During today's Level-5 Vision II showcase, we got a bunch of new information about some of the studio's most anticipated upcoming projects, including Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven, and more.
The presentation kicks off with Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino apologizing for the fact that "titles [Level-5] planned to release in 2023 unfortunately had to be rescheduled to release in 2024".
This means that games like Professor Layton and the New World of Steam, which was previously earmarked for a 2023 or 2024 release, have been pushed back, but it's not all bad news. Let's take a look at what was announced during today's Level-5 Vision II showcase.
Megaton Musashi: Wired gets a release date
Things got started with upcoming mecha RPG Megaton Musashi: Wired.
The game was originally announced to be coming West in March this year, when it was given a 2023 release window.
Now, however, it looks like that release window will be missed, since Megaton Musashi: Wired is launching on April 25th next year. That'll be a worldwide release, though, so you won't have to wait for the game to exit Japan.
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is coming in summer
Earlier this month, cozy life-sim RPG Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time was delayed until 2024.
During today's showcase, a new release window of summer 2024 was announced for the game. Level-5 says it already has a release date in mind, but isn't announcing the date just yet for "strategic reasons".
We also got a new look at the game, which will feature additions like climbable small ledges, a new character creation screen that makes comparison easier, and more.
Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road is coming next year, but a beta is on the way in March
We've known Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road would come West since March, but we now know that the game is on its way to PlayStation consoles, Switch, and mobile devices sometime in 2024.
While you wait for the soccer RPG, you can look forward to a beta period in March, which Level-5 describes as a "global, simultaneous" test.
We also got to see some new gameplay for Victory Road, showing off the game's deep soccer RPG systems.
Professor Layton and the New World of Steam is officially coming in 2025
A release window of 2025 was revealed for upcoming puzzler Professor Layton and the New World of Steam.
Although this seems like a long way off, Hiro-san says that the team has "already created all the puzzles for the main story" alongside puzzle studio Quizknock.
We get to see Luke and Layton solving one of these puzzles, which involves counting different window shapes on a rather eccentric-looking building.
Decapolice isn't coming out until "post-2024"
Bad news if you've been looking forward to the release of open-world crime RPG Decapolice: it's been pushed back to beyond 2024.
Hino-san says this is due to a desire to build "a dense and immersive world, filled with opportunities to play". Looks like you'll have to wait a bit longer to check out Decapolice's fascinating-looking investigative gameplay.
The showcase concludes with Hino-san announcing a new Level-5 Vision showcase for April 2024, titled "To the World's Children".
There, the studio will release new information about titles scheduled for release in 2024, and a brand new Level-5 game will also be revealed.
You can check out the full Level-5 Vision II showcase right here.
