News Articles
Tuesday11th Jul 2023
News Level-5 Launches Yo-Kai Watch 10th Anniversary Website
A number of initiatives are planned
Although Level-5 is busy with a new Professor Layton game for the Nintendo Switch, it's also found some time to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its spirit-themed RPG series Yo-kai Watch. The original game made its debut on 3DS in 2013 in Japan and was followed by a local release here in the West in 2015/16...
Monday2nd Jan 2023
Talking Point Professor Layton And The Lost Franchise: Where Did The Beloved Puzzle Series Go?
This reminds me of a puzzle...
From the late 2000s to the mid-2010s, my gaming experience was all about learning to become a gentleman. This was a central topic which ran throughout the Professor Layton series. If Professor Hershel Layton wore a trench coat, I wore a trench coat; if he drank fruity tea, I drank fruity tea; if he was reminded of a...
Saturday28th Sep 2019
Video The Original Yo-Kai Watch Game Coming To Switch Gets A New Trailer
Back to the beginning
Earlier this week we heard how the original Yo-Kai Watch game for Switch would be receiving online battle support, and now Level-5 has uploaded a second trailer for the game to its official YouTube channel. As short as it is, this one provides a much better look at the gameplay and high-definition graphics. It's due out in...
Wednesday25th Sep 2019
News The Original Yo-Kai Watch Game On Switch Will Support Online Battles
Better than ever
Back in July, Level-5 announced the Switch would be receiving the original Yo-Kai Watch game later this year. While there's been no mention of a local release just yet, Level-5 has been sharing small details about this version via Twitter. The latest reveal is the addition of online battles, this will also cover local battles, so...
Thursday8th Aug 2019
News Level-5 Releases Debut Trailer For The Original Yo-Kai Watch On Switch
And it looks better than ever
Although the west is still waiting for Yo-Kai Watch 4 to be released locally on the Nintendo Switch, Level-5 has already announced another game from the same series is headed to the system. This time it's a high-definition makeover of the original 3DS game that started it all. Yo-Kai Watch 1 for Nintendo Switch –...
Sunday14th Jul 2019
News Level-5 Is Releasing The Original Yo-Kai Watch Game On Nintendo Switch
Back to the beginning
The Yo-Kai Watch games might have only been around for six years, but there are already more than a handful of entries in the series. Most recently, Yo-Kai Watch 4 was released in Japan on the Switch and ended up taking out the top spot in the local video game charts. This also happens to be the first time an entry has been...
Sunday21st Oct 2018
News Famitsu Teasing "Possible Revival" For A Cancelled Level-5 Game
What could it be?
The Japan-based developer and publisher Level-5 is best known by Nintendo fans for charming series like Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven and in more recent times Yo-Kai Watch. Originally established in 1998, the company is now 20-years old. In celebration of Level-5's 20th anniversary, Famitsu is teasing an interview with the...
Tuesday18th Sep 2018
News Get Discounts On Metroid, Mario 64 And Pokémon In The Latest European My Nintendo Rewards
Metroid 3DS theme available too
Another new batch of games has been added to the European version of the My Nintendo site, giving players the chance to spend their hard-earned coins on some lovely games. As usual, this time around sees various titles across both Wii U and Nintendo 3DS on offer, with Samus' latest adventure, a classic Mario title,...
Friday9th Jun 2017
News Yo-Kai Watch Season 2 Will Be Streamed On YouTube Kids In The UK
Spooky
VIZ Media Europe has confirmed that 26 episodes of Yo-Kai Watch season 2 will be made available for streaming via YouTube Kids in the UK. Each week during June a playlist of seven new episodes will go live, with the first going up on June 9th. Pascal J. Bonnet, Executive Director, VIZ Media Europe commented: We are very glad to partner up...
Sunday17th Jul 2016
Gallery A Look At HYPER JAPAN 2016
Nintendo out in full force
HYPER JAPAN is a wonderful cultural festival that celebrates everything Japanese, and returned to Olympia in London, UK for its three day summer showcase this past weekend. We've been to the show a couple of times before but this was our first time visiting the Olympia West Hall. Nintendo had a host of activities
Monday20th Jun 2016
News Kirby: Planet Robobot and Yo-kai Watch Hang On in UK Top 40
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD has sales boost
Somewhat predictably considering the information and hype black hole that is E3, last week was short of major releases at retail. As a result the UK top 40 was a battle of established games, with DOOM seizing top spot off the back of price promotions. In any case, the picture for Nintendo UK...
Monday13th Jun 2016
News Kirby: Planet Robobot Transforms Into Top 20 Title in UK Charts
Yo-kai Watch clings on to top 40 spot
We're big fans of Kirby: Planet Robobot, the 3DS sequel that ups the ante on its original and introduces clever ideas to a classic formula. Since its launch it appears to have had a reasonable sales start in the UK, too, securing chart placings similar to its predecessor - Kirby: Triple Deluxe. It its first...
Sunday12th Jun 2016
News Yo-kai Watch Sold Less Than Half a Million Units in North America
CEO still believes the franchise will "bloom like a flower" in the west
The Yo-Kai Watch series was quite a phenomenon in Japan, with a multi-pronged media blitz spanning video games, cartoons, and toys; leading the series to even eclipse Pokémon in some respects. Naturally, Level-5 was keen to bring the franchise to the West in hopes of there...
Monday6th Jun 2016
News Yo-kai Watch Clings on in UK Charts as Fire Emblem Fates Tumbles Out of Top 40
A cruel fate
The latest UK chart results are out, once again reflecting some half-term sales in the country, and the outcome is disappointing from a Nintendo perspective. Only one Nintendo exclusive is in the top 40, with Yo-kai Watch climbing one place to 39th in the all-format results (38th in single-format). Considering its steady decline we're...
Tuesday31st May 2016
News Fire Emblem Fates Drops Down UK Charts as Half Term Sales Boost Rivals
Yo-kai Watch clings on
As is often the case, Half Term in the UK has led to increased sales for a number of titles, old and new, shaking up the top 40 charts. That hasn't benefitted many Nintendo titles, unfortunately, with a major recent release losing some ground. In the UK charts Fire Emblem Fates is counted (appropriately) as two separate...
Monday23rd May 2016
News Fire Emblem Fates Makes a Double Impact on the UK Charts
Birthright outsells Conquest
Fire Emblem Fates has finally arrived in Europe, and as is the norm we can see how Nintendo's latest release(s) have performed in the UK charts. For the Intelligent Systems titles it's been a thoroughly respectable début. For its part Chart-Track is treating the two versions as individual games, which is a fair move...
Monday16th May 2016
News Yo-kai Watch Battles Alone in the UK Charts
Splatoon returns to the top of the Wii U-only results
In the past month Nintendo has had a few fresh releases scrapping away in the UK charts, but going into this week's results only one title is left standing. Yo-kai Watch is the lone release on Nintendo hardware that's made the top 40, now in its third week since release in the UK. It's dropped...
Tuesday3rd May 2016
News Yo-kai Watch Makes Its UK Chart Debut as Star Fox Zero Holds Top 40 Place
Bank Holiday weekend dominated by non-Nintendo releases
With the end of a Bank Holiday weekend we have the UK chart results, and there was a new release on 3DS to look out for. Yo-kai Watch, perhaps in a continuation of a limited impact in North America, has only secured 14th place in the all-format results in its first week on UK shelves. In...
Monday25th Apr 2016
Nintendo Download 28th April (Europe)
Yo-kai Watch! SteamWorld DLC! Lost Reavers! Mini Mario! Much, much more!
With the beginning of another week we have the Nintendo Download update details for Europe, letting us know what download goodies that are on the way soon. This week's most notable arrival is a Level 5 RPG that is a phenomenon in Japan, though the overall download update is...
Tuesday22nd Mar 2016
Video Nintendo UK Would Like To Remind You That The 3DS Has Some Amazing RPGs In 2016
Are you ready for your #3DSAdventure?
While the 3DS may be getting on a bit these days, it's set to enjoy a bumper 2016 in terms of RPG titles. So much so that Nintendo UK is running a campaign which aims to promote the handheld as the RPG fan's system of choice. Dubbed #3DSAdventures, the campaign is intended to spread the word about the following...
Thursday3rd Mar 2016
Video Satoru Shibata Celebrates Yo-Kai Watch European Release News With Some Killer Dance Moves
Arriving in April, demo available on the 3DS eShop now
Yo-Kai Watch is coming to Europe on April 29th, and to mark that news, Nintendo of Europe president Satoru Shibata has performed a dance which is sure to generate a near-endless stream of gifs over the next few months. The game has taken Japan by a storm and launched in North America not that...
Tuesday23rd Feb 2016
News Yo-kai Watch Begins Its European Quest on 29th April
About time
Though the majority of major Nintendo releases have aligned releases globally, or at least in the West, the recent glut of 3DS releases have been somewhat scattered between North America and Europe. One example is Yo-kai Watch, which was marketed as a major Holiday 2015 release Stateside but is only now dated for the EU. It's arriving on...
Friday22nd Jan 2016
News Yo-kai Watch Anime Series Coming to the UK This Spring
One of more than 100 countries
It's official, Yo-kai Watch is set for world domination much like Pokémon before it. In our Yo-kai Watch review we liked developer Level 5's take on doing a Pokémon style game and felt that, in some ways, it eclipses the effort GameFreak has put into Pokémon over the years, both in production and creativity. Of...
Monday21st Dec 2015
Higher ticket sales, but lower takings
The world may be gripped by Star Wars fever at the moment but in Japan, the most-seen movie didn't feature lightsabers or X-Wings, but mischievous ghosts and magical timepieces. More tickets were sold for Yo-Kai Watch the Movie 2: King Enma and the 5 Stories, Nyan! than Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but due to...
Thursday10th Dec 2015
Video Reggie Fils-Aime Busts Some Moves and Dances in Latest Yo-Kai Watch Commercial
Erm, his body is ready?
Yo-Kai Watch has been getting a notable marketing push from Nintendo of America, with the company going so far as to utilise its most recognisable figureheads - notably Reggie Fils-Aime and Bill Trinen - in 'very important meeting' videos. We've seen Bill stuff his face with donuts and both men be rather grumpy, but the third...
Wednesday2nd Dec 2015
News The Yo-Kai Watch Franchise Has Now Shipped Over 10 Million Copies
Will it take off outside Japan?
Yo-Kai Watch from Level-5 is a series that, despite having its own identity and style, undoubted has its eyes fixed on Pokémon. A hit that originally took off when the anime series gained viewership - game sales spiked once the TV show got into its stride in Japan - it's been relentlessly expanded. In Japan there are...
Wednesday25th Nov 2015
News Level-5 CEO Talks About Bringing the Company's Games to Wii U and NX
Perhaps a home console Yo-Kai Watch is on the horizon?
Yo-Kai Watch has been out for a couple weeks now and has fared pretty well in the West, though it certainly doesn't seem to be the massive success that it was in Japan. Nonetheless, the franchise has established itself now and we'll likely be seeing the various sequels and spinoffs that the...
Saturday21st Nov 2015
Video Watch What Happens When Reggie and Bill Speak Their Minds
Those mischievous Yo-Kai!
For those of you that watched the Nintendo Direct, you probably remember the humourous short that advertised Yo-Kai Watch. Bill Trinen arrived to a meeting early, where he was soon influenced by Hungramps and subsequently stuffed his face with donuts. If nothing else, it was an amusing skit and it did a great job of showing...
Sunday8th Nov 2015
YO-KAI is the reasoning
We've had another corker of a week in terms of Nintendo happenings; so much so that we couldn't blame anyone for not being able to keep up with everything. As we usually do, we've compiled all you need to know in one handy little video for your entertainment. This week we look at the incredible SNES Playstation prototype...
Friday6th Nov 2015
News Akihiro Hino Explains Why Yo-Kai Watch Has Been So Successful and What Sets It Apart
It's kind of a big deal
As many of you are likely aware, Yo-Kai Watch is now out in North America. A massive hit in Japan, the fascinating Yo-kai adventure game has drawn many parallels to Pokémon and other similar monster catching series. Nonetheless, Level-5 is hoping that it'll achieve similar success in the West, and is launching a full...
