It feels like years since we’ve last seen anything about Professor Layton and the New World of Steam. Announced in early 2023 as a Switch exclusive, developer Level-5 has uploaded a new trailer to its Japanese YouTube channel that finally gives us an idea of what this game is about. A more veteran Layton will be taking an older Luke on a new puzzle adventure that involves them tracking down Gunman King Joe.
While that initially seems a bit out there, the Layton series has never shied away from more supernatural elements. The best game in the series, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, even involves time travel and the apparition of someone from Layton’s past. Having a literal ghost isn’t so bizarre, though I do wonder if there is more going on than meets the eye. I’m sure there’s a puzzle about that.
The trailer does give us more than just story details, however. As should be obvious from the visuals, this latest entry will be in full 3D (though the two 3DS entries were). The game is also said to have the highest number of puzzles in the series’ history, so that number could be around 300 or so. There is even a new travel option that reminds me a bit of Myst, allowing you to stick in one area but look at different spots within it. Lastly, the Japanese version of the game will support not only Japanese, but English, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), French, Italian, German, and Spanish language options. I would suspect that English will have a voice-over, but the others will be just text.
For now, Professor Layton and the New World of Steam is still set for an unspecified 2025 release. It is most certainly a Switch 1 title, though I could see some enhancements coming to Nintendo’s successor console.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
