Akihiro Hino Explains Why Yo-Kai Watch Has Been So Successful and What Sets It Apart

Getting our 6 copies after work (4 for the kids and one each for myself and my husband) then we'll be heading up to NY for the launch event! Really hoping more people will give it an honest chance and not take their full impressions from the lacluster demo. The franchise will need as much support as possible if there is any hope if getting the sequels which are drastic improvements over the first game (and add substantial content to an already subtantial game)

I just wish EU didn't have to wait until 2016 to play Looks really good though, Don't think I have even disliked a L5 game!

Kids also ran to the store to buy yugioh cards and beyblades, I really don't see how yo-Kai will break out of that mold.

Toys R Us has started their holiday 2 day sale flyers and this game is upper right. TRU doesn't like to put prices in their ad but you can get a $5 GC with purchase.

Both my boys - 10 and 13 - have decided they want to get into Magic the Gathering this year, they seem to be burning out on video games. Well at least this year's lackluster Nintendo offerings.

I think this game has 2 things going for it. Level 5 have always been good, so the games will be quality. Mystery Dungeon isn't Z. Well see what happens next year when Z comes out (just a hunch) as the last big 3DS game before the shift to NX.

So... Yokai medals are YET ANOTHER Amiibo competitor?

Looking forward to this, waiting for a review. I doubt it will compare to Pokemon though, they've had years to nail down all the mechanics and refine the game. Still, I'm almost sold on Yo-Kai Watch.

not a 100% sure if I'm getting the game yet. There's just too many other games that I want.

I still don't see this breaking the barrier to be able to last for generations.

Kind of like Amiibo.

But I seriously doubt that it can outsell Pokemon though.

I... I think it's a cool franchise, but me sigh, I haven't the time to get engulfed in another game like this. I'll probably do what I usually do: in a half year, visit blockbuster and rent it. Oh wait...

I really hope this franchise does well enough over here. It seems like a really good quality game and for me seems better then the Pokemon series which I don't think has evolved much from the early days. This seems much more jrpg focused and that's always good in my book.

It was a blockbuster because you're culture is already familiar with Youkai. They're part of your HUGE history, and Shinto mythos. See the thing is... here, ghosts aren't really kids bag. Youkai Watch succeeded where you are because it's innately a Japanese franchise, and concept. The monsters are in children's books and stuff already. Capitalizing on mythology is easy, and if you make it cutesy you've got a blockbuster - at least where that mythology is relevant. Many folks here in the states don't even know about Shintoism, and Shinto mythology.

Yes your toys helped, but medals don't interact with the game like you say they do - I know that for a fact. Some do with the arcade machines but we all know those won't come over here. To top all of this off... The localization team of the game and show took a gross out route with it. Sticking too closely with the source material. See here You might be popular with some little boys with all the fart humour and poop jokes... but that's been proven to only go so far. Teenagers will be immensely put off by it, and unfortunately that can't beat Pokemon here. Pokemon stays neutral, cute, and cool until the end. So what exactly are is Level 5 expecting over here?

There's no possible way it will gain in popularity compared to Pokemon. Most kids from my generation never really "out-grew" Pokemon where I don't really see that being a thing with this series. I honestly decided against getting this... and at first I was SUPER HYPE about it.

I love Shintoism and it looked cute... but then I peeped some of the Youkai... Snotsalong... CheekSqueak... Poop jokes... Fart jokes.... A Youkai that makes you have to pee... Eh.... This is literally made to be marketed to a VERY young demographic. Topping that off with the fact the game mostly plays itself, and you've got a game that I don't think has a mass audience here. I'm skipping it, I was going to get it... but all of the above along with the Voice Acting pretty much sealed the idea that this is not for adults... perhaps parents, but not adults who don't have kiddos.

@Spoony_Tech Oh man, you just reminded me I bought Ni No Kuni on sale a long time ago for about $11 but never downloaded it. My HDD on my PS3 got messed up and I forgot all about it. Probably don't have time for it right now but I should at least DL it so I remember it's there when I'm ready.

This was the line that jogged my memory in case you were wondering -

"This seems much more jrpg focused". I really need to play it.

Huge Level 5 fan here, regardless of platform, so this is a no-brainer! Have actually been waiting the the western release for quite some time!

I can't decide between LBX and this game. What are the strengths relative to each other?

@rjejr It's a lovely game. The battle system is a bit fussy because of the poor team AI but on the whole I really enjoyed it!

I'm not entirely convinced by Youkai Watch, but I'm not sure why. :-s Maybe I'll get it when it's cheap.

Getting this. Again, it won't beat Pokémon but I feel it will be popular in its own right.

@ShikabaneHime13 I went to the NY store 5 years ago, then twice this summer. I kinda wanna go back.... whats a 6 hour round trip bus ride, but a chance to beat LBX?!

@rjejr I can honestly say Ni No Kuni is one of the 11 greatest games I've ever played, out of hundreds of titles. Its basically playing a 100 hour long Miyazaki film. no spoilers, but it does get darker than you'd assume from the cheery opening. Absolutely gaming at its best

@Haiassai ewww. Blockbuster went under for a reason. $16 to rent a DS game for 5 days, when it was a $5 title in any clearance bin? $20 to rent an Xbox game for a week, when gamestop lets you return a game within a week, for FULL REFUND, if you didnt enjoy it? And its a $10 budget title anyway? Oh balls no. Let Blockbuster sink into the distant sands it died off in, long ago

@mookysam i hope its cheap one day. Fantasy Life is the same price it was over a year ago, and little battleres hasnt budged. The eShop Layton games (all by the same team) never go on sale, ever. Only the like 8-10 year old Level5 games really go down in price, and thats because theyre used.

But here's hoping! it wouldnt be so bad if they hadnt JUST released LBX

@russellohh "Its basically playing a 100 hour long Miyazaki film."

Yeah, that pretty much sold me on it long before it released. And I've always liked Level 5. But I've never liked Pokemon, and those cute little critters were distracting me. I played the demo, several times in fact, but for some reason never started the game. I will though, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it a lot.

@rjejr it hit me harder than grave of the fireflies, honestly. its a lot like secret world mixed with ponyo. but 95% of the game is just like fantasy life, and has me choking with laughter and light hearted fun.

@rjejr it hit me harder than grave of the fireflies, honestly. its a lot like secret world mixed with ponyo. but 95% of the game is just like fantasy life, and has me choking with laughter and light hearted fun.

@mookysam
being published by Nintendo, good luck on getting it any cheaper than it is right now. I think the only way that will happen is if it is a total flop, that is usually the only way Nintendo published games get price reductions, or after 3-4years when they put the on Nintendo Selects(or whatever it's called now)

@robotoboy20 "Pokemon stays neutral, cute, and cool until the end."
Garbodor, Oshawott, Bidoof, Jessie and James, Ash and so on and so forth. Pokemon has its own derpy, silly and stupid parts.

"Most kids from my generation never really "out-grew" Pokemon"
Yep, too old for these kinds of games. When Pokemon came out, it was also labeled as kiddy, for babies, from gamers who were playing their half-life, starcraft, tomb raider and whatever "cool and grown up" games were popular in 1998.

"this is not for adults... perhaps parents, but not adults who don't have kiddos."
Who's to say that adults won't like this? I take a sneak peek at the episodes when my kid watches it and I find it funny and charming. It's something I'll be comfortable to leave my kid watching since there's nothing harmful about fart and poop jokes. I especially liked the episode with Meramelion (no idea what it's called in english yet) over-motivating the kids to clean and telling them the importance of giving your everything in anything you do. Yea, maybe not for adults, but kids are a big market. If a lot of kids like it in the west, duplicating the success in Japan is not impossible. (If it does, that Yokai Watch and medals will be selling like hotcakes)

@russellohh hahah I remember Blockbuster only during the 16-bit era, back when I wasn't aware of other venues to rent games (back then, I would borrow my Dad's coworker's systems, so buying wasn't an option). I remember around the N64 days the prices getting too high for my liking but boy that's horrendous.

I still think I'm picking this up tonight but there are a few other 3DS games that may change my mind when I'm staring them at the store tonight.

Xenoblade.......one of the 3DS Zelda titles (I don't have any of them......Bravely Default.........Who knows? A selling point for Yo-Kai is that my kids love it and the game has 3 save slots which will save me from buying copies. Before anyone questions the multiplayer, I've heard that it's not really that good so it's not worth it to buy multiple copies of this game.

I'm picking this up. Tried out the demo and I really like the concept behind it, really feels like where I wish Pokemon was today.

@Haiassai i bought things Blockbuster had on sale a few times, (only when they were going under) but i always remember a friend notoriously bad with money always proudly saying "i rented this for $15!!" me: its $5 on steam
her: but i dont wanna own it me: who cares? youi just bought the game 3 times over, the only difference is now you only have it for a week...

@russellohh I think I'm now more sold on Ni No Kuni from this thread than I am on Yo-Kai Watch.

@russellohh Haha I didn't discover Steam until later in my life. Granted, I didn't fall in love with gaming again until my senior year of undergrad — by then Blockbuster was bye bye

@TinaA82 Yokai is till $40, ive seen Ni No for $7 and $10 several times this year!

@Haiassai i think blockbuster fully died 2 years after college? 3 ? for me.
gamefly was pretty terrible too for awhile.

"collecting demons and adding them to your team"? oh, so its shin megami tensei iv for babies. and yea, all the poop/fart/pee joke names, im gonna pass on this.

@russellohh

@robotoboy20
A lot of this is incorrect. Yo-Kai are a part of Japanese culture, but certainly not for children. Most Yo-Kai stories are out of date or irrelevant to modern Japanese children. In fact, I read an article last year where an American journalist interviewed children in Japan about the popularity of Yo-Kai Watch. Most of the kids he talked to had no idea that Yo-Kai like Nogappa and Kyuubi were based on Japanese culture. The only really popular franchise in Japan focused on Yo-Kai was Gegege no Kitaro, which hasn't been on the air since 2008, and the manga finished in 1969.

Furthermore, the majority of the Yo-Kai are based on original ideas, rather than actual monsters from Japanese culture. Obviously, Japan doesn't have legends about a tiny elephant that makes you want to pee. The only Yo-Kai heavily based on Japanese myth are the 30 "Classic" Yo-Kai from Yo-Kai Watch 2. The other 400 are mostly original creations.

Furthermore, the third game is going to literally have nothing to do with Japanese culture at all.

It's just a pokemon copy cat game, I think it will sell well, but not as well as it is in Japan.

I have an idea as to why it's different:

It's complete garbage.

I really want to get this game but was hoping for online functions such as trading or simple friends aiding and such. I can't find any info on it though.

@ShikabaneHime13
I pre ordered the game right after it was announced. Then that demo came out and I started second guessing my decision, but I love level 5 and wouldn't let a demo deter me. Glad I did, it's been a lot fun so far.

@hYdeks People need to really stop saying this as it's NOT a copy of pokemon. All sources and reviewers have even made the statement it's not

@Windy Online is available in the sequels but there is local multiplayer in the game and streetpass functions

@ShikabaneHime13 well that's a bummer. I'm probably going to pass on yokai Watch then. It looks great for younger gamers though. Hope everyone enjoys it. Weird but a dark version of Yokai watch would be awesome if you think about it.

The cartoon is so funny. Voice acting is a bit ropey in the first couple episodes then it settles down. I love how the Yo-Kai lead their own lives and can be doing anything, like sitting on the toilet(!), when summoned 😅

I've played the original on my Japanese 3DS last year, and I can safely say this is a great game to pick up. Great story, utter charm in the characters and the Yokai. Real time battles, not turn based, although the Yokai can fend for themselves too.

Meh, i live in Europe so i'm stuck waiting, gives me a chance to see how it goes over in America, TBH it seems a bit too weird to be a huge success, but maybe i'm just getting old...

What the comments section is like in every Yo-Kai Watch video...

https://miiverse.nintendo.net/posts/AYMHAAACAAADVHklzlM2MQ

I was convinced to get Yokai Watch. Then I tried the demo. Battle system sucks imo, but I'll probably pick this up if it ever goes on sale.

no, it wont achieve similar levels of success in the west

@BaffleBlend
What you dont realise is that amiibo are not an original concept.

@piichan That's the thing it's preachy. The game itself lacks a lot of depth that makes Pokemon so interesting for older kids, and adults. The thing is, you're taking it from one extreme to the next...

"Yep, too old for these kinds of games. When Pokemon came out, it was also labeled as kiddy, for babies, from gamers who were playing their half-life, starcraft, tomb raider and whatever "cool and grown up" games were popular in 1998." I don't play those games friend. I just feel that while Pokemon has an appeal that adults can enjoy, Youkai Watch does not.

The "clean up" and "do the right thing" message isn't really something adults here are going to be very interested in, unless they're naive, or just enjoy very childish shows I suppose.

And to the other guy, I know Youkai aren't "for children" yet children in Japan learn about them all the time. Even if they're "original" concepts... there's a lot there that's assumed of the audience. For instance in the show - a Kappa helps the main character... It's casually mentioned when asked his favorite food (which is Pizza...becuz NinjaTERTLESHURURHURHUR) by whisper "I thought Kappa's liked cucumbers" and if I was Japanese I'd get that immediately... because it's often said that Kappa's like cucumbers... however here the conversation is further removed - if I was an American kid I'd likely not remember that or think anything of it.

Pokemon does have Garbador and that kind of dumb stuff... but it doesn't resort to toilet humour, which Youkai Watch does constantly... for christ sake it's second episode goes there right away - AND "cheeksqueek" is in the opening... The thing is the world is crafted around Youkai causing mischief... Anyways.

I'm not going to argue marketing, and demographical theory with you. I think you will see in a year or two Youkai Watch won't be what Pokemon is here. Also Pokemon defeats that entire logic of "it's impossible to see the kind of success they saw in Japan, here." Pokemon is wildly successful here. It's still going, we never have problems with localization, and it took off like a rocket in the market the moment it dropped here, with even the TCG gaining traction.

Youkai Watch is a simplistic game, with a simplistic plot, simplistic characters, and I'm saying "Pokemon is deep man!" I'm saying Pokemon deals with fantasy better than Youkai Watch, which tries to teach kids "a moral" which has been PROVEN to have diminishing returns as far as audience. Pokemon so far still has a lot of kids interested. This is speaking strictly from a U.S. standpoint on the market.

Youkai Watch is popular in Japan, because YES kids there KNOW what they are. Here however.... kids have no clue... and the whole series is vague about them essentially being ghosts, which isn't entirely true.