Professor Layton and the New World Of Steam Announced

When it came to the Nintendo Direct that happened yesterday, many people expected lots of surprises to occur. To their credit and wisdom, they were right. There were some big surprises. However, many likely didn’t predict which surprises were about to drop. For example, there weren’t as many 1st-party surprises as you would have guessed, but plenty of 3rd-party surprises. For example, the team at Level 5 had multiple titles appear throughout the presentation, including some new IPs. But just when you thought they were only showing new things, they dropped a teaser for the next Professor Layton game!

The title is Professor Layton and the New World of Steam, and many are excited about it. If you’re unfamiliar with the character or his series, the franchise focuses on a man named Herschel Layton, who happens to be both a gentleman and a detective. His first game came on the Nintendo DS and was focused on a grand mystery and the many puzzles he and his allies would solve along the way. The games had a unique art style and were renowned for their puzzles.

Four games were put on the Nintendo DS; then they moved to the Nintendo 3DS to do a few more. One of those included an epic crossover title with Phoenix Wright and his allies. But, unfortunately, the franchise seemed to have ended Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy, which was focused on his “daughter” instead of him, and fans weren’t happy about that.

But now, the man with the top hat is back and on consoles for the first time!

Nintendo, via VGC, dropped this teaser for the game:

“In the newest entry in the beloved series, Professor Layton will face new puzzles in a fresh setting. Solve epic riddles as you progress through the story of this puzzle-fantasy adventure. Stay tuned for more details in the future.”

We will indeed stay tuned for details. But until then, let’s guess what we can expect. The biggest thing will be that it’ll get a graphical upgrade. While the DS and 3DS titles were fine, having the game on the Switch will ensure HD quality. Then, when you add in what the Switch and its Joy-Con controls could do for puzzle gameplay, there might be some exciting twists ahead.

Add that to a Steampunk-style world, and this adventure might be what this franchise needs to return with a bang! Check out the teaser reveal below: