14 DAY TRIAL // Level-5, the studio behind important games like Professor Layton, Ni no Kuni, and Inazuma Eleven, revealed last year that it will no longer release games outside Japan, a decision that hurt many of its fans. Moreover, the studio went through a series of layoffs that drastically scaled back its operations, hence the announcement.
For once, we have some great news for fans of the Ghibli-esque games like Ni no Kuni, as another developer has picked up the torch and decided to bring back the iconic visual style that made these JRPGs so popular among gamers.
Italian studio Naps Team announced that Baldo: The Guardian Owls, a Zelda-inspired action-adventure game featuring Ni no Kuni-like visuals, is launching on August 27. Created by artist Fabio Capone, Baldo isn't focused on combat solely, so players should expect a lot of Zelda moments. Two years ago when the game was revealed, Capone said that Baldo is a puzzle and dungeon game at its core, but with plenty of other secrets inside.
After a one-year delay, Baldo: The Guardian Owls will finally be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and iOS via Apple Arcade next month. The game will also be playable on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S via backward compatibility.
In Baldo: The Guardian Owls, players will journey through a magical land teeming with mysteries to unravel. The game promises challenging puzzles and intricate dungeons. Throughout his adventure, Baldo will meet a host of quirky and unforgettable characters, which will help him decipher the cryptic prophecy, and thwart destiny.
While exploring the open world of Baldo, players will discover new towns and their distinctive inhabitants, fight ferocious enemies, locate hidden temples, and collect objects both magical and mundane to obtain powerful new weapons, or to help unveil the myriad secrets of this strange land.