Level-5 announced some financial troubles last year and stated that no new games would be coming to western market for a while. To its surprise today the company announced that a deluxe plus version of the beloved Layton’s Mystery Journey is coming to Switch!
The Deluxe Edition Plus combines Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and Millionaires’ Conspiracy Deluxe Edition Plus all in one big package. In the Plus edition you can change the voice acting between the original and the new one at anytime in the game.
There is currently only a release date for Japan. The Deluxe Edition Plus will release on July 8th, a western release date has not been announced yet.
However, you may still grab the Layton’s Mystery Deluxe Edition on Amazon for a discounted price. It is not the Plus edition so it won’t include the option to change the voice acting but still includes everything else the Plus Edition entails, you can grab it here.
Take a peak the at mobile version of Professor Layton and the lost future on mobile, it packs the same fun and all the mysteries in a pocket edition.
The Fantasy Life franchise holds a special place in many players hearts. The 3DS game released back in 2014 packed so much content that to date fans are replaying the adorable simulation and RPG game.
I still find myself picking up my dusty Nintendo 3DS just to check back in and do some quests to help out my villagers. Even though the game celebrated a massive success a sequel was never released.
However, Level-5 has not put the franchise to rest, even though it may look like this here in the West. Back in 2018 a spiritual successor was released in Japan.
Fantasy Life Online as the name suggest lets you connect your gaming experience with friends from all around the world. You are able to share your village with friends. Simply explore the beautiful 3D world with your companions and even trade tools you crafted or obtained through a quest.
The entire game is connected to the internet so that you can share your world with your friends or random players if you choose. It is a pretty neat idea that works well for a game like this. It is just fun to have friends join you exploring the world, take on challenges together and then trade equipment.
Even though Fantasy Life Online is always connected to the internet you still have the charm and feature rich game you come to expect from a Fantasy Life game.
There are a whooping twelve jobs you can choose from, no matter if you want to be an archer, a chef, a blacksmith or any other of the many profession you can pick.
If you become a fisherman you will be faced with different challenges and quests, as if you would if you choose to become the owner of the village bakery. Whatever you want to be in Fantasy Life Online, there will always be plenty of activities to do every single day.
The only difference here is that your experience can now be shared with friends in a greater way that the original 3DS game would allow you to do.
There is a big focus on Village Building in Fantasy Life Online. Not only will you be able to adjust and change the look and feel of your very own town, but you can also place buildings and decorate the area to your liking.
Your adventure and quests in the game will change depending on the buildings you construct in your town. Furthermore you will be able to invite your friends to your village, to trade and exchange items. You can also team up to go exploring and adventuring together. Your friends will also be able to help you advance your town faster.
Similar to Animal Crossing, you will be able to build and decorate your own home. If you chose the right occupation you may even be able to craft your very own furniture, that is if you collect the materials needed!
But if you aren’t feeling so handy, then you can still purchase and chose from a variety of different furniture and items to make your house a home.
The game has been available on iOS and Android since July 2018 in Japan. The title is still getting frequent content update catering to the huge community that has formed around the game.
Level-5 has not made an official announcement in regards to a western release of the game. But the company has made big moves to release many of their game in the west like the Snack World – especially on Nintendo Switch.
There is still hope that the game will be released in Europe, US and Australia in the future. I have reached out to Level-5 to see if they have any information to share.
You may still download the game on iOS and Android however the language may be Japanese only. Lets just hope for a new Fantasy Life game, perhaps on Switch or even a western port of this adorable mobile version.
Level-5 have recently announced that a HD version of Professor Layton and The Lost Future launches for mobile this month. Set to release on both iOS and Android devices on the 13th July, the game is an enhanced port of the Nintendo DS version, which released over a decade ago! As a HD port, the game will have significantly improved graphics and cutscenes in comparison to the 2008 original version.
Professor Layton and The Lost Future is the third game in the first Professor Layton game trilogy. However, the first trilogy chronologically takes place after the events of the three games in the second trilogy. A little confusing, but the puzzle games are enjoyable nonetheless.
Just like the chronology of the Professor Layton games series, the plots can also be slightly confusing initially, albeit very clever. However, the mystery of each game always becomes clear by the end of each game, owing to the sharp-witted Professor Layton.
In a nutshell, Professor Layton and the Lost Future starts with the professor receiving a letter from his apprentice, Luke. This may not seem strange, but the ‘Luke’ writing the letter claims to be from ten years in the future. He initially thinks that Luke is playing a trick on him, until he recalls the events of a week ago. At an unveiling ceremony of a supposedly fully-working time machine, a disaster occurs. The time machine explodes, and a number of people have disappeared, including the Prime Minister.
Deciding to follow the instructions of Future Luke, The Professor and Luke head to a clock shop on Midland Road. After a seemingly small earthquake-type experience whilst inside, the duo are dumbfounded upon exiting the shop. To their utter disbelief, their surroundings are entirely different, and they discover multiple things that suggest that they have travelled into the future.
Dubious as ever, the Professor is determined to uncover what exactly is going on. He’s certain that he is not in fact in a future version of London. However, he is not certain of who he can trust.
Whilst no price has yet been confirmed, the two previous games in the series to get HD mobile ports both cost £9.99 each.
In celebration of the HD remake of the game, Level-5 are hosting a competition. You can create a piece of artwork relating to Professor Layton and The Lost Future and then post it to Twitter with a short sentence on why you chose to create that specific piece of art. The winner will receive a diorama of Professor Layton’s office, alongside a pure gold Professor Layton art card. Five runners-up will also receive a pure gold art card. The competition closes on the 31st July. You can find out more about the art competition here.
Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl – Gold is an endearing action RPG that releases on Nintendo Switch on Valentine’s Day, 2020. Level-5, who are notorious for the highly regarded Professor Layton games, Yo-Kai Watch franchise, and Nintendo 3DS game Fantasy Life, are both the developers and publishers of this game.
The Snack World is a multimedia franchise created and developed by Level-5. The franchise consists of a ‘rogue-like’ RPG that was initially released under the name ‘The Snack World: Trejarers for the Nintendo 3DS in August 2017 in Japan. An expanded Nintendo Switch port of the game under the same name was released in Japan on April 12th, 2018. Android and iOS versions have been confirmed, but are yet to be released.
Fast forward to November 2019, when Nintendo announces that the game will be released in the west, where it would be re-titled Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl – Gold.
Two manga adaptations of the game have been released, and an anime television series which aired on Cartoon Network in Australia from 2017-2018.
The game also has a toy line by Takara Tomy in Japan.
Described as a dungeon-crawling adventure with ‘real bite’, the game offers players the option to play solo, or to join forces with up to three others (either locally or online). The aim is to save the world from being swallowed whole, so no pressure, right?
You are found unconscious at the gates of Tutti-Frutti and have no recollection of who you are. Bummer. Then to make matters worse, it seems that an evil sultan could be resurrecting a mighty deodragon to eat the entire kingdom. Great!
King Papaya and his demanding daughter, Princess Melonia, enlist the help of you and the other heroes of Tutti-Frutti to save the day. With numerous dangerous dungeons (I guess it’s in the game’s title) and plenty of menacing monsters to face, you’re going to have your work cut out.
For more information about the game, click here
Level-5 is finally brining the Snack World The Dungeon Crawl Gold to Nintendo Switch for fans in the west!
The game was already released in Japan a while ago and has quickly gained in popularity. Snack World The Dungeon Crawl Gold is now finally heading to the west!
Snack World The Dungeon Crawl Gold follows the magical adventure of Chup and his comrades, gameplay takes place in a typical RPG fantasy style setting. With shops, markets, housing, towns, cafés friendships and more!
The game is a very casual laid back RPG game much like Fantasy Life. You start out in your home town that not only features shops where you can obtain everything you need – but also meet villagers who you can be-friend and help them go about their days in form of quests!
Snack World is finally coming to Nintendo Switch in the west! Fans in the US and Europe can grab the game on the Nintendo Switch eShop beginning February 14th or you can already pre-order now!
If you any life simulation games, virtual towns, farming and more than this upcoming indie game about Japanese Rural Life might spark your interest!
It was recently announced that many Studio Ghibli movies would be making their way to Netflix in many countries worldwide. Naturally, US Ghibli fans felt rather disappointed upon learning that the US would not be receiving the popular anime movies on Netflix. So whether you’re celebrating this news, or are looking for something to fill the totoro-sized void inside, here are five fantastic video games that Ghibli fans will enjoy.
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered is an anime adventure RPG developed by Level-5 and published by Bandai Namco.
The game’s animated sequences were produced by Studio Ghibli
The game is a remastered version of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. The original game was initially released in Japan for PlayStation 3 in November 2011. It was then later released worldwide in early 2013.
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered was released on September 20th, 2019 for PlayStation 4, Windows and Nintendo Switch.
The game follows young Oliver who is on a quest to bring back his mother, who died shortly after saving him from drowning.
The remastered version contains the same captivating story, dynamic combat, quests, secrets and variety of creatures and places to explore. However, with the bonus of improved graphics and performance.
The charming anime RPG has received positive reviews, including a 9/10 rating on Steam and an 86% rating on Metacritic.
No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is an anime adventure RPG developed by Level-5 and published by Bandai Namco. The game is a sequel to Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.
In the game, the player follows young king Evan on a quest to found a new kingdom. Accompanied by some newly made friends, the king attempts to save his people from a terrible evil.
Ni no Kuni II features RPG elements and dozens of creatures to battle, or befriend. The game also has hundreds of locations for the players to explore. Additionally, the game contains plenty of quests to undertake.
Ni No Kuni II was released on March 23rd, 2018 for Windows and Playstation. Since its release, the game received positive reviews and currently holds a 9/10 rating on Steam.
Currently in development by Naps Team, Baldo is an upcoming action-adventure coming to Switch, amongst other platforms. The Zelda-inspired game has a cel-shaded art style, which is comparable to that of Studio Ghibli and Ni No Kuni.
There isn’t a lot of information available about Baldo. However, the following Nintendo announcement trailer, shows that in-game action is top-down, but that the game’s pseudo-realistic backgrounds are 3D.
From the trailer, it looks like players encounter a variety of characters and monsters. Additionally, it appears that dungeon-crawling, puzzle-solving and exploration all feature in the game.
Baldo will release on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows.
A release date for the game is still TBA.
Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time is an action adventure RPG game. The game was initially released in Japan for PS4 on the 30th November 2017. In early 2018, it was announced that the release of the game’s PC version would coincide with it’s PS4 release in the west.
The game was finally published worldwide on Steam and PS4 by BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment on May 15th 2018. The game costs $49.99 to download on the PlayStation Store and $39.99 on Steam.
Chamber of Time offers players the ability to uncover the various mysteries of Luna Nova Academy. The game features the lovable protagonist Akko, as well as a variety of her friends. Players can explore dungeons, cast spells and use various magic to discover the seven wonders, as well as to resolve the mysterious time-shift that has occurred.
For more information on the game, click here.
Undertale is a story-rich RPG by tobyfox with ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ reviews. Described as ‘The RPG where you don’t have to destroy anyone’, Undertale is story-rich due to your character’s journey, and also due to player choices affecting the game. You play as a human child who has fallen underground into the realm of monsters and thus, tries to find their way home. You encounter both good monsters and bad along the way, which you can choose to spare or fight. There are a variety of puzzles to complete in order to progress, and a variety of interesting areas to explore.
Nintendo just revealed its game releases for 2020. Even with more than 20 games announced it seems the big N is putting a lot of focus on Animal Crossing New Horizons.
The infographic released by Nintendo shows more than 20 games that will release sometime this year. Among those games are the Pokemon Sword and Shield expansion passes, Snack World by Level-5, Spongebob Battle for Bikini Bottom and many more.
Of course Animal Crossing New Horizons is one of the major releases on the entire list which makes it just so much clearer that Nintendo is hoping for the upcoming village simulator to carry Switch sells in the first half of 2020 with very little to no first part competition.
But rest assured if the only game on the list you look forward to is Animal Crossing New Horizons – Nintendo promises more announcements will be made throughout the year! Check out the infographic below.
Netflix is on fire where video game movies are concerned at the moment. With the release of Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us on Netflix on New Year’s Day, 2020 is already off to a good start. However, another video game movie is also set to hit the streaming platform. A listing for anime movie Ni No Kuni has recently appeared on Netflix and will release on January 16th.
For those who haven’t heard of Ni No Kuni, it is a series of JRPG video games that are developed and published by Level-5 in Japan, and published by BANDAI NAMCO worldwide.
The movie tells an original story, but is is based in part on the very first game of the Ni No Kuni series. The film’s description on Netflix says the following:
Two average teens go on a magical quest to save the life of their friend and her counterpart from another world. But love complicates their journey.
The film was directed Ghibli animator Yoshiyuki Momose, who worked on ‘Spirited Away’, ‘Porco Rosso’ and ‘Grave of The Fireflies’. Yoshiyuki Momose also worked on both Ni No Kuni games. Having had a talented animator on board and being a Level-5 production, the film is likely to be beautifully animated.
The film was originally released in Japan on the 23rd of August last year. Unfortunately, it struggled at the box office with ticket sales. However, the film’s western release on popular streaming platform Netflix could improve its ratings.
If the movie is as good as the switch port of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, it’ll definitely be worth a watch.
(An English version of the trailer can be watched on the film’s listing on Netflix)
Will you be watching the Ni No Kuni movie?