Apr 102026
On Monday, when we discussed the Level-5 showcase announced for today, I asked if we were excited.
The answer for me turned out to be no, as I completely forgot about it.
In fact, someone had to send me a message asking if I was watching the Level-5 stream for me to even remember that it was today. It had completely slipped my mind.
Considering Level-5 was one of my favorite developers, I guess that settles how much recent developments have influenced me.
But the showcase was this morning, so let’s take a look at what they showed, and be sure to check out the full stream for yourself if you want.
The theme for this showcase was “craftsmanship,” and they began by talking about how the advent of AI has them reflecting on what human craftsmanship is, which would be an encouraging way to start out if not for how much they’ve emphasized using generative AI as part of the process.
Leaving that aside for now, the first game they announced was a mobile puzzle game called Pufflings: Journey Through a Fantasy World that’s also going to have tie-in animated films and merchandise. Next up was an expansion for the mobile game Yokai Watch: Wibble Wobble (which was originally imagined as a new Yokai Watch game before being revamped for Wibble Wobble, so that’s painful, too). Fantasy Life i is also coming to mobile.
Snack World is getting a remake, Snack World: Reloaded for PS5, Switch 2, and PC.
Tiny teasers were shown for the Inazuma Eleven remake and Decapolice, which doesn’t even have a release window now, just “in development.” Holy Horror Mansion also got a new trailer with no release window in sight.
After that, they showed an Inazuma Eleven mobile game and a Switch 2 port of Victory Road, and then it was time for Professor Layton and the New World of Steam.
It looks good, and I really want to be excited. (I had to laugh a little at the trailer calling it “the 7th installment in the Professor Layton series,” though. We’re just not counting Layton’s Mystery Journey at all now.) It’s also now coming to the PS5 and PC in addition to the Switch and Switch 2 versions, with a release window set for later this year.
Professor Layton and the New World of Steam got a large chunk of time compared to the other games in the showcase, so it seems like it will be the next major game they focus on now that Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road and Fantasy Life i are out.
This should be a time of great excitement for someone who loves the Professor Layton series as much as I do, but I’d like some reassurance that they didn’t use generative AI in its development before I can feel properly enthusiastic again. Right now, I just find it difficult to muster up excitement.
How do you feel about the games shown in today’s Level-5 showcase?
Ahhh, AI…….. Depending on what they say about that, I am going to keep my excitement more level.
In the meantime, I can see how 7th “Professor” Layton game makes sense since the Layton Brothers (and Katrielle) both did not star the good Professor. Though it is ignoring the Ace Attorney crossover. It is interesting to see it coming out for more systems, though assuming I get it, it will more likely be for the Switch 2 version.
True, that makes sense.