Professor Layton development boss eyeing erotic and violent games
"There's an 'abnormal world' inside of me."
The CEO of Level-5 - the studio behind the family-friendly Professor Layton series, Snack World and Ni no Kuni - has said he hopes to one day make a darker game with more violence and eroticism.
Speaking with Denfaminicogamer in a joint interview with Grasshopper Manufacture's Goichi Suda, Level-5's Akihiro Hino said he admired "creators who can release such edgy titles into the world", calling them "amazing" (translated by automaton).
This is, of course, the kind of game Suda's studio is known for, with titles such as No More Heroes and Lollipop Chainsaw to its name.
Continuing, Hino added while laughing that he "would go as far as to say that I want to make things like erotic games and 18+ games with violence," albeit with the caveat that he was talking "in extreme terms". However, the developer also noted his current situation doesn't exactly cater for this ambition.
Level-5's head was subsequently asked by Suda if he had any ideas "on stock", to which Hino replied that he did.
"There's an 'abnormal world' inside of me, but I'm trying not to go there, only making things from the righteous part of my mind instead. However, deep down, I really want to visit that abnormal world," Hino said.
"I want to go [to] that dark, abnormal world, and I think I will definitely end up doing so. Once I feel that Level-5 is stable, and I have the room to make what I want... I will do it."
Would you be interested in seeing this darker side to Hino's creative mind?
In the meantime, the next entry in the Professor Layton series is slated to release next year.
As for Suda, he is currently working on the horror-themed side-scroller Hotel Barcelona with fellow developer Hidetaka "Swery" Suehiro - a game the duo cited Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining' as one of its inspirations.