LEVEL-5 released a new teaser trailer for Holy Horror Mansion during its LEVEL-5 Vision 2026 Craftsmanship event on April 10, giving the first look at the “ghost craft RPG” since its initial reveal in September 2024. The clip establishes the game’s story setup and emotional tone, though platforms and a release date remain unannounced.
A ghost story with a warm center
Holy Horror Mansion follows a young boy whose grandmother owns an apartment building with a mysterious mansion sitting directly on top. While exploring the mansion, the boy finds a camera concealed inside a locked room. That discovery draws him into an encounter with a ghost and pulls him into a chain of events involving the building’s peculiar inhabitants.
LEVEL-5 describes the experience as “a heartwarming horror story about a mysterious family.” The framing positions Holy Horror Mansion closer to family-friendly mystery than conventional survival horror, leaning on emotional stakes rather than fear. The studio’s genre label, “ghost craft RPG,” hints at item creation or tool-based systems tied to ghost interactions. LEVEL-5 has a history of layering collection and crafting mechanics into RPG frameworks, from monster catching in Yo-kai Watch to puzzle-solving in Professor Layton, so the label likely points to something built around acquiring and using ghost-related items or abilities. The studio has not elaborated.
The teaser contained no gameplay footage. It establishes visual style and tone through brief scenes and character hints. Based on the art direction and the “heartwarming” framing, the game appears aimed at a family-friendly audience, consistent with LEVEL-5’s track record of building games that appeal to younger players without excluding adults. The actual systems behind the RPG and crafting elements remain undisclosed.
Release is a long way off
The trailer ends with the on-screen message “Still a ways to go…” LEVEL-5 has not confirmed platforms or a release window. The game was announced in September 2024, and the sparse information across both reveals suggests development is still at an early stage. The studio offered no launch date speculation.
LEVEL-5 also announced that a cross-media event is planned for 2026, at which the company intends to reveal merchandise and related media tied to Holy Horror Mansion. The Fukuoka-based studio, founded by Akihiro Hino in 1998, has built this kind of franchise infrastructure before. Yo-kai Watch grew from a single 3DS game into an anime series, a card game, and a large line of toys. Inazuma Eleven followed a similar path. Announcing cross-media plans this early, before gameplay has even been shown, suggests Holy Horror Mansion is being developed with franchise ambitions from the start rather than as an afterthought.
Holy Horror Mansion appeared alongside other projects at LEVEL-5 Vision 2026 Craftsmanship, one of the studio’s periodic showcase events. LEVEL-5 has been rebuilding its international presence after a period of withdrawing from Western markets in the late 2010s, and the Vision events have served as a way to signal what the studio is working on before it commits to release windows. More details on platforms and timing are expected as development progresses.