The gentleman puzzle expert Professor Layton is set to return as the protagonist of a new game in the series coming sometime next year: Professor Layton and the New World of Steam is in development for Nintendo Switch, and a new trailer gives us the most detailed look yet at the setting, story and gameplay of this newest entry. Check it out below:
It seems that the Prof and his trusty sidekick Luke are headed to a steampunk-Americana city known as "Steam Bison" where they'll encounter the intimidating ghost of "Gunman King Joe" who was lost to the "Relentless March of Progress." A lot going on there already, but I'm ready and willing to follow the gang on another mystery adventure and see where it leads.
This trailer is our first close look at what the world and gameplay of the new game is going to look like, and apart from some fancy new 3D stylings in the environments, everything we're seeing should feel pretty familiar to any fan of the franchise: moving our heroes around illustrated city maps, exploring street-corner vignettes, talking with locals for information, and of course, solving a large variety of puzzle minigames. (The trailer claims that this entry will boast the largest number of puzzles yet!)
This is technically the second game in the series for Nintendo Switch, the previous being the deluxe version of the 3DS game Katrielle and the Millionaire's Conspiracy, but it will be the first made from the ground-up for the system, and the first Switch title starring the Professor himself.
I was happy to play as Layton's daughter Kat, and I've been such a long-time fan of the series that I really wanted to enjoy it, but the episodic and relatively disconnected nature of Millionaire's Conspiracy didn't quite hit the mark for me compared to previous entries, and I don't think I was alone in that feeling. I'm eager to see if New World of Steam will be a return to the old formula, solving one big mystery over the course of the game.
Keep an eye out for updates when we learn more about the game's release in 2025.
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