Level 5 published its first teaser trailer for Professor Layton and The New World of Steam, revealing an updated look for Luke and an array of other details about its next game. The three-minute video offers the first extended look at the upcoming puzzler since the Professor Layton comback on Nintendo Switch was announced back in February.
While it's been laying dormant for the past half a decade, the Professor Layton series continues to enjoy a cult following among a fairly varied demographic. Its combination of intuitive controls, moderately challenging puzzles that never break from their internal logic, and impressive production values spearheaded by high-quality localizations proved to be quite an international hit, with the eShop page for Professor Layton and The New World of Steam recently revealing the series sold over 18 million units since its 2008 debut. As such, even though the confirmation of a new Professor Layton game wasn't the biggest thing to come out of the February 2023 Nintendo Direct, it was arguably its largest surprise.
Level 5 is now looking to maintain that momentum with an extended teaser trailer revealing what appears to be part of the introductory cutscene from Professor Layton and The New World of Steam, in addition to disclosing some other information about the game. One of those newly unveiled details concerns Luke, whose design was updated since fans last saw him in the Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney 3DS crossover. Hershel Layton's loyal companion is still donning his signature cardigan and a flat cap, just in a slightly lighter shade of blue, and accompanied by a bordeaux bowtie. His brown hair also appears to be lighter compared to previous Professor Layton games, whereas the titular protagonist looks near-identical to his past iterations.
The new teaser trailer also delves into the setting of the upcoming game, revealing that Professor Layton and The New World of Steam takes place one year after Hershel and Luke's previous adventure. This time around, the duo will be exploring steampunk-like environments of the fictional American town of Steam Bison, where Luke stumbled on a new mystery that prompted him to once again seek the guidance of his mentor.
While the upcoming Switch puzzler is still without a release date, fans looking to reexperience some of the early games' magic and anyone interested in seeing what all the fuss is about can do so without a Nintendo console nowadays. Namely, HD remasters of the entire original trilogy have been available on Android and iOS since 2020, though that's not to say there's currently no interest in a Professor Layton collection for the Switch.
Professor Layton and The New World of Steam is in development for the Nintendo Switch.