Professor Layton's Return: A New Adventure Fueled by Nintendo
The renowned Professor Layton is back with a brand-new adventure, and Nintendo played a pivotal role in bringing this long-awaited sequel to life. LEVEL-5's CEO, Akihiro Hino, shed light on this unexpected revival at Tokyo Game Show (TGS) 2024.
A Surprise Sequel After a Decade-Long Hiatus
Following a near ten-year absence, Professor Layton's return is largely attributed to Nintendo's influence. During a TGS 2024 conversation with Yuji Horii (creator of the Dragon Quest series), Hino revealed that while LEVEL-5 considered the prequel, Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy, a satisfying conclusion, Nintendo ("Company ‘N’") strongly encouraged a new installment.
Hino stated that "Certain individual(s) from the industry really wanted us to release a new game… we had a strong push coming from company ‘N’," highlighting Nintendo's significant role in the game's development.
This involvement is unsurprising given Nintendo's close ties to the franchise, which flourished on the Nintendo DS and 3DS. Nintendo published many Professor Layton titles and views the series as a flagship title for those platforms. Hino added that hearing Nintendo's encouragement "I started to think it would be good to make a new game so that fans could enjoy the series at the level of quality provided by the latest console."
Professor Layton and the New World of Steam: A New Mystery Awaits
Set one year after Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, Professor Layton and the New World of Steam reunites Professor Layton and Luke Triton in the vibrant American city of Steam Bison. Their new adventure involves a compelling mystery surrounding Gunman King Joe, a "ghost of a gunslinger."
The game retains the series' signature challenging puzzles, enhanced this time by collaboration with QuizKnock, a renowned puzzle-creation team. This partnership aims to address the mixed reception of Layton's Mystery Journey, which deviated from the core series formula.
For a deeper dive into the gameplay and story, be sure to check out our related article!
