Level-5 Discussion

[fogbadge]

Level-5 Vision announced for March 9th, we're back in business lads!

Level-5 Vision 2023 presentation announced

A new Level-5 Vision 2023 presentation will air on March 9, 2023, Level-5 just announced. It will be held at 3 AM PT / 6 AM ET / 11 AM in the UK / 12 PM in Europe. English subtitles will be supported. Level-5 says it will be sharing information about its upcoming slate of games. Featured titles...

nintendoeverything.com

come on yo-kai watch

 

[Curious Villager]

These are the featured titles their talking about

Level-5's new product announcement stream: "LEVEL5 VISION 2023 鼓 (TSUZUMI)"

Level-5 will host a new product announcement stream, "LEVEL5 VISION 2023 鼓 (TSUZUMI)", on March 9, 2023 (Thursday) at 20:00 [JST].

www.level5.co.jp

no mention of Yo-Kai Watch 4 but it does include Inazuma Eleven Victory Road and Megaton Musashi within the lineup, both of which have English names now so pretty safe to assume their coming to the west too along with Layton, Fantasy Life and Deca Police.

They will also be announcing the voice cast of the new Layton game, (or at least for the Japanese version)

Hopefully we get some additional announcements though, or what Level-5's future plans are in terms of Western support.
Hopefully they'll finally return to their golden DS/3DS era of prominence again.

 

[fogbadge]

These are the featured titles their talking about

Level-5's new product announcement stream: "LEVEL5 VISION 2023 鼓 (TSUZUMI)"

Level-5 will host a new product announcement stream, "LEVEL5 VISION 2023 鼓 (TSUZUMI)", on March 9, 2023 (Thursday) at 20:00 [JST].

www.level5.co.jp

no mention of Yo-Kai Watch 4 but it does include Inazuma Eleven Victory Road and Megaton Musashi within the lineup, both of which have English names now so pretty safe to assume their coming to the west too along with Layton, Fantasy Life and Deca Police.

They will also be announcing the voice cast of the new Layton game, (or at least for the Japanese version)

Hopefully we get some additional announcements though, or what Level-5's future plans are in terms of Western support.
Hopefully they'll finally return to their golden DS/3DS era of prominence again.

hmm i wonder if it'll just be for luke and layton or if we'll get to learn some new characters. then again they could just announce casting and not characters

 

[Curious Villager]

hmm i wonder if it'll just be for luke and layton or if we'll get to learn some new characters. then again they could just announce casting and not characters

According to their tweets, its something that will "also" be announced. I'm pretty sure they will show more off than just confirming that Layton's Japanese voice actor would be back, At least, I don't think he's retired or something...

Plus since their also showcasing this Vision outside of Japan, I'd imagine they'd include something a bit more substantial than just something that won't be really that relevant for the rest of the world...

Hopefully they will show off some more characters though, and even then, I guess we may be able to make some small hunches on who's likely back based off the casting I guess, unless everyone has new voice actors for some reason...

 

[fogbadge]

According to their tweets, its something that will "also" be announced. I'm pretty sure they will show more off than just confirming that Layton's Japanese voice actor would be back, At least, I don't think he's retired or something...

Plus since their also showcasing this Vision outside of Japan, I'd imagine they'd include something a bit more substantial than just something that won't be really that relevant for the rest of the world...

not unless it's all the VAs in all the dubs

 

[Curious Villager]

not unless it's all the VAs in all the dubs

I doubt they'll also showcase all the regional dub actors, otherwise the English Twitter would have mentioned that..


Edit: Just for fun, here are all the Japanese voice actors and the characters they play.

Layton: Yo Oizumi
Luke: Mari Horikita
Flora: Mamiko noto
Chelmey: Shiro Saito
Don Paolo: Minoru Inaba
Emmy: Saki Aibu
Grosky: Hochu Otsuka
Descole: Atsuro Watabe

 

[fogbadge]

I doubt they'll also showcase all the regional dub actors, otherwise the English Twitter would have mentioned that..


Edit: Just for fun, here are all the Japanese voice actors and the characters they play.

Layton: Yo Oizumi
Luke: Mari Horikita
Flora: Mamiko noto
Chelmey: Shiro Saito
Don Paolo: Minoru Inaba
Emmy: Saki Aibu
Grosky: Hochu Otsuka
Descole: Atsuro Watabe

im out of ideas then

 

[Curious Villager]

Actually, considering how Level-5 seems to draw particular attention to the voice cast for this game, would this mean that the entire game is fully voiced this time around? Rather than just in the cutscenes and a handful of snippets here and there?

I'm not expecting any voice acting for the puzzles, but maybe throughout the rest of the game...

Granted they did a similar thing with the Japanese version of Curious Village but that was back when they weren't sure how to sell the game at the time, nowaday's its a more well known franchise so that's a bit curious if anything.

 

[Hadokeyblade]

I guess i'll wait and see if Megaton comes to the west before i try buying it.

 

[fogbadge]

I guess i'll wait and see if Megaton comes to the west before i try buying it.

well it’s said to be in an international direct

 

[Theguy123]

These are the featured titles their talking about

Level-5's new product announcement stream: "LEVEL5 VISION 2023 鼓 (TSUZUMI)"

Level-5 will host a new product announcement stream, "LEVEL5 VISION 2023 鼓 (TSUZUMI)", on March 9, 2023 (Thursday) at 20:00 [JST].

www.level5.co.jp

no mention of Yo-Kai Watch 4 but it does include Inazuma Eleven Victory Road and Megaton Musashi within the lineup, both of which have English names now so pretty safe to assume their coming to the west too along with Layton, Fantasy Life and Deca Police.

They will also be announcing the voice cast of the new Layton game, (or at least for the Japanese version)

Hopefully we get some additional announcements though, or what Level-5's future plans are in terms of Western support.
Hopefully they'll finally return to their golden DS/3DS era of prominence again.

mad long as they don’t announce that this will be a new Layton trilogy or anything along those lines then I’ll be alright with any sort of Layton info.

To clarify. announcing the Layton prequel trilogy along with the modern day trilogy and then talking about how the prequel trilogy would be the end of Layton most likely killed a lot of the sales and interest for the prequel trilogy.

Sales heavily dropped off and it was probably because of the announcement that the final trilogy would be the end and awful marketing so if they can avoid doing that again and leave it open for more games going forward then we should be fine I’d think

 

[Curious Villager]

mad long as they don’t announce that this will be a new Layton trilogy or anything along those lines then I’ll be alright with any sort of Layton info.

To clarify. announcing the Layton prequel trilogy along with the modern day trilogy and then talking about how the prequel trilogy would be the end of Layton most likely killed a lot of the sales and interest for the prequel trilogy.

Sales heavily dropped off and it was probably because of the announcement that the final trilogy would be the end and awful marketing so if they can avoid doing that again and leave it open for more games going forward then we should be fine I’d think

Wait, they said back then that the prequel trilogy was the final trilogy? I mean, I know they said that they planned for the original trilogy to be a standalone trilogy until they found out about how good the game's where selling, but I don't remember them stating that the prequels where the end until the announcement of Azran Legacy.

As poorly as LMJ sold, the series was already on a sales decline when the prequels started, especially when they moved on to the 3DS (But again, the 3DS itself vastly underperformed compared to the DS so lower userbase may have also been a factor..)

LMJ bombed hard on the Switch, but the game already garnered a very poor reception thanks to the IOS and 3DS versions prior (that and the lack of marketing for the Switch version) so it would be interesting to see how this game will perform, given that its a brand new entry as well as the return of the titular professor himself.

Brain Age Switch did pretty well from what I recall, so if Level-5 play's their cards right, market the game properly and work with Nintendo to get it published and featured in Directs, it might have a chance in revitalizing the franchise...


It would have been nice if more western gamers where to discuss the new game a bit more though, there are a lot of reaction video's in Youtube but there haven't been much video's from what I've seen discussing the game properly yet, or at least not any English speaking ones, I have seen a number of other non English speaking European fans discussing and speculating on the game already, which is nice, wish I could understand their languages and join in with the talks...

 

[Theguy123]

Maybe it’s a long stretch but I think we might end up getting a trilogy port to the switch or newer gen console at some point and here’s why

Back in 2019 it was leaked on a localisation website that curious village was coming to the switch. Then it never did most likely because of Level 5’s situation at that time. Here’s the source

http://www.g4f-localisation.com/en/reference/professeur-layton-et-letrange-village/

Next we have the ost’s. Curious village, Pandora’s box and Lost future all got new remade art just for the ost’s launch. It wasn’t reused art from the original games, it was remade art. Seems a waste for just using it on ost’s

And finally, the latest game seems to be potentially taking place right after Lost future. People are gonna potentially want to catch up on the series sooooooooo

that’s all the potential evidence there is. If I’ve missed something feel free to add to it. I’m probably being way too hopeful aren’t eye

 

[Curious Villager]

Maybe it’s a long stretch but I think we might end up getting a trilogy port to the switch or newer gen console at some point and here’s why

Back in 2019 it was leaked on a localisation website that curious village was coming to the switch. Then it never did most likely because of Level 5’s situation at that time. Here’s the source

http://www.g4f-localisation.com/en/reference/professeur-layton-et-letrange-village/

Next we have the ost’s. Curious village, Pandora’s box and Lost future all got new remade art just for the ost’s launch. It wasn’t reused art from the original games, it was remade art. Seems a waste for just using it on ost’s

And finally, the latest game seems to be potentially taking place right after Lost future. People are gonna potentially want to catch up on the series sooooooooo

that’s all the potential evidence there is. If I’ve missed something feel free to add to it. I’m probably being way too hopeful aren’t eye

I mean, if the new game is a while off, they could probably rerelease the original trilogy to the Switch to tide fans over as well as introduce new players to the series.

Especially if any old characters like Flora and Don Paolo return, characters we havent seen in over a decade, then new players can familiarize themselves with them too.

Then again, I could also just as easily see Level-5 do another sale bundle for the mobile versions again, hopefully not...

 

[Brindor]

I've gone over my rankings for the series again since the new announcement
Unwound Future>Curious Village>Diabolical Box>Miracle Mask>Last Spectre>Azran Legacy

How would you rank them Curious Villager and Theguy123 ?

 

[fogbadge]

I've gone over my rankings for the series again since the new announcement
Unwound Future>Curious Village>Diabolical Box>Miracle Mask>Last Spectre>Azran Legacy

How would you rank them Curious Villager and Theguy123 ?

AHEM!

 

[Hadokeyblade]

I've gone over my rankings for the series again since the new announcement
Unwound Future>Curious Village>Diabolical Box>Miracle Mask>Last Spectre>Azran Legacy

How would you rank them Curious Villager and Theguy123 ?

So where do mystery journey and Vs fall?

 

[Curious Villager]

I've gone over my rankings for the series again since the new announcement
Unwound Future>Curious Village>Diabolical Box>Miracle Mask>Last Spectre>Azran Legacy

How would you rank them Curious Villager and Theguy123 ?

I'd probably rank them about the same as you did, maybe I'd swap Last Specter with Miracle Mask since the puzzles where a bit more challenging iirc and had the London Life side game too, which was a nice little change of pace (if you played the non European version that is.)

So where do mystery journey and Vs fall?

I'd probably put Mystery Journey at the bottom, since the game felt like such a chore to play through compared to the rest of the series and the puzzles and story felt like there was much left to be desired...

vs AA I'd put in between Last Specter and Miracle Mask maybe, I haven't played the game in so long so memory about the game is a bit hazy. I should probably replay it again and unlock all the DLC bits before Nintendo shuts down the 3DS wi-fi service...


One week left until the Level-5 vision, Its nice to have something to look forward to from this company again, let alone 5.

 

[fogbadge]

so new layton trailer out. confirming set 1 year after lost future and set in america. i actually wondered if it was set there as america used to be called the "new world". set in the city of Steam Bison it follows the mystery mentioned in Luke's letter in the epilogue of the 3rd game, Curious Villager i seem to recall this was something you were keen to see.

 

[Curious Villager]

so new layton trailer out. confirming set 1 year after lost future and set in america. i actually wondered if it was set there as america used to be called the "new world". set in the city of Steam Bison it follows the mystery mentioned in Luke's letter in the epilogue of the 3rd game, Curious Villager i seem to recall this was something you were keen to see.

Yeah I've been wanting to see a game addressing Luke's letter from the third game for many years now. Happy to see it finally be addressed.

From the looks of the lack of any actual gameplay footage, I guess we probably won't be seeing a release until 2024 but I guess its good that Level-5 are taking their time with this game.

Luke going to America was never really officially confirmed until the Layton series fanbook after Azran Legacy released and not confirmed in-universe until the LMJ anime, but most fans figured for a long time beforehand that he most likely moved to America after Lost Future.

Never heard of this puzzle group their hiring this time, but from what I looked into, their apparently popular Japanese puzzle youtubers with almost 2 million subscribers so that's interesting to see. Its good that Level-5 took the complaints against LMJ into consideration and addressing them promptly.

Here's hoping the game turns out well and sells well too to help secure the series future as well as the company itself.

 

[Hadokeyblade]

My reaction to Megaton Musashi getting released in English

With all those SRW regulars showing up as cameos in Megaton Musashi i guess this series is practically guaranteed a spot in a future SRW Title. Wish Big O got to show up alongside all these robot, Big O and Megaton take place in a very similar environment so it would make perfect sense.

 

[Curious Villager]

レベルファイブアンバサダープログラムへのたくさんのご応募ありがとうございました！現在、選考を進めております。結果については、後日アンバサダーに選ばれた方にのみご連絡させていただく予定です。https://t.co/BaB2EYg6cj

— レベルファイブ (@LEVEL5_times) March 15, 2023

You know, its quite impressive that L5 created a vast amount of new IP's and characters within a span of 16 years or so.
I mean, yeah, they made stuff like Dark Cloud and Dragon Quest VIII before that, but Layton was the first IP that they had full control over and they created only more ever since. Franchises that grew their own fanbases and success in their own rights like Inazuma Eleven, Yo-Kai Watch and Fantasy Life among others.

With Deca Police next in line, that will be another IP in their resume.

Considering how other companies like Nintendo, Sega and Capcom celebrated their IP's with crossover games like Smash Bros, Capcom vs and Sonic & Sega all Stars racing, do you think Level-5 would ever try and make some celebratory game that brings all their IP's together someday?
I think it might be good introducing fans that already enjoy one or two of their properties to be introduced to other IP's in their catalog. Much like how Nintendo introduced a lot of fans to series like Earthbound and Fire Emblem through Smash Bros.

Closest thing they have is that one Yo-Kai Watch mobile spin off game, but that one includes a ton of IP's from a bunch of other companies. What do you think a Level-5 All Star game would look like?

 

[fogbadge]

You know, its quite impressive that L5 created a vast amount of new IP's and characters within a span of 16 years or so.
I mean, yeah, they made stuff like Dark Cloud and Dragon Quest VIII before that, but Layton was the first IP that they had full control over and they created only more ever since. Franchises that grew their own fanbases and success in their own rights like Inazuma Eleven, Yo-Kai Watch and Fantasy Life among others.

With Deca Police next in line, that will be another IP in their resume.

Considering how other companies like Nintendo, Sega and Capcom celebrated their IP's with crossover games like Smash Bros, Capcom vs and Sonic & Sega all Stars racing, do you think Level-5 would ever try and make some celebratory game that brings all their IP's together someday?
I think it might be good introducing fans that already enjoy one or two of their properties to be introduced to other IP's in their catalog. Much like how Nintendo introduced a lot of fans to series like Earthbound and Fire Emblem through Smash Bros.

Closest thing they have is that one Yo-Kai Watch mobile spin off game, but that one includes a ton of IP's from a bunch of other companies. What do you think a Level-5 All Star game would look like?

hmm that would be something. but what sort of game should it be?

 

[Hadokeyblade]

We could always use more Mario Party clones.

 

[fogbadge]

We could always use more Mario Party clones.

the image of Layton, Luke, Nate, whisper, jibanyan and Oliver on a giant board game is more appealing than I thought

 

[Curious Villager]

Here's some tidbits and info from the Level-5 vision if you guy's are interested. Its an interview where Hino gives some info about the games that where discussed. Its a pretty long read but interesting nonetheless.

Thread: A few tidbits from Akihiro Hino's 10-page interview with Famitsu about Level-5 Vision 2023 (3/30 issue / No. 1789)

More info here: https://t.co/7BPdhVzqc2 pic.twitter.com/URpMuKAb8q

— Darts 🎯 (@DartsEnthusiast) March 15, 2023

About Professor Layton and the New World of Steam
- Takes place a year after the end of The Lost Future; the game opens with the letter than Luke wrote in the ending of that game
- The response was greater than expected, it even trended on social media pic.twitter.com/529FDPr8Tv

— Darts 🎯 (@DartsEnthusiast) March 15, 2023

happy to hear that Level-5 noticed the response for Layton's return on Social Media, reminds me of when Nintendo and Rare where surprised about the response of Banjo's inclusion in Smash.


Its a pretty long read but interesting nonetheless. Hopefully they will keep us updated on everything during the coming month's.