For those unaware, Next Level Games is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nintendo based in Vancouver, Canada. This makes them the only completely western subsidiary of Nintendo other than Retro Studios. Originally starting out developing licensed tie-in games for various publishers, the studio has nowadays become defined by their relationship with Nintendo and their first party franchises.
The games that come out of this studio have a signature emphasis on cutscenes and western animation philosophy, with bits of newly recorded voice acting peppered throughout. They also know how to do multiplayer quite well, and pretty much all of their Nintendo published games have solid online play right out of the box. Here are all the Nintendo franchises Next Level Games have worked on over the past decade and a half:
**1. The Mario Strikers series:** This is probably the Mario sports series with the most passionate fanbase out there, and it only has two games! And what captivated many to these games, including those that have still yet to try it, is its style. These games have a much harder edge than anything Mario has ever done before or since, and the characters absolutely come to life in the various winning and losing animations. And now after 15 years of waiting and a half dozen mediocre Mario sports games, we’re finally getting a [new one](https://youtu.be/cLAzzYz92r4) on the Switch.
**2. Punch Out Wii:** After finishing up work on the second Mario Strikers game, Next Level told Kensuke Tanabe that they wanted to make a new entry in the [Punch Out](https://youtu.be/nHxoCloQcUg) series. What resulted was the 2009 reboot that remains a joyous challenge to play to this day. This new game was designed to be a love letter to the original NES game, with elements of Super Punch Out thrown in as well. Keeping true to the spirit and challenge of the franchise, nearly every opponent you face is a modernized take on their old counterpart, only now with a new and wacky cel-shaded coat of paint. This game did its job so well that it almost singlehandedly earned Little Mac his ticket into the next [Super Smash Bros.](https://youtu.be/gmtrmAvL5aw) game, where he would go on to become one of the community’s most hated Smash characters to this day. A short downloadable WiiWare title was released some time later, but that’s basically inaccessible now.
**3. The modern Luigi’s Mansion games:** The original Luigi’s Mansion was released in 2001 as a launch title for the GameCube. The game wouldn’t get any hints of a sequel until Miyamoto and Tanabe approached Next Level about the prospect. This sequel, known as [Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon](https://youtu.be/sm_mwNj06Uo) in North America, adopted a more comedic tone, had more lighthearted ghost designs, and made Luigi even more endearing than ever in the game’s many cutscenes. The main point of contention with this game is the new mission based structure, which I assume was done to complement short portable play sessions. There’s also a sizable multiplayer component as well, with smooth performance across a variety of game modes for both local and online play. Also you get a doggo by the end, so it’s automatically a 10/10 game of the year. The third installment, known as [Luigi’s Mansion 3](https://youtu.be/RSGgCfbYrg0) in all regions, released in 2019 for the Switch. It was the studio’s very first game in HD, and it looks drop dead gorgeous. By this third entry, Next Level have done away with the mission structure of the last game and have pretty much perfected the Luigi’s Mansion formula.
Oh and I guess I should mention that they also made [Metroid Prime: Federation Force](https://youtu.be/sGu3Xe1uUUg) too. I haven’t played the game myself, so I can’t really give a fair assessment.