Latest Reviews of Level-5 Games
Review Megaton Musashi W: Wired (Switch) - Good Old-Fashioned Mech-Battling Fun
Level-5 is back!
In late 2020, Level-5 shuttered its operations in the West and effectively ended its business outside of Japan, leaving Western fans of franchises such as Yo-Kai Watch and Professor Layton wondering if they would ever see English versions of new entries in their favorite series. Fortunately, the company has since reinvigorated its...
Review Megaton Musashi (Switch) - Level-5's Import-Only Mecha Monster Deserves A Localisation
Domo arigatou, Mr. Roboto
It’s been a while since renowned Japanese developer Level-5 launched an IP that didn’t come complete with accompanying merchandise lines, manga, and anime to complement its latest game property. Professor Layton, Ni No Kuni, Inazuma Eleven, Snack World, and of course,
Review Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (Switch) - A Sublime Port Of An Awesome Adventure
Ding Dong Delightful
Level-5's Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom originally released on PS4 back in March 2018 to pretty much unanimous critical praise, and playing it now in this latest Switch iteration, it's really not too hard to see why. This is a wonderfully well-crafted adventure that hits the ground running, nails pretty much every single...
Review Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl (Switch) – Gold - Endearing RPG Action With Bags Of Character
It's nacho typical RPG
When you think about it logically, we shouldn’t have been surprised by Snack World. After all, when a game’s developed by the legendary Level-5 and has already enjoyed a hugely popular anime series and toy line in Japan, it really should have been on plenty of gamers’ wishlists. Despite this, it’s fair to say that...
A story about one very curious Kat
The Professor Layton series is one that’s defined puzzling on Nintendo handhelds ever since the early days of the DS. Since 2007, we’ve received two trilogies and two spinoffs starring the eponymous professor, but declining sales and a general sense of stagnation seemed to have scared Level-5 off from...
"It's flippin' finally on the Switch, en't it?"
In 2008, Level-5 was coming up on its tenth anniversary and wanted to produce a project that its staff was passionate about, regardless of how well it would sell, and the world was introduced to Ni No Kuni: The Another World. A two-pronged project, one version of it came to the Nintendo DS as the...
Review Yo-Kai Watch 3 (3DS) - The Perfect Swansong For The Series On Nintendo 3DS
A charming addition to the tribe
While it’s never quite reached the levels of superstardom enjoyed by Pokémon and other Japanese-centric monster-collecting RPGs (well, not consistently anyway), the Yo-Kai Watch series has remained one of the best handheld franchises to ever grace the seemingly immortal Nintendo 3DS. Of course, we western fans...
Review Yo-Kai Watch Blasters (3DS) - A Spin-Off Done Right, Even If We've Had To Wait A While
Blasting makes us feel good
When it comes to most of the best games coming out of Japan, we dedicated Western fans are often left waiting years to finally getting our hands on them. Three years, in fact, when it comes to this particular (and very popular) Yo-Kai Watch spin-off. And considering the series’ third full entry entirely avoided a...
Review Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy (3DS)
A pleasing puzzle solution
The Professor Layton series was an endearing part of the DS and 3DS generation, spawning six main-series titles and a spin-off with Ace Attorney. After that point Level-5 called it a day on the puzzle solving gentleman, no doubt concerned about the IP losing its freshness and a general decline in sales. It was a sad...
Review Yo-kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters (3DS)
The Boos are Back in Town
Level-5’s Yo-Kai Watch drew plenty of comparisons to Pokémon when it first came West, thanks to its monster-gathering mechanics and playground appeal, but it really started to resemble Nintendo’s Pocket Monster powerhouse with the split release of its 2016 sequel: Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits and Yo-Kai Watch 2: Fleshy...
Latest Level-5 Articles
News Level-5 CEO Implies Nintendo Is To Thank For Professor Layton's Comeback
All thanks to "Company N"
Professor Layton and the New World of Steam was one of the biggest surprise announcements of 2023. While the return of Level-5's polite professor might have felt like a no-brainer to some, it appears that the studio was initially hesitant about a comeback. That is until certain big names in the industry started pushing for...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Professor Layton And The Miracle Mask
I've got it!
Hello folks, and welcome back to another edition of Box Art Brawl! Last week, we checked out the Game Boy Advance version of Donkey Kong Country. It was a classic 3-way battle in which Japan managed to emerge victorious with 42% of the vote. Europe followed very closely with 39%, while North America floundered slightly at 19%. This...
Hands On Professor Layton & The New World Of Steam - New World, But Feels Like The Old Prof
As puzzling as ever
It has been a while since we’ve seen Professor Layton and his protege Luke. For a while, the mind-bending puzzle series seemed like a Nintendo mainstay - at least on the DS and 3DS. The last game starred Katrielle Layton, the daughter of the titular Professor, and received rather mixed reviews when it came out for 3DS in 2017...
News Level-5's New Yo-Kai Watch 'Holy Horror Mansion' Teaser Supposedly Features AI Artwork
The Japanese dev has been experimenting with generative AI
Earlier this week, Level-5 lifted the lid on its brand-new Yo-Kai Watch concept 'Holy Horror Mansion' and while this "cross-media project" including a "Ghost Craft RPG" looks quite promising at a glance, it's believed something may be going on behind the scenes. Some fans of the Japanese...
News Professor Layton And The New World Of Steam Trailer Shows Off 3D Gameplay
Still slated for 2025
Professor Layton and the New World of Steam was arguably the big announcement of Level-5's return when it was revealed during a Nintendo Direct last year. And while we still have to wait a bit for the game to launch, we have got a brand new trailer to tide us by. Shown off during today's Level-5 Vision Showcase, we got a look...
News Stunning-Looking RPG 'DECAPOLICE' Will Now Launch In 2026
Arrested development
We were hoping to see DECAPOLICE, the upcoming detective RPG from Level-5, at today's To The World's Children showcase. However, what we weren't expecting was a pretty big delay. Originally due out in 2023, then delayed to 2024, Decapolice has now been pushed all the way back to 2026. Woof. That's a long wait — but we're...
News Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road Finally Launches June 2025, DS Game Getting Remake
At last!
Eight years after its official announcement (under a different name too), Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road finally has a release window, and it's a bit further out than you might think. And yes, a release window — not a date. The soccer RPG will be launching in June 2025 on Switch and other consoles, marking what will be a nine-year wait for...
News Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time Gets New 2025 Release Window
Get ready for spring
Level-5 has announced a new release window for Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, following the game's delay just last month. Originally due out on 10th October, the game is now due to launch in April 2025. A specific date wasn't given, but we're glad the game has a new window at the very least. During today's Level-5 V
News Yo-Kai Watch Returns With 'Holy Horror Mansion' Teaser
"This town is full of 'pumpkins'"
A brand new Yo-Kai Watch concept has been announced as part of today's Level-5 2024 Vision showcase. Currently titled Holy Horror Mansion, the game is planned to be a "Ghost Craft RPG", and is planned to be the largest cross-media project for Yo-Kai Watch to date. No platforms or release dates were confirmed for...
News Level-5's 'Vision 2024' Showcase To Share Multiple Project Updates And Announce Brand New Title
Update: Another mystery game is being teased
Update [Fri 6th Sep, 2024 00:45 BST]: Level-5's official website for this broadcast has now been updated with a list of featured titles. Apart from the five previously mentioned titles (including a brand new game), there's now a sixth mystery game reveal being teased. Original article [Sun 1st Sep,...
News Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time Has Been Delayed Again
"we apologize for any inconvenience caused"
Level-5 has announced that Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time has been delayed again on Switch. Previously planned for launch on 10th October 2024, Level-5 has refrained from attaching a new release date at the time of writing, but pledged to offer up new information during the upcoming “LEVEL5...
News Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road's Beta Test Story Mode Kicks Off Today
Following an earlier delay
After getting pushed back from 'early May' to 'late May,' Level-5 has today announced that Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road's story mode will be coming to the worldwide beta test demo today. The story mode will be kicking off today (20th May) at
News Level-5 Slightly Delays Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road's Beta Test Story Mode
"We apologize for any inconvenience"
Level-5 has shared a new update on the development of Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road, revealing it's delaying the Story Mode release in the demo. It will now arrive in "late May", instead of earlier this month. Here's the full announcement (via social media): "To further improve the quality, the release of the...
News Level-5's Next Vision Showcase Delayed To Summer 2024
Layton & co. will have to wait
If you cast your mind back to the Level-5 Vision Showcase November 2023, you might remember that studio director Akihiro Hino wrapped things up with the announcement of another event in April 2024. Well, that event is no more as it has been announced that the expected showcase has been pushed to this summer. The next...
News Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road Worldwide Beta Test Demo Surpasses 500,000 Downloads
Goal!
Level-5's Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road Worldwide Beta Test Demo kicked off last week and it's performing quite well. The developer behind the game has announced the total downloads have surpassed 500,000 worldwide in just four days, which is certainly a promising start for this upcoming release, due out at some point in 2024. "The worldwide...
News Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road Worldwide Beta Test Kicks Off
Victory!
Update [Fri 29th Mar, 2024 06:30 GMT]: Here's your reminder the 'Beta Test Demo' of Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road is now available for Switch. You can compete against players from all over the world in the game's "competition mode" and also provide feedback, impressions, and bug reports via the official website. There's a survey to fill out...
News Fantasy Life i Finally Settles For An October Release On Switch
Worth the wait?
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, the sequel to the 3DS classic, has finally received a release date for Switch, and it'll be out on 10th October, 2024. The game had been delayed from 2023 at the last moment, but judging from the new trailer, it looks like the wait is going to be worth it, as the game will boast a total of...
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Inazuma Eleven Strikers
Cover goals
It's the weekend and that can only mean one thing, it's time for another edition of What Are You Pla- wait, no, not that one. It's time for another edition of Box Art Brawl! Before we kick off this week's match-up, let's take it back to last time when we looked at the Virtual Boy's Jack Bros. For such a rare game, this was a pretty...
News Fantasy Life Producer Keiji Inafune Says He Will Do His "Best" To Improve The New Entry
The Level-5 game was delayed last November
Keiji Inafune, best known for his work on the Mega Man as well as other projects like Azure Striker Gunvolt, has shared a minor update about the upcoming Level-5 project, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. Speaking to Famitsu for a New Year's column recently, the producer of the new Fantasy Life...
News Level-5 Submits 'Ghost Craft' Trademark In The US
What could it be?
Level-5 is slowly but surely ramping up its game output, with the likes of Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, Professor Layton and the New World of Steam, and more all quietly cooking in the developer's metaphorical oven. Now, as spotted by X (formerly Twitter) user @DartsEnthusiast
News Megaton Musashi: Wired Gets New 2024 Release Date
Coming worldwide 25th April
The newest entry in Level-5's popular multimedia mecha series, Megaton Musashi: Wired will no longer be launching in 2023 — no surprise, really, given that we're almost in December! However, we don't have to wait too long. During today's Level-5 Showcase, the developer announced that the upcoming mecha action RPG will...
News Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time Will Bloom Onto Switch In Summer 2024
New trailer shows even more gameplay
Featured in today's Level-5 Vision Showcase, we got another look at Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time and a release window of summer 2024. This long-awaited sequel to the 3DS classic, Fantasy Life, looks to contain all of the same features that we loved so much about the former game — life sim-meets-RPG...
News Level-5's Detective RPG 'Decapolice' Delayed To 2024, Not 2025
Some deduction was needed on the release date
If you were watching today's Level-5 Showcase and were hoping for a lot of news on the incredible-looking detective RPG DECAPOLICE, you may have come away a little bit disappointed. Originally slated for a 2023 release, Level-5 today announced that it will be taking "a bit more time" to work on the...
News Professor Layton And The New World Of Steam Is Now Set To Release In 2025
Hold onto your hats
Despite having been revealed in the February Nintendo Direct earlier this year, it looks like we are going to have to wait a while before we get our hands on Professor Layton and the New World of Steam as Level-5 has today revealed that the title is now scheduled to release in 2025. Featuring in today's Vision Showcase, the...
News Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road Kicks Off Switch Beta Testing In March 2024
He shoots, he scores
After a number of delays and enough title changes to fill an 11-man roster, Level-5 has today finally revealed that Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road will be bringing the football RPG series to Switch in 2024. The game's beta testing phase will kick off in March, with a full release planned for later in the year The release date was...
News Level-5 CEO Implies Nintendo Is To Thank For Professor Layton's Comeback
All thanks to "Company N"
Professor Layton and the New World of Steam was one of the biggest surprise announcements of 2023. While the return of Level-5's polite professor might have felt like a no-brainer to some, it appears that the studio was initially hesitant about a comeback. That is until certain big names in the industry started pushing for...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Professor Layton And The Miracle Mask
I've got it!
Hello folks, and welcome back to another edition of Box Art Brawl! Last week, we checked out the Game Boy Advance version of Donkey Kong Country. It was a classic 3-way battle in which Japan managed to emerge victorious with 42% of the vote. Europe followed very closely with 39%, while North America floundered slightly at 19%. This...
Hands On Professor Layton & The New World Of Steam - New World, But Feels Like The Old Prof
As puzzling as ever
It has been a while since we’ve seen Professor Layton and his protege Luke. For a while, the mind-bending puzzle series seemed like a Nintendo mainstay - at least on the DS and 3DS. The last game starred Katrielle Layton, the daughter of the titular Professor, and received rather mixed reviews when it came out for 3DS in 2017...
News Level-5's New Yo-Kai Watch 'Holy Horror Mansion' Teaser Supposedly Features AI Artwork
The Japanese dev has been experimenting with generative AI
Earlier this week, Level-5 lifted the lid on its brand-new Yo-Kai Watch concept 'Holy Horror Mansion' and while this "cross-media project" including a "Ghost Craft RPG" looks quite promising at a glance, it's believed something may be going on behind the scenes. Some fans of the Japanese...
News Professor Layton And The New World Of Steam Trailer Shows Off 3D Gameplay
Still slated for 2025
Professor Layton and the New World of Steam was arguably the big announcement of Level-5's return when it was revealed during a Nintendo Direct last year. And while we still have to wait a bit for the game to launch, we have got a brand new trailer to tide us by. Shown off during today's Level-5 Vision Showcase, we got a look...
News Stunning-Looking RPG 'DECAPOLICE' Will Now Launch In 2026
Arrested development
We were hoping to see DECAPOLICE, the upcoming detective RPG from Level-5, at today's To The World's Children showcase. However, what we weren't expecting was a pretty big delay. Originally due out in 2023, then delayed to 2024, Decapolice has now been pushed all the way back to 2026. Woof. That's a long wait — but we're...
News Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road Finally Launches June 2025, DS Game Getting Remake
At last!
Eight years after its official announcement (under a different name too), Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road finally has a release window, and it's a bit further out than you might think. And yes, a release window — not a date. The soccer RPG will be launching in June 2025 on Switch and other consoles, marking what will be a nine-year wait for...
News Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time Gets New 2025 Release Window
Get ready for spring
Level-5 has announced a new release window for Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, following the game's delay just last month. Originally due out on 10th October, the game is now due to launch in April 2025. A specific date wasn't given, but we're glad the game has a new window at the very least. During today's Level-5 V
News Yo-Kai Watch Returns With 'Holy Horror Mansion' Teaser
"This town is full of 'pumpkins'"
A brand new Yo-Kai Watch concept has been announced as part of today's Level-5 2024 Vision showcase. Currently titled Holy Horror Mansion, the game is planned to be a "Ghost Craft RPG", and is planned to be the largest cross-media project for Yo-Kai Watch to date. No platforms or release dates were confirmed for...
News Level-5's 'Vision 2024' Showcase To Share Multiple Project Updates And Announce Brand New Title
Update: Another mystery game is being teased
Update [Fri 6th Sep, 2024 00:45 BST]: Level-5's official website for this broadcast has now been updated with a list of featured titles. Apart from the five previously mentioned titles (including a brand new game), there's now a sixth mystery game reveal being teased. Original article [Sun 1st Sep,...
News Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time Has Been Delayed Again
"we apologize for any inconvenience caused"
Level-5 has announced that Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time has been delayed again on Switch. Previously planned for launch on 10th October 2024, Level-5 has refrained from attaching a new release date at the time of writing, but pledged to offer up new information during the upcoming “LEVEL5...
News Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road's Beta Test Story Mode Kicks Off Today
Following an earlier delay
After getting pushed back from 'early May' to 'late May,' Level-5 has today announced that Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road's story mode will be coming to the worldwide beta test demo today. The story mode will be kicking off today (20th May) at
News Level-5 Slightly Delays Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road's Beta Test Story Mode
"We apologize for any inconvenience"
Level-5 has shared a new update on the development of Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road, revealing it's delaying the Story Mode release in the demo. It will now arrive in "late May", instead of earlier this month. Here's the full announcement (via social media): "To further improve the quality, the release of the...
News Level-5's Next Vision Showcase Delayed To Summer 2024
Layton & co. will have to wait
If you cast your mind back to the Level-5 Vision Showcase November 2023, you might remember that studio director Akihiro Hino wrapped things up with the announcement of another event in April 2024. Well, that event is no more as it has been announced that the expected showcase has been pushed to this summer. The next...
News Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road Worldwide Beta Test Demo Surpasses 500,000 Downloads
Goal!
Level-5's Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road Worldwide Beta Test Demo kicked off last week and it's performing quite well. The developer behind the game has announced the total downloads have surpassed 500,000 worldwide in just four days, which is certainly a promising start for this upcoming release, due out at some point in 2024. "The worldwide...
News Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road Worldwide Beta Test Kicks Off
Victory!
Update [Fri 29th Mar, 2024 06:30 GMT]: Here's your reminder the 'Beta Test Demo' of Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road is now available for Switch. You can compete against players from all over the world in the game's "competition mode" and also provide feedback, impressions, and bug reports via the official website. There's a survey to fill out...
News Fantasy Life i Finally Settles For An October Release On Switch
Worth the wait?
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, the sequel to the 3DS classic, has finally received a release date for Switch, and it'll be out on 10th October, 2024. The game had been delayed from 2023 at the last moment, but judging from the new trailer, it looks like the wait is going to be worth it, as the game will boast a total of...
Poll Box Art Brawl - Duel: Inazuma Eleven Strikers
Cover goals
It's the weekend and that can only mean one thing, it's time for another edition of What Are You Pla- wait, no, not that one. It's time for another edition of Box Art Brawl! Before we kick off this week's match-up, let's take it back to last time when we looked at the Virtual Boy's Jack Bros. For such a rare game, this was a pretty...
News Fantasy Life Producer Keiji Inafune Says He Will Do His "Best" To Improve The New Entry
The Level-5 game was delayed last November
Keiji Inafune, best known for his work on the Mega Man as well as other projects like Azure Striker Gunvolt, has shared a minor update about the upcoming Level-5 project, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. Speaking to Famitsu for a New Year's column recently, the producer of the new Fantasy Life...
News Level-5 Submits 'Ghost Craft' Trademark In The US
What could it be?
Level-5 is slowly but surely ramping up its game output, with the likes of Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, Professor Layton and the New World of Steam, and more all quietly cooking in the developer's metaphorical oven. Now, as spotted by X (formerly Twitter) user @DartsEnthusiast
News Megaton Musashi: Wired Gets New 2024 Release Date
Coming worldwide 25th April
The newest entry in Level-5's popular multimedia mecha series, Megaton Musashi: Wired will no longer be launching in 2023 — no surprise, really, given that we're almost in December! However, we don't have to wait too long. During today's Level-5 Showcase, the developer announced that the upcoming mecha action RPG will...
News Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time Will Bloom Onto Switch In Summer 2024
New trailer shows even more gameplay
Featured in today's Level-5 Vision Showcase, we got another look at Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time and a release window of summer 2024. This long-awaited sequel to the 3DS classic, Fantasy Life, looks to contain all of the same features that we loved so much about the former game — life sim-meets-RPG...
News Level-5's Detective RPG 'Decapolice' Delayed To 2024, Not 2025
Some deduction was needed on the release date
If you were watching today's Level-5 Showcase and were hoping for a lot of news on the incredible-looking detective RPG DECAPOLICE, you may have come away a little bit disappointed. Originally slated for a 2023 release, Level-5 today announced that it will be taking "a bit more time" to work on the...
News Professor Layton And The New World Of Steam Is Now Set To Release In 2025
Hold onto your hats
Despite having been revealed in the February Nintendo Direct earlier this year, it looks like we are going to have to wait a while before we get our hands on Professor Layton and the New World of Steam as Level-5 has today revealed that the title is now scheduled to release in 2025. Featuring in today's Vision Showcase, the...
News Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road Kicks Off Switch Beta Testing In March 2024
He shoots, he scores
After a number of delays and enough title changes to fill an 11-man roster, Level-5 has today finally revealed that Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road will be bringing the football RPG series to Switch in 2024. The game's beta testing phase will kick off in March, with a full release planned for later in the year The release date was...