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Final game in Guild 01 series rated by Australian Classification board
The majority of Level-5's Guild 01 series has been made available on the 3DS eShop, but the last game in the series was absent from the publisher's initial localization announcement. That missing title is Rental Bukiya de Omasse, a game in which players manage a shop that crafts and sells weapons to passing adventurers. While the game currently isn't available in an English format, the Australian Classification Board has assigned it a PG rating, suggesting a localization treatment is in Rental Bukiya's future. We suspected the initial arrival of the Guild 01 series after Level-5 filed trademarks in the US for two Guild 01 titles, Liberation Maiden and Crimson Shroud. Level-5 confirmed the localization almost two months after those trademarks were noticed. While the Australian Classification Board is a different entity, its early ratings of Sega's 3D-ready line of classics for the eShop gave proved to be telling of their eventual NA debut. Hopefully this instance will play out similarly so that Rental Bukiya can open up shop stateside.
Inazuma Eleven quietly joins North American release calendar
North American soccer fans may finally have an opportunity to enjoy Japan's fan-favorite, anime-styled Inazuma Eleven, assuming a new listing on Nintendo's upcoming release calendar is to be trusted. Inazuma Eleven, for those not in the know, is a series of roleplaying games developed by Level-5, the same studio responsible for the Professor Layton series as well as Dragon Quest 8 and its sequel. In short, this is a group that knows how to craft good RPGs, and despite the dissonance created by the phrase "soccer roleplaying game," the Inazuma Eleven series has proven a fan-favorite since its debut. The franchise has even spawned a successful manga adaptation though, like the games, those comics have never appeared in North America. With that in mind, if you visit Nintendo's most recent release calendar, you'll find an unexpected listing entitled "Inazuma Eleven" for the 3DS handheld scheduled for North American release in the first quarter of 2014. That should be happy news, but as Tiny Cartridge states, "everything about this is weird." Despite indications that the game should appear in the very near future, Nintendo has yet to make any announcement regarding the series; that calendar listing is the only word we've seen of this mystery game. Furthermore, the listing makes no mention of which of the Inazuma Eleven entries the calendar might be referring to. It seems most likely that the game in question would be Inazuma Eleven 3 as that game was released in Europe in September, though there's nothing to guarantee this supposition. We've attempted to contact Nintendo, first to see if this listing is an error, and if not, to ask which game is planned for imminent North American release. We've yet to receive a response.
Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy hits North America Feb. 28
Nintendo has pegged Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy, the sixth entry in Level-5's puzzle series, for a February 28, 2014 launch in the US. The news came from this morning's Nintendo Direct presentation. Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy revolves around an extinct people known as the Azran. Layton, along with his trusty apprentice Luke, discover a girl frozen in ice who is the last living member of the once-great Azran civilization. This sets the two on a globe-trotting mission in search of artifacts and the truth behind the Azran peoples' downfall.
Level-5: Layton series sells 15 million, Ni No Kuni 1.4 million
Level-5 sales numbers suggest there's a big pile of cashola sitting beneath that big top hat of Layton's. The Japanese studio shifted 15 million units of the prof's puzzler series alone, along with 1.4 million PS3 and Japan-only DS copies of the glorious Ghibli RPG Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. As Siliconera reports, company CEO Akihiro Hino revealed the figures at a press conference yesterday, and that the company's success is not limited to those franchises. Soccer RPG series Inazuma Eleven scores 6.5 million sales, while the dream-team-developed Guild games on 3DS, including Crimson Shroud, Liberation Maiden, and Attack of the Friday Monsters, are up to 400,000 downloads combined. At the same conference Level-5 announced Layton 7, a new spinoff for the prof's series that's coming to iOS Android, and 3DS. Layton 7 is the series' second game on mobiles, the first being whodunit Layton Brothers: Mystery Room, unearthing a million downloads.
Layton 7 announced by Level-5 for iOS, Android and 3DS
A new spinoff from the Professor Layton series is on the way to handheld platforms, Level-5 announced during its Vision 2013 conference. Layton 7, which is described as a role-playing game, is in development for iOS, Android and 3DS. Layton 7 stars several inhabitants of a small town and – according to screens shared by Famitsu – features a top-down isometric viewpoint. It's the second game in the series to arrive on iOS, as Layton Brothers: Mystery Room launched on the platform in June.
Professor Layton x Ace Attorney announced for west, due in 2014 [Now with trailer!]
Nintendo announced Professor Layton x Ace Attorney will make its way to the west in 2014. Today's Nintendo Direct confirmed the 3DS game, released in Japan last year, hits North America next year. Nintendo of Europe went one better in its broadcast, dating it "early 2014." The crossover game, which combines Professor Layton's puzzle-solving with Phoneix Wright's cross-examinations, is not the only Layton game coming to North America next year. Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy, the sixth and (currently) final main entry in the Layton series, will join it on 3DS sometime next year. However, Europe can chalk another early arrival over North America; the game is now dated to hits retail shelves and eShops over there on November 8.
Attack of the Friday Monsters, I'm in love
This is Portabliss, a column about downloadable games that can be played on the go. Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale (3DS) is a multi-pronged nostalgia assault, combining creator Kaz Ayabe's well-documented love of early 1970's small-town Japan childhood with a fond look back at the Ultraman-style monster shows children of the era grew up on. But even if you didn't grow up in Japan, or in the 1970s, and never heard the word tokusatsu in your life, Friday Monsters is likely to make you feel like you did. It's a movie-length, low-key, sweet game that delivers an absolutely perfect summer day on demand.%Gallery-194367%
Layton Brothers cracks one million worldwide downloads
iOS whodunit Layton Brothers: Mystery Room is up to one million downloads after it clued into western markets last month. The sleuthing spin-off, starring Professor Layton's detective son as he checks out 3D crime scenes and gives suspects the third degree, is a free download with two cases included; the remaining content is paid DLC totaling $5. We gave Layton Brothers the Portabliss treatment last week; although it's not a squeaky clean adaption, we liked its "bite-sized version of an enjoyable Layton mystery."
Layton Brothers out on iOS today
Professor Layton series developer Level-5 has launched Layton Brothers Mystery Room, a crime-solving "interactive mystery novella" for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. Layton Brothers stars Inspector Alfendi Layton and his assistant Detective Constable Lucy Baker, who must work together to solve a series of grisly murders. Players will need to carefully examine crime scenes for clues in order to sniff out suspects and establish motives. Layton Brothers also seems to share the same quirky charm that defined the Professor Layton series; as part of the game's first case, you'll need to disassemble a deadly sandwich. Was the lettuce laced with poison? Or does the pickle have something to hide? Don't forget to interrogate the bread, if that's an option. The core Layton Brothers app is a free download that includes two cases to solve. Seven additional cases are available as in-app purchases.%Gallery-192555%
Level-5 reveals slate of mobile RPGs in Japan
Professor Layton series developer Level-5 is working on a trio of role-playing games for mobile platforms in Japan, according to a report in this week's edition of the Japanese magazine Famitsu. Heading up the series is Wonder Flick, a loot-based RPG featuring a soundtrack by Final Fantasy series composer Nobuo Uematsu. Other announced games include the railway simulation RPG Majin Station and Chikyu Kaimetsu teki B-kyu Kanojo, a post-apocalyptic adventure starring a cast of female mercenaries. Level-5 registered a series of trademarks earlier this month pointing to these upcoming releases. Judging from the gameplay descriptions Famitsu provided, the trademarked name Rare Drop Boukensha Note was apparently an alternate title for Wonder Flick. All announced games are set to premiere in Japan by the end of the year.
Level 5's The Starship Damrey docks on 3DS today
The Starship Damrey, the first Guild02 game from Level-5, is available for download in the 3DS eShop today for $7.99. A sci-fi horror adventure game from Kazuya Asano and Takemaru Abiko, The Starship Damrey awakens players in a mysterious place and tasks them with finding out where they are, and who they are. Kazuya Asano and Takemaru Abiko are influential writers whose prose can be seen in a multitude of visual novel games and text adventures in Japan. The two are known for leading the charge of the "Sound Novel" genre. The Guild02 collection was a series of games, bundled together in Japan, featuring several notable contributors. Rather than being bundled, each game will be sold piecemeal in the US. It is worth noting, however, that all of the games from the Guild01 series eventually went on sale at the same time, forming a kind of cheap bundle. If you're patient, you might get lucky.%Gallery-185935%
The Perfect Ten: MMOs that died in development hell
If you know me, you probably know that I have a weird fascination with alternate history. You know, the daydreams of historians when they're not rewriting the past to suit the latest trends. "What if?" my mind wonders, especially when it comes to MMOs. You see, for every game that actually makes it to launch, there are several that die gasping and alone in the bowels of development hell. Sure, many of these are pathetic creatures that didn't really stand a chance anyway, but there are some that could have made an impact on the industry if they had reached release and been halfway decent. We'll never know what a world would look like with these games in them, but we can always muse, "What if?" Continuing Perfect Ten's recent dark streak, here are 10 MMOs that died in development hell; it's to our eternal loss that we'll never get to play them.
Level-5 registers three new, mysterious trademarks
Level 5 has registered trademarks for three heretofore unannounced projects, Siliconera reports. Rare Drop Adventurer Note, Earth Devastating B-rank Girlfriend and Wonderflick were all trademarked by the developer around the same time, which may indicate that these titles collectively represent a third entry in Level 5's Guild series. Beyond the fact that these trademarks were filed, however, nothing else is known about what these games might be, if they end up being games at all. Who knows, maybe Earth Devastating B-rank Girlfriend is a new magical girl anime from Level 5 and Studio Ghibli? Well, okay, probably not, but one can dream.
First Guild02 game coming to 3DS eShop on May 16
The Starship Damrey will launch on the North American eShop on May 16. The game is the first in Level-5's Guild02 series to cross over to the US in its own 3DS download. The Starship Damrey is an action-adventure game that has players waking up without knowing who or where they are. That's in the game, at least. That would be horrifying in real life. %Gallery-185935%
Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy visits EU this year, NA 2014
Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy is coming to Europe this year, but North America won't see it arrive until 2014. The news comes via this morning's Nintendo Direct which revealed the schedule for the sixth Layton entry's 3DS world tour, the Level-5 puzzler having already come to Japan on February 28. Nintendo of America says the new Layton crams a whopping 500-plus puzzles underneath its top hat.
Level 5 'planning' a PS4 game
Level-5 was listed as one of the third-party developers signed on for PlayStation 4 development. CEO Akihiro Hino told Nikkei (translated by Siliconera) that the company has a specific game in mind for the platform, which is in the "planning" stage now. He indicated that the developer and publisher "may" be able to announce this game in the near future.Hino said that it's important to figure out the PS4's network components when planning a game for it, as well as the usual specs and graphical tech.It's going to be really satisfying when Level-5 is making a PS5 game. Just for the sake of symmetry.
Nab Ni No Kuni for $40
A couple of retailers are offering Ni No Kuni at a hefty discount. Amazon has the wonderful RPG down to a mere $40. If you like your shopping a bit more up close and personal, Target has it available for the same price in-store. That's like ... 80 cents an hour.
White Knight Chronicles 1 & 2 servers shutting down in June
Servers for both White Knight Chronicles and White Knight Chronicles 2 are being taken down on June 18. The WKC2 server shutdown was announced by D3 Publisher, while the WKC1 news came from Sony Computer Entertainment America.The servers were shared by North American and European players, so while both announcements only specify North America, they likely affect Europe as well. Neither announcement specified reasons for the servers being terminated.The servers in both of the Level-5 JRPGs allow players to go online and take part in co-operative missions and town-building. North Americans will have had access to WKC2's online play for just over 21 months when the servers close this summer.
Liberation Maiden live on App Store in North America
We didn't have to wait long to find out about Level-5's plans for an American iOS release of Suda 51's shooter Liberation Maiden: it's available on iTunes right now for $4.99.The port of the 3DS game doesn't just remove buttons from the controls and $3 from the price. It also adds Retina Display graphics, Game Center challenges and leaderboards. Those should help add some longevity to a game we found exciting but abrupt.%Gallery-181010%
Grasshopper and Level-5's Liberation Maiden moves to iOS
A surprise release of Liberation Maiden showed up on the iTunes App Store in New Zealand today, which, for other apps, usually leads to a worldwide release throughout the day as their respective clocks strike midnight.Liberation Maiden was originally released on 3DS in Japan as part of the Guild01 cartridge, and in North America as a standalone 3DS eShop game. It's a collaboration between Suda 51/Grasshopper Manufacture and Level-5, in which you control the teenage president of Japan in her flying mech.We've checked in with Level-5 about the prospects for the other Guild01 games on iOS.
