Yesterday, Level-5’s “Vision 2024: To The World’s Children” event aired live online. While the most popular showcase was the new Professor Layton game, and I adored the return of the classic Inazuma Eleven series having grown up with it, I was most attracted to and confused with one of the newest game showcased.
It’s called “Holy Horror Mansion,” and it’s being described as a “ghost craft RPG.” The trailer speaks for itself:
One of the most important things about this game is why it was made. Apparently, the popularity caused by Level-5’s own Yo-kai Watch series of games (which I also grew up with) was so vast (you had to be there in 2016), the company decided to catch that lightning in a bottle again, with a new paranormally-inclined IP. Some might even call it the “next concept for Yo-kai Watch.”
It involves the life and times of a young boy named Ten Lordland, who after picking up a mysterious camera, finds a green “ghost” that can possess inanimate objects and turn them into Yo-kai-like beings. There is also a blue ghost who can combine objects (leaving Level-5 to hire a celebrity who would’ve made more sense about 7 years ago, the video game world’s equivalent to Bob Uecker and Jaleel White appearing on Teen Titans GO) and a pink ghost who can turn objects into “worlds.” Ten uses these powers, as well as the camera (who is alive and named Cameron), to thwart the evil schemes of a malevolent company named De Ville Corp.
It’s a pretty interesting new concept, despite the lack of connection to Yo-kai Watch, which might upset some long-time fans.
Imagine if, instead of using Mario, Nintendo made a new Mario-inspired character and used them as their mascot from now on. The new character would stand on their own, while harkening back to the original. That’s what Holy Horror Mansion is.
Consoles, release window and price are all TBA. But, when the game releases, it will be one interesting ride.
