Branching Path: Professor Layton and the New World of Steam could be a return to form

As a seasoned gamer with years of gaming under my belt and a soft spot for the enigmatic Professor Layton, I must confess that my feelings towards Level-5 are a rollercoaster these days. On one hand, I’m captivated by their latest offering, “Professor Layton and the New World of Steam,” which left me spellbound at this year’s Tokyo Game Show. However, the echoes of past delays still resonate in my mind, leaving me skeptical about whether this game will see the light of day anytime soon.

Currently, my feelings towards Level-5 are complex; on one hand, I thoroughly enjoyed playing “Professor Layton and the New World of Steam” at this year’s Tokyo Game Show. However, history has shown us that we may not see the release of the game anytime soon. Previously, when inquiring about various games set to launch in 2023, a representative from Level-5 revealed that everything was being delayed before an official announcement was made. As of last week, only one out of the multiple titles showcased for “2023” at last year’s exhibition has actually been released. My favorite game from last year, Decapolice, has now been pushed back to 2026 along with its anime adaptation; fortunately, it will also be available on PC simultaneously. Yet, it’s disheartening to see how long Level-5 is taking to release their upcoming games, especially since they have been so eager to demonstrate them. The joy I felt after playing Professor Layton now seems somewhat muted, as it feels as though we may be waiting another three years for the game.

Ignoring that notion for a moment, let me clarify who Professor Layton is. Although some of our readers may be familiar with him due to owning a Nintendo DS, it’s been quite a while since he was widely recognized as a household name, so there might be a segment of our audience that is unfamiliar with these games. Essentially, they are puzzle games, primarily released on the Nintendo DS and later 3DS. There have been spinoffs and ports for mobile phones and Switch, but the series reached its peak popularity during its time on the DS. Since the creator of the puzzles passed away in 2016, the series has seen a decline.

Since most previous Professor Layton games were played on DS or 3DS, it was intriguing to consider how the traditional touch-screen puzzles would adapt for Nintendo Switch, especially in docked mode with a controller. During our play session, we tried out two puzzles that required us to move a cursor using the analog stick to interact with the puzzle’s components. Although these puzzles themselves weren’t time-constrained, the demo environment imposed a time limit, which didn’t allow us much time to get accustomed to the new setup. It functions reasonably well, and I assume players will be able to switch to touch screen controls when playing in handheld mode on the Switch.

During breaks from solving puzzles, players traverse the town, which is divided into different areas that can be navigated using the d-pad. As you advance through the game, certain locations become accessible. A marker indicates where to go for progression, and a map screen allows easy return to previously visited places. Throughout your journey, you might discover Hint Coins with Luke’s new gadget, the Coindar – a mini robot that provides hints about objects to interact with in specific scenes. These coins serve as your currency, enabling you to ask for puzzle help. It’s an adorable addition, offering a refreshing change from the main gameplay – I’ve only used it a few times so far, but it seems like a promising feature for breaking up repetition in the full game.

Initially, my main worry about trying the demo wasn’t related to the game mechanics but rather a personal issue: I’m proficient in Japanese, but I get nervous during timed demos for puzzle games, especially ones known for their wordplay. Fortunately, contrary to what we were initially informed, Professor Layton had an English version of the TGS demo available – and we managed to record approximately 10 minutes of footage from it (which you can see in the video above). At this point, it’s premature to make any definitive comments about it, but it functions well enough. Currently, there’s no English dub, though one might be added by launch; however, during our spontaneous appointment, we didn’t think to ask about it since our meeting was more impromptu than planned, like last year’s. With many similar games on display, we hadn’t intended to schedule an appointment at all. It was only when we noticed that fewer outlets were covering Layton that we decided to take a look.

Although I didn’t find Layton as impressive as Decapolice last year, Level-5 has consistently delivered standout demos at the show over the past two years, which makes their current situation even more disheartening. Despite Professor Layton being scheduled for a release in 2025, I have little faith that Level-5 will meet this deadline. If it transpires that we’ll be reunited with Hershel next year, I’d be delighted to be proven wrong. At the moment, though, I’m not optimistic about things staying on schedule. All I can do is hope that some of their promising projects will eventually lead to success for Level-5. It’s unfortunate if the company’s comeback doesn’t turn out as planned. We’ll have to wait and see when Professor Layton and the New World of Steam supposedly launches for Nintendo Switch, in 2025.

2024-10-03 22:25

Branching Path: Professor Layton and the New World of Steam could be a return to form

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