Demo Play Thursday - Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road On PS4

For this week's Demo Play Thursday i played the PlayStation 4 version of Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road from Level-5.

Living in Japan, i have head of Inazuma Eleven and it used to be very popular, but there hasn't been a new anime or game for many years. i checked out the Wikipedia page and yeh, i was surprised that this game was originally set to come out in 2018! back then it was titled "Inazuma Eleven Ares" and was meant to tie into the Inazuma Eleven Ares anime series in 2018.

I doubt that the tech in Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road has much in common with Inazuma Eleven Ares. since it's first reveal it's had 3 more names and gained the PS5 as a release console. Honestly, for a PS4 game it did look really nice. many of the anime releases on PS4 have looked great. the animated cutscenes also looked high quality, but with their black borders i don't know if they're 1080p, scaled down to 1080p, or upscaled to it.

Whilst graphically Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road looks like a modern game, playing the game wasn't as impressive. i was bored playing it. Whilst i know of the Inazuma series, i've never watched nor played any of the games. what i played of Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road went against what i knew, in that Inazuma is a football/soccer series and yet our character hates it and moved to this school specifically to avoid it. after 50 minutes of the story mode, i felt like i knew more of other characters than my own.

The demo does have a second game mode, after story, called Competition Mode. But this felt unwelcoming to me, a new player, much like the story mode did. i had the choice of playing it online or against bots. i chose to play against bots but for some reason the game gave the bots more levels than me. so not only did i not know how to play it, i was up against much higher opposition. 

And wow, it doesn't play like any football/soccer game i've ever played. in some respects, it's more like a strategy game. but it should've had some sort of practice mode. it tried to teach me what was happening, there were videos showing it in action, but it tried to do it in a game with a much higher opposition. so i would try to do what it said, but the opposition was so much higher levelled than me it didn't matter what i did. 

So i didn't enjoy my time with Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road that much. sure it looks good and it was interesting trying out a game in a series i've heard so much about. it's just that it never felt like this game was for me. i didn't have the context for the story and i didn't know how to play it's style of football/soccer. thankfully, as it's a demo it does mean i can use this as practice for when the real game comes out. but as i didn't enjoy my time with the demo, i'm not really keen on getting the game. instead i'd rather try one of the other Inazuma games

Nintendo Announe Professor Layton And The Azran Legacy Comes To The EU On 8th November

Nintendo have announced the latest Professor Layton game from Level 5, Professor Layton And The Azran Legacy, is set to come out on the 3DS across the EU on 8th November.

Press Release

Level 5 Have Released A Launch Trailer And Screenshots For Layton Brothers: Mystery Room On Android

Level 5 have released a launch trailer for Layton Brothers: Mystery Room. Out now across android and iOS devices, Layton Brothers: Mystery Room is a free to download game where you can play the first two cases for free and then buy additional cases.

Layton Brothers: Mystery Room gameplay features include:

• Investigate the Crime Scene: Uncover the details behind each crime as you zoom in and examine suspicious objects to add them to your mounting list of evidence. Piece them together to form an airtight case.
  
  
• Cut through the Web of Deceit: Expose the crucial contradictions in the case files as you match them with evidence that just doesn’t add up. Call in the witnesses and find out if they have anything to hide.
  
  
• Face the Culprit in the Final Showdown: These criminal masterminds won’t make solving their heinous crimes easy. Find the holes in their arguments until their lies shatter around them, bringing the truth of each mystery to light.
  
  
• Nine Cases to Solve:  The game will release free on Android and will include the prologue and two cases.  Additional case files will be available as separate in-app purchases (Case File Pack 1 including File No. 003-006 will be available for $2.99 USD / €2.69 / ₤1.99 and Case File Pack 2 including File No. 007-009 will be available for $1.99 USD / €1.79 / ₤1.49). The first two free cases include:
  • File No. 01: “The Hand Sandwich”: A woman was found murdered at the seaside hotel of a bustling travel destination. Her asphyxiated body lies on the balcony with one hand inside the sandwich that was to be her last meal.  Who is guilty of murder? What is the significance of the sandwich?
  • File No. 02: “The Bungled Burglary”:   A man was murdered inside his apartment. Two suspects emerge based on eyewitness testimonies, but the murder weapon seems to have vanished into thin air.  Who is the perpetrator, and what kind of murder weapon disappears from a locked room?
    
    
• Alfendi Layton’s Secret: As you expose the contradictions and culprits throughout each case, you may catch glimpses of a drastic change that occurs in Inspector Layton’s personality… Uncover the truth of Layton’s condition by solving the mystery of all nine files.
  
  
• Compatible Devices: Android devices (more than 512MB of available memory is required); iPhone 3GS or later, iPod touch 4th generation or later, iPad 1stgeneration or later, iPad mini
  
  
• Required OS: Android 2.3 and up; iOS 4.3 or later

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Press Release

Level 5 Have Released A Launch Trailer And Screenshots For Attack Of The Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale

Level 5 have released a launch trailer and screenshots for Attack Of The Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale. this 3DS eShop title was part of the GUILD02 collection released in Japan and now it's been broken up and released across the west. Attack Of The Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale was created by Kaz Ayabe and his company Millennium Kitchen and tells the story of early 1970 town where every friday the monsters on TV come to life.



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Press Release

Level 5 Announce They Are Bringing Inazuma Eleven 3 To The 3DS, Coming Out 27th September

Level 5 have announced they are bringing Inazuma Eleven 3 to the west. the game will be released on the 3DS, not the DS that it launched on when it came out in Japan. the game will be released on 27th September and it will come out in two variants, Inazuma Eleven 3: Lightning Bolt and Inazuma Eleven 3: Bomb Blast.

Press Release

Level 5 And Comcept Have Released A Launch Trailer For BUGS vs. TANKS!

Level 5 and Comcept have released a launch trailer for BUGS vs. TANKS!, a survival action shooter out now across Europe on the 3DS eShop. BUGS vs. TANKS! was released in japan as part of the GUILD02 collection. this standalone version is available for £7.19 and has you playing as miniaturized World War II tanks fighting against bugs.



Press Release

Level 5 Have Released A Launch Trailer For Their 3DS eShop Game THE STARSHIP DAMREY

Level 5 have released a launch trailer for their 3DS eShop game THE STARSHIP DAMREY. the video starts with a brief introduction from a couple of developers before moving to show some in-game action. THE STARSHIP DAMREY was previously only released in Japan as part of the GUILD02 collection, but is out now across the EU for ₤7.19..

Press Release

Level 5 Announce Each Of The Three Games In Guild02 Collection Will Be Released Separately On The 3DS eShop

Level 5 have announced Guild02 Collection is coming out in the West. this collection consists of 3 games that will be released separately on the eShop. to celebrate this, games from Guild01, Liberation Maiden and Crimson Shroud will be on sale from €7.99/₤7.19 to €4.99/₤4.49 and Aero Porter will be on sale from €4.99/₤4.49 to €2.99/₤2.69. this sale will run from 18th April until 30th May. Release dates for each of the Guild02 games will be announced at a later date.

The Starship Damrey was designed by Kazuya Asano and written by Takemaru Abiko. it's a Adventure/Horror/Suspense game where players have awoken on the Starship Damrey. there are no tutorials, explanations or hints as players have to experiment and find out. gamers who have any other game from Guild01 will get access to a special scenario.

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Bugs Vs Tanks is a game from Keiji Inafune. it's set in World War 2 and players take on the role of a panzer squad that have been shrunk to the size of bugs. now, the Panzer Squad have to fight against insects. you can customise the body, turret and paint of your tanks as well as playing co-op missions with up to 4 friends. Bugs Vs Tanks also uses StreetPass to call for friendly. People with any of the Guild01 games will get an exclusive Golld Tank.

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Finally there is Attack Of The Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale. the game is from Kaz Ayabe where players play as a boy called Sohta. its a life simulation game in a world where there are giant monsters from 1970 Japan tv shows in the real world every Friday. people who have bought any game from Guild01 will get a Special Defense Department Junior Member Notebook with includes concept art.

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Press Release

Level-5 Announce Liberation Maiden Is Out Now On iPhone And iPad For $4.99 / €4.49 / £2.99

Level-5 and Suda 51, aka Goichi Suda, have announced Liberation Maiden is out now on iPhone and iPad. originally released in Japan on the 3DS as part of the Guild01, Liberation Maiden has been released on iOS devices for it's western release. Liberation Maiden has you playing as the female president Shoko Ozora as she pilots her mech as she tries to save her nation.

The game has been changed for it's iOS release, these changes include:

• Expanded Game Play with Game Center: Players will face new Challenges, compete for high scores with friends, and aim for the top of the ranked Leaderboard.
*Challenges only available on iOS 6.0 or higher; 4th generation iPod touch not compatible with Game Center features

• Retina Display: The game’s graphics have been optimized to take advantage of the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch’s incredibly sharp Retina Display on compatible devices.

• Intuitive Controls: Liberation Maiden’s controls maximize playability and functionality across touchscreen devices and can be further customized for maximum comfort to a player’s dominant hand.

• Compatibility: The game is playable on iOS 5.0 and higher across the Apple mobile lineup, including iPhone 4 and higher, iPod touch 4th generation and higher, iPad 2 and higher, andiPad mini.

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Press Release

Namco Bandai And Level 5 Have Released A Story Trailer For Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch

Namco Bandai have released a story trailer for Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch. the trailer does have some story spoilers but it also shows off the in-game action, music and cinematics from Studio Ghibli.

Namco Bandai And Level 5 Have Released A Launch Trailer For Ni No Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch

Namco Bandai and Level 5 have released a launch trailer for Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch.

Namco Bandai Have Released A New Trailer For Ni No Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch Titled Special Gift

Namco Bandai and Level 5 have released a new trailer for their upcoming PS3 game Ni No Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch. this trailer is titled Special Gift.

Namco Bandai And Level 5 Have Released A Second Behind The Scenes Look At Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch

Level 5 and Namco Bandai have released a second behind the scenes look at Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch. this 8 minute video focuses on Studio Ghibli and Level 5. they both talk about how they approached the project from the point of view of their studio, whilst talking about how similar it was to other projects they both have done. they also mention well as some of the issues and other devs like the artists talk about the effort and aims they had, whilst other members talk about other parts of the game like it's unique battle system.

Namco Bandai And Level-5 Have Released The First Behind The Scenes Look At Ni No Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch

Namco Bandai and Level-5 have released the first behind the scenes look at Ni No Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch on the PS3. this 7 minute video takes place at Level-5. the video shows the studio, the developers working on the game as well as their motion capture studio. the video also goes behind the ideas and art with Studio Ghibli and the challenges of putting it into a videogame. lots of in-game action is shown, with a focus on the animation and artwork.

Level-5 Announce Aero Porter Comes To The 3DS eShop From 29th November For $4.99/€4.99

Level-5 have announced the release date for Aero Porter. the game is set to come out on the 3DS eShop on 29th November for $4.99/€4.99. Aero Porter was created by Yoot Saito, the creator behind games like Seamand, The Tower and Odama. In Aero Porter you have to manage the day to day operations of a airport. 

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Press Release

Ninendo Have Released A New Professor Layton Trailer Showing The Story Of His Games So Far

Nintendo have released a new trailer for Professor Layton. this trailer shows the story from the previous Level-5 developed Professor Layton games and introduces the new story, Professor Layton and The Miracle Mask which is out on on the 3DS.

Nintendo Have Released A New Trailer For Professor Layton and The Miracle Mask

Nintendo have released a launch trailer for Professor Layton and The Miracle Mask, the recently released 3DS game from Level -5. the trailer shows in-game cinematics, in-game puzzles and reveals some of the backstory for the game.

Nintendo Reveal EU Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask Limited Edition Leather Luggage Tag

Nintendo have revealed EU Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask Owners can register to get a limited edition Professor Layton Leather Luggage Tag. there are only 5,000 tags on offer and registration to get one of them opens on 26th October 9am CET/8am BST (the same day the game comes out in the UK). users can register for this tag by registering their copy of the game at Club Nintendo.

Source: Nintendo UK

Level-5 Announce Liberation Maiden, Aero Porter And Crimson Shroud For The 3DS

Level-5 have announced 3 new games are coming to the EU eShop. these 3DS games had not been released outside of the USA. the 3 games are Liberation Maiden, Aero Porter And Crimson Shroud. Liberation Maiden is the first of the games to be released for £7.19.

Liberation Maiden is a 3D sci-fi shooter developed by Goichi Suda, aka SUDA51 from Grasshopper Manufacture. the game is set in Japan 100 years from now and you play a humanoid called Shoko Ozora who pilots a robot called Kamui.

Aero Porter is set to come out in November and is an airport simulation. the game was designed by Yoot Saito. the player has to sort out color coded luggage on conveyor belts whilst avoiding mishaps and delays.

Crimson Shroud is set to come out in December and is designed by Yasumi Matsuno, who has worked on Final Fantasy Tasctics. Crimson Shroud is a new RPG based on table top RPG.



Liberation Maiden Screenshots


Press Release

Nintendo Announce Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask Comes To The UK On 26th October

Nintendo and Level 5 have announced Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask comes out on the 3DS in the UK on 26th October. Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask has 150 new brainteasers and minigames. there is also a daily puzzle that can be downloaded from the Nintendo Network. Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask is the fifth in the series and is set some time after Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call.

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Source: Nintendo UK