Many DS and 3DS owners have become familiar with the Professor Layton series at this point. Developed by Level-5 of Yo-kai Watch and Ni no Kuni fame, the handheld franchise combined point and click adventure mechanics with hundreds of brainteasers over six entries across Nintendo handhelds. After six entries and a crossover with Phoenix Wright, the series was put on the backburner for several years, outside of developers saying they were open to the idea of eventually continuing it with a new lead character.
For Japanese players, the series’ return is closer than many probably expected, as Level-5 has just announced Lady Layton, a new puzzle adventure that will take place some time after the original games and focus on longtime protagonist Hershel Layton’s daughter, who follows in her father’s footsteps of deduction and mystery solving.
While gameplay will apparently primarily stick to the ideas and mechanics the series is known for, the game will no longer be a Nintendo exclusive, launching on iOS and Android devices alongside the 3DS version. Per series tradition, numerous anime cutscenes will be incorporated to tell key story points, some of which can be seen in the Japanese reveal trailer above.
Lady Layton has been confirmed for a spring 2017 release in Japan, with no localizations for other countries announced at the moment.