16th Nov 2022
News Level-5's Mech RPG Megaton Musashi Is Going Free-To-Play On Switch This December
Update: A slight delay for the Japan exclusive
Update #2 [Wed 16th Nov, 2022 05:15 GMT]: Level-5 has delayed the game's release by a week. Instead of launching on December 1st in Japan, it'll now arrive on December 8th. It's all timed in with the release of the anime's second season (via Gematsu). Update [Sun 18th Sep, 2022 02:45 BST]: Level-5 has...
Friday22nd Jul 2022
News Inazuma Eleven: Great Road Of Heroes Receives New Name, Screens, And More Changes
Still on course for 2023
Level-5 has finally shared some new information on its new Inazuma Eleven game. Following the company president's announcement that the developer would be dropping more information in a blog post, we can see that the project has undergone some pretty big changes on the pitch — including a brand new name. The game will now...
Tuesday19th Jul 2022
News Level-5 Is Ready To Share News On The Inazuma Eleven Switch Game Soon
After multiple delays
It's been a while since we've had any new information on the next entry in Level-5's hugely popular Inazuma Eleven series. This soccer-based video game series debuted on the DS in 2008 and has spawned numerous spin-offs, including an anime and manga series. But Inazuma Eleven: Great Road of Heroes — the upcoming Switch game...
Tuesday31st May 2022
Looks can be deceiving
Level-5 may have scaled back its western operations, but it's actually still releasing new titles in this part of the world. Following on from a local launch of Fantasy Life Online for mobile last December, it's now released the free-to-download game Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds for PC
Wednesday23rd Feb 2022
News Megaton Musashi Is Getting A Crossover With Getter Robo And Mazinger Z
Still no word on a western localisation, though
Level-5's mech-based title Megaton Musashi is getting crossover content with two of Japan's most legendary robot series. A teaser for the crossover was shown during Level-5’s 'Megaton Lab' livestream. and shows the distinctive silhouettes of the Getter-1 Robo and Mazinger Z. Both of these robots are...
Thursday9th Dec 2021
News Level-5's Mech RPG Megaton Musashi Gets A Free DLC Update
But it's still exclusive to Japan...
Update [Thu 9th Dec, 2021 02:00 GMT]: This new free update is now available. Level-5 has also released a roadmap for the game, which includes the anime series and a "large-scale" paid update coming in Fall 2022 (thanks, Gematsu): December 9, 2021 Free Update Vol. 1: Counterattack Boost Patch Superdreadnought...
Monday6th Dec 2021
News Fantasy Life Online Comes Out In English On iOS And Android Today
It's not Fantasy Life 2, but we'll take it!
After Level-5's wonderful cult classic Fantasy Life came out on 3DS, and blew us all away with its depth, heart, and charm, it was a little disappointing to find out that the sequel would be a mobile-only game called Fantasy Life Online. It was even more disappointing to find out that it was only destined...
Thursday28th Oct 2021
News Level-5 Amps Up Promotion For Mech RPG Megaton Musashi, On Switch This November
...but only in Japan, alas
Remember Megaton Musashi, Level-5's next big cross-media project? It was announced as a 3DS game way back in 2016, and its release was to be supported by a range of anime, toys and other media events – a process which has served Level-5 rather well with the
Friday6th Aug 2021
News Level-5's Mech-Battle RPG Is Coming This November, Only In Japan
Mega metal mecha mayhem
We've known about Megaton Musashi, Level-5's next big project, since 2016 — when it was announced as a multimedia event spanning toys, anime, and video games. After last hearing about it in 2019, we were wondering where it had got to — but now it seems like it's almost ready to land, just not on the 3DS as was originally...
Wednesday7th Jul 2021
News Level-5 Is Hiring For A New RPG Project
It's likely to be a mobile game
The creators of Professor Layton, Yo-Kai Watch, Ni No Kuni, and Fantasy Life are recruiting for a new RPG that's in development. The fact that Level-5 describe the project as "brand new" means that it won't be a continuation of any of those series, and the artwork above appears to show some concept art for the RPG,...
Thursday20th May 2021
News Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom Is Coming To Switch
Proper tidy!
Awww yeah, we love it when a rumour turns out to be true — especially when it concerns the excellent Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (or, to be honest, anything from Level-5). Yes, Ni No Kuni 2 is coming to Switch on the 17th of September, 2021, and even better, it looks like it's going to have a physical version, too. Now that's...
Wednesday19th May 2021
Poll What's The Best Dragon Quest Game?
I need a Hero
Originally released in the West under the localised Dragon Warrior title, it's been nearly thirty-five years since Dragon Quest, Yuji Horii's seminal RPG series, debuted in Japan. In that time, we've seen eleven mainline entries in a series which led the way in defining the JRPG genre itself. Japanese Nintendo gamers have enjoyed...
Friday7th May 2021
News Level-5 Announces Layton’s Mystery Journey 'Plus' Version For Switch
Launches in Japan this July
It seems Level-5 isn't done with Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy - Deluxe Edition just yet. In a new announcement on social media, it's revealed it will be launching a slightly enhanced 'Plus' version - allowing players to swap the game's original voice actors with the TV anime Layton...
Friday30th Apr 2021
News Ni No Kuni II Might Be Coming To Switch
Ni YES Kuni. Or Ni Maybe Kuni, at least
ESRB ratings are hardly confirmation of video games becoming a reality, but we're hoping that this latest one is. Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is the colourful follow-up to Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (which came to Switch in 2019 after widespread critical success), and recently, a few eagle-eyed...
Tuesday6th Apr 2021
News Inazuma Eleven: Great Road of Heroes Delayed Again, This Time To 2023
The long and winding road
There was a time when Level-5 was pretty darn hot; the Professor Layton series developed a devoted following, and there was a major sales breakthrough when Yo-kai Watch took off in Japan and was rolled out globally; more recently the development side of the business earned praise for its Ni no Kuni titles, too. The...
Monday8th Mar 2021
News Level-5 CEO Reveals The Inspiration For Professor Layton And The Risks Of Self-Publishing
"There was a lot of risk involved with the project"
Since arriving in 2007, Professor Layton's had quite a successful history. From humble beginnings in a Curious Village to Ace Attorney crossovers, it's been a few years since a new entry in this puz
Tuesday29th Dec 2020
News Level-5 Boss Teases 2021 Announcement, Says He Loves Cyberpunk 2077
New game is unlikely to come to the West
Forgive us this moment of subjective praise in a news story, but Level-5 really is one of the best studios out there. They brought us our beloved, behatted mystery-solver, Professor Layton, as well as the underrated gem that is Fantasy Life, and somehow they also managed to develop Ni No Kuni, Yo-Kai Watch,...
Monday26th Oct 2020
Deals Level-5's Gorgeous Ghibli RPG Ni no Kuni Has 84 Percent Hacked Off Its eShop Price [Europe]
Don't sleep on this one
Level-5's Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch certainly ranks as one of the best RPGs on Switch right now, and combines an uplifting story with gorgeous artwork courtesy of the legendary Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli. The game is currently on sale, with a massive 84 percent reduction on its typical retail price...
![Level-5's Gorgeous Ghibli RPG Ni no Kuni Has 84 Percent Hacked Off Its eShop Price [Europe]](https://images.nintendolife.com/58a4b917c5d1b/250x183.jpg)
Monday12th Oct 2020
News Professor Layton Dev Level-5 Has No Plans For Future Games Outside Of Japan, Says Report
North American operations 'virtually halted'
Level-5, the studio behind titles such as Professor Layton, Ni No Kuni, Yo-Kai Watch and Inazuma Eleven, has 'virtually halted its operations in North America' according to a new report.
Tuesday1st Sep 2020
News Tokyo Game Show 2020 Lineup Announced
Featuring Square Enix, Capcom, SEGA's 60th and more
The schedule for Tokyo Game Show 2020 has been announced, with a host of big name publishers filling the slots of this year's online event which will be kicked off by, of all things, an Xbox showcase. The event was cancelled for obvious pandemic-related reasons back in May, but as with many other...
Friday31st Jul 2020
News Level-5 Teasing Major Announcement For Yo-Kai Watch Jam: Yo-Kai Academy Y
Update: A demo is releasing on 3rd August
Update (Sat 1st Aug, 2020 13:00 BST): Level-5 has announced it will release a demo for this game on the Japanese Switch eShop on 3rd August. According to Japanese Nintendo the release of a packaged version and western localisation is still undecided. Original article (Fri 31st Jul, 2020 05:00 BST):...
Thursday9th Jan 2020
News Level-5 Realises Fans Don't Like Delays, But Does It To Make Its Games Better
The president wants to "properly build up titles"
The developer and publisher behind series like Inazuma Eleven, Professor Layton and Yo-Kai Watch had a relatively busy year in 2019 – announcing and localising a bunch of games while experiencing some troublesome delays at the same time. In the late
