Level-5 News Articles
Monday13th Apr 2015
News Akihiro Hino on Why Fantasy Life 2 is Not Coming to the 3DS
Excuses, excuses...
A few days ago, Level-5 announced they had made the decision to publish Fantasy Life 2 on smartphones, bypassing the 3DS (and all dedicated gaming consoles, for that matter) entirely. It seemed a strange choice given that its prequel was not a smartphone game, though an argument could be made that the smartphone market offers a...
Tuesday7th Apr 2015
The mystery continues
Nearly two years ago, Level-5 announced Layton 7, a curious departure for the series that would be coming to iOS, Android, and 3DS. Since then, next to nothing has come out about the project, but that all changed at Level-5's Vision event this year. There's been a change in the design of the title, with it now being...
Game expected to arrive in 2016
We already knew that Yo-Kai Watch was coming to the west thanks to Hasbro's deal to create toys for the popular Japanese cross-over franchise, but it wasn't until today - and Level-5's Japanese Vision 2015 conference - that a publisher (Nintendo) and solid release window (2016) came to light. Nintend
News The Snack World Is Level-5's Next Cross-Media Project, And It's Coming To Nintendo 3DS
Toys use NFC to interact with the game
As if announcing three new Yo-Kai Watch titles wasn't enough, Level-5 has today revealed its next big "cross-media" venture, The Snack World. A multimedia effort which will see Level-5 collaborate with Takara Tomy, TV Tokyo and CoroCoro Comics, The Snack World will cover movies, manga, toys and video games...
News Level-5 Announces Yo-Kai Watch 3 For Nintendo 3DS, Action Takes Place In USA
Third time's a charm
Level-5 has just revealed the third entry in its best-selling Yo-Kai Watch series, due to launch on the Nintendo 3DS. Yo-Kai Watch 3 will take place in North America, in keeping with the storyline of the ongoing anime series. A new character is introduced called Inaho Misora, who has her own Yo-kai named USApyon. Level-5 has...
News Level-5 Confirms Yo-kai Watch Crossover With Koei Tecmo's Three Kingdoms
Platforms still unclear
In an eye-raising development from the Level-5 Vision 2015 event in Japan, the company has confirmed yet another spin-off release for the Yo-kai Watch series, in addition to the 3DS-bound Yo-kai Watch Busters. Yo-kai Watch: Three Kingdoms has been announced as a collaboration with Koei Tecmo. Three Kingdoms is a series...
News Yo-Kai Watch Busters Hitting 3DS This Year, Main Franchise Coming To The West In 2016
Busting makes me feel good
Level-5's Vision 2015 event is happening right now, and the company's CEO Akihiro Hino has just announced a new entry in its popular Yo-Kai Watch franchise. Yo-Kai Watch Busters is an 3DS action title based on a mini-game featured in Yo-Kai Watch 2. The title will come in two versions - Red Cat Troupe and White Dog Unit -...
News Fantasy Life 2 Is Skipping 3DS In Favour Of Smartphones
Phone home
Level-5 has just revealed that the sequel to the 3DS title Fantasy Life is coming to smartphones, ignoring Nintendo's handheld entirely. Fantasy Life 2: Two Moons And The Village of God will contain all the usual character-building RPG goodness - with a focus on exploring different "lives" or jobs - but the catch this time around is that...
Friday13th Feb 2015
News Hasbro To Bring Yo-Kai Watch Toy Range to the West, in 2016
Details for games and TV shows remain unconfirmed
Yo-kai Watch is a phenomenon in Japan, with millions of games sold along with significant success for toys and the TV show. It's a franchise that has been a huge asset for Level-5, and there's naturally the expectation that it'll make a big impact in the West. Level-5 has already confirmed that...
Thursday22nd Jan 2015
News Inazuma Eleven GO Chrono Stones Ready to Kick Off on 3DS in Europe
Available in Thunderflash and Wildfire variations
The Inazuma series from Level 5 is rather popular in Japan, and based on the increasing number of localised titles it's also a relative hit in Europe. Though there's always an element of playing catch-up in the EU, the titles continue to arrive, with Inazuma Eleven GO: Light & Shadow being the...
Wednesday21st Jan 2015
News New 3DS and Nintendo-Exclusive Games Stay On Top in Japanese Charts
Wii U hardware dips back into four figures, however
Though the start of 2015 has been eventful in terms of announcements from Nintendo, it's been typically quiet on the game release front. That's certainly reflected in the latest Media Create charts in Japan, though the status-quo happens to suit Nintendo's 3DS systems rather well. In terms of...
Tuesday20th Jan 2015
News Yokai Watch Yo-Kai Pad Sells Out in a Blink in Japan
You don't even know what it is, but now you want one
So that Yokai Watch game, right? It's gargantuan in Japan and slowly working its way westward, even bringing its anime along with it. It's enough to make any '90s kid relapse into the Pokéjitters waiting for this franchise to arrive--just what is so amazing about it?! Well, it'll still be a...
Saturday20th Dec 2014
News Yokai Watch Anime Spiriting Westward
Level-5 also teasing an even "bigger" franchise for next year
It's already pretty well known that the runaway hit franchise Yokai Watch has had plans to spread out of Japan and peacefully annex the West into its empire. But in case you were worried they were beginning to forget about us, Level-5 head Akiro Hino recently confirmed that the anime will...
News Level-5 Confirms Some Handsome 3DS eShop Festive Discounts
Inazuma Eleven! All of the Guild01 and Guild02 games!
With the next download update set to fall on Christmas Day, we can certainly hope for some exciting releases and discounts across the Wii U and 3DS eShop stores. The home console's Virtual Console already has a tweaked version of Duck Hunt on the way in North America, and Level-5 has now...
Wednesday17th Dec 2014
News Yo-Kai Watch: Shin'uchi Storms to Japanese Chart Summit as 3DS and Wii U Sales Increase
Reports of Level-5 executives rolling in bundles of cash are unconfirmed
Yo-Kai Watch is a phenomenon in Japan — we're still waiting for it to come to the West — and has once again achieved truly impressive sales at launch, while Nintendo can enjoy some strong hardware sales in this week's Media Create Charts. Kicking off with the software top...
Wednesday10th Dec 2014
News Nintendo Celebrates Landmark of Record Sales Success for Million-Selling 3DS Games
Four games have sold 2 million copies in the last 5 months in Japan
While hardware results have slowed due to a certain level of critical mass, the 3DS remains a major success story in Japan, in particular. Along with the release of the New Nintendo 3DS — which is helping the portable maintain its dominance in the hardware charts for the country...
Thursday28th Aug 2014
News Win a Copy of Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright from Nintendo of America
Just point at something with your mouth open (or not)
To celebrate Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney's arrival in the far west, Nintendo of America is holding a sweepstakes to give away copies of the game to fourteen lucky winners who can point convincingly and with a certain judge-pleasing style. To enter, take a photo of yourself...
Tuesday19th Aug 2014
News Yokai Watch Western Release Targeting Next Year, With Toys Also Planned
No detailed plans revealed as yet
Level 5 has been clear that it's exploring its options to bring Yokai Watch to the West, though quite what form it'll take remains intriguing. The popularity of the first title gained additional momentum when the animated TV show took off in Japan, and the sequel — which is a dual release — has well exceeded the...
Monday18th Aug 2014
News Fantasy Life Offers Multiple Ways to Connect With Other Adventurers
Work experience
It's likely that Fantasy Life will be given a fairly substantial marketing push by Nintendo and Level-5 ahead of its release in the West, arriving in Europe and North America in September and October respectively. It's an adventure RPG on 3DS that promises plenty of depth in its mechanics and in the size of the world, with a visual...
Thursday31st Jul 2014
News Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright Art Books Coming West from UDON Entertainment
Top-notch finger-pointing for your coffee table
Art direction fanatics who can read this are in for a treat now that UDON Entertainment will be bringing two new art books to English-speaking territories; one for Phoenix Wright's latest "I can't shout OBJECTION! on the bus" screen-tapping epic Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies and another...
Thursday24th Jul 2014
News The Fantasy Life Adventure Begins in Europe on 26th September
Opening movie shows off various character classes
Update: It seems that a North American release date of 24th October was confirmed in early June (thanks Tops), meaning it'll arrive almost a full month earlier in Europe. Original Article: Fantasy Life was a title given extensive coverage during the rolling E3 Nintendo Treehouse broadcast, with a...
Wednesday16th Jul 2014
News Yokai Watch 2 Sells a Whopping 1.3 Million Copies in Launch Week, Boosts 3DS Sales
Wii U sales drop again, but retains top home console spot
The latest Media Create chart results are in for Japan, and they bring an extraordinary début week for Yokai Watch 2, along with a boost in 3DS hardware sales and another dip in the equivalent Wii U figure. To begin with software, Level 5's Yokai Watch 2 — released as separate Ganso and...
Saturday12th Jul 2014
News Yo-Kai Watch 2 On Course For A Phenomenal Début Week of Sales in Japan
Set to be first million-seller in Japan this year
Earlier this week we brought you some comments from Level 5's head honcho, Akihiro Hino, outlining the formula for the success of Yo-Kai Watch on 3DS. The first title had a reasonable but modest start in Japan, before the accompanying anime series boosted its popularity and took it beyond one million...
Friday11th Jul 2014
News Yokai Watch "In Consideration in a Big Way" For Release in the West
Level 5's Akihiro Hino outlines the formula for success
Yokai Watch — or Yo-kai Watch as the Western trademark has it — has become a major success on 3DS in Japan, giving Level 5 a timely franchise success as other brands (such as Professor Layton) take a back seat. The company's Akihiro Hino has recently spoken to Weekly Famitsu — via Kotaku...
Friday4th Jul 2014
Nintendo Direct Yokai Watch 2 Gets Its Own Broadcast in Japan
Play the 'figure out what's happening' game
Although it's said to be on the way to the West, we're yet to receive firm release details on Yokai Watch, the 3DS title from Level-5 that's enjoying continued success in Japan. That success has certainly been assisted by the accompanying anime series, with the brand as a whole capturing the imagination in...
Tuesday10th Jun 2014
E3 2014 Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney to Finally Have Its Day in North America
Slated for a 29th August release
One of our time's greatest mysteries has finally been solved: When in the blue-suited, top-hatted blazes will Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney finally make it to North America!? The answer, dear friends, came following the Nintendo Digital Event. North American puzzle-lovers can look forward to...
E3 2014 Fantasy Life for 3DS Gets a North American Release Date
Another excuse to escape real life
Nintendo announced earlier today that life role-playing game Fantasy Life for 3DS will be arriving in North America this coming October. Developed by Level-5 in collaboration with Nintendo subsidiary 1-UP Studios, the game tasks players with choosing a profession and making a name for themselves within the game's...
Wednesday14th May 2014
News Yo-kai Watch and 3DS Continue to Lead the Way in Japan
Sales remain low overall, however
While Nintendo can take heart from its continued lead in the Japanese charts, overall trends in the market remain a concern. The latest Media Create figures are in, and continue recent form of low sales in software and flat levels in hardware. To begin with software, Level-5's Yo-kai Watch continues to impress,...
Wednesday23rd Apr 2014
News Level-5's 3DS RPG Youkai Watch Has Now Sold One Million Copies In Japan
Sales have doubled in the last two months alone
New reports suggest that Level-5's 3DS title Youkai Watch has shipped one million units in Japan. The game launched in July last year, but it wasn't until the transmission of the related anime TV show in January that sales began to spike; in February, Level-5 confirmed that it had delivered 500,000...
Tuesday15th Apr 2014
Video Yo-kai Watch 2 Promotional Trailer And TV Commerical Hit Japan
Double trouble?
We've brought you details on Level-5's Yo-kai Watch 2 just a few days ago, but now we're able to show you some brief footage of the game(s) in action. The first video below is the most useful one, featuring just over a minute of story and battle footage that really shows off the excellent (or mad, depending on your point of view)...
