Level-5 Is Back
One of the biggest stories from last month’s Nintendo Direct was that, somehow, Level-5 has returned. No one could be blamed for thinking the company was on its deathbed over the last few years, considering their small number of game releases, their planned titles being constantly delayed, and the dissolution of Level-5 International America. But they never should have been counted out given the trio of titles they announced last month, now that it appears they suffered several setbacks thanks to COVID-19. The company took this month to revive an old tradition of theirs in the form of a Level-5 Vision announcement event, albeit in the form of a digital presentation instead of a physical event. It was a fine alternative.
Among the notable games Level-5 announced last month was DECAPOLICE, a cel-shaded action RPG that will feature a colorful team that will solve cases and catch criminals. The DECAISM will help with their investigations, a copy of the real world the team can use to assist them through collecting evidence for the Case Board. The team members’ names should make the Star Ocean team blush, like main character Harvard Marks, negotiation specialist Carl Oxford, and martial arts expert Mikey Princeton. I dare anyone to say they don’t see the naming pattern. There’s another feature in which the characters will turn into digital anthropomorphic iterations in the virtual world. It’s clear Level-5 has spent plenty of time and resources working on this over the last several years, given its ostensible polish and the 2023 release timeframe.
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is the sequel fans of the 3DS game have been awaiting since, well, Fantasy Life. This new installment is coming courtesy of a Level-5’s internal team and Level-5 comcept, for anyone who forgot they purchased Keiji Inafune’s company. This game is, to no surprise, another life simulator with action-based combat that will include new features, all with a new graphical sheen that will look and essentially be two generations ahead of its predecessor. It’s another game Level-5 plans to release this year, though exclusively for Switch.
Professor Layton and the New World of Steam was the third title Level-5 first announced on the aforementioned Direct, and another long-awaited sequel. It will be the first game starring Hershel Layton himself since Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy released on 3DS over a decade ago, and the newest since Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy in 2017. This newest installment will take place after Unwound Future, and star the titular Layton with assistant Luke Triton in a quest that takes them to America. Part of me is looking forward to this game, but the other part remembers that the person chiefly responsible for creating the best puzzles in previous installments, Akira Tago, passed in 2016. Layton’s Mystery Journey’s puzzles suffered as a result. Still, I hope this game will deliver when it arrives in the vague and wide release timeframe of 2023/2024. I’d personally place my money on “2024.”
Megaton Musashi: Wired is an updated version of the original Megaton Musashi game, though this one is being planned for a release outside of Japan too. This version will have updated features, including collaborations with manga and anime franchises like Mazinger Z and Getter Robo, two works with aesthetics nowhere near as kid-friendly as this game’s. They’re not restoring the old character designs like I would have wanted, but it’s nice that the world will actually get this game — in updated form at that. They’re launching this in 2023 too, solidifying how this is truly Level-5’s year.
Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road is the constantly-delayed game I referenced above, one originally planned to arrive in Japan in summer 2018, nearly half a decade ago. Level-5 is dead-set on releasing the game this year, worldwide to boot. It will include a story mode, thousands (!?) of characters from previous games, and anime cutscenes from MAPPA, the poor bastards. I think I know why this game has taken so long.
Not every game I wanted to see was there. Part of me was hoping that Level-5 still wanted to localize Yo-Kai Watch 4, which released in original and enhanced forms in Japan in 2019 for Switch and PS4. I saw good reviews for the game shortly after it released, and it was previously announced for localization at Anime Expo in 2019. It’s possible they feel it might be too old at this point, though I disagree. There’s also Ushiro, originally announced for release on PSP before being cancelled, but confirmed to be revived for Switch in 2018. I get the feeling that DECAPOLICE is what it became, but that isn’t based on anything other than both being RPGs.
Don’t take those as complaints, however. Level-5 showed enough here, proof that the company again has vision through a Vision, a reveal that they still live. They, in fact, may have shown too much. I’m having trouble imagining them releasing a staggering four games by the year’s end, one among them previously delayed a handful of times. There are also no detailed plans about who will publish these outside Japan, though I imagine Nintendo will handle the games releasing for Switch exclusively like Fantasy Life i and the seventh Layton game. But it’s nonetheless nice that they’re back, a considerably better alternative compared to them suddenly announcing bankruptcy.
About The Author
Geoff
News Editor | Geoff is some nerd who writes for a blog and thinks he's knowledgeable. He write a lot about video games, but is capable of writing about other subjects, too. Twitter
