With the European launch of Yo-Kai Watch taking place today the families I work with have been discovering how good a fit the world of Yo-Kai is for them. I was expecting it to be pretty popular with the strong collecting and character aspects of the game, but I hadn't realised how much substance there was knitting the experience together.
If you've not come across it before, Yo-Kai Watch is a series of role-playing games from the makers of Professor Layton and Fantasy Life Level-5. The central focus is the numerous Yo-Kai spirits that can be discovered with your Yo-Kai Watch in the game and then battled of befriended.
It's been out in the US for a while now but only now lands in the UK along with the upcoming cartoon and toys. Unsurprisingly, Level-5's fingerprints are all over it. Not only in the puzzle element and engrossing strategy, but also in the cartoon production and all-round sense of quality.
It took me a while to warm to the game though; I think this is because I was expecting this to be a Pokémon knock off. The reality is very different - as you learn about the various battle mechanics and Yo-Kai collection it's abundantly clear that Yo-Kai Watch is very much its own game.
What we've enjoyed about the game in our family is the narrative. Not only the story of Nate and his quest to clean up the town, but how the different Yo-Kai play a part in everyday disagreements and arguments between the residents. Each Yo-Kai has a specific character trait and tribe that affects the people and places it inhabits. Discovering arguing parents were actually falling foul to a mischievous Yo-Kai sparked some interesting conversations for us.
Uncovering and fighting the Yo-Kai in the game then frees the different people from their effects. My kids wondered if the same might be true in real life. It was a nice moment, although my 7-year-old then thought he could blame Yo-Kai for his various misdemeanors, like dropping his breakfast cereal all over the floor - nice try!
Beyond this, the game soon expands to offer a whole city to explore and loads of Yo-Kai to collect. We each took a different game save and could see that the experience developed differently for each of us. We each focused on collecting and levelling up different Yo-Kai and so could progress in different ways.
The children enjoyed the different Yo-Kai characters and their traits (Snotsolong is the current favourite), and I really got into honing my perfect fighting force. There is a considerable amount of strategy required to get the best out of your Yo-Kai, and although this never gets over complex we would often discuss the best strategies over the dinner table.
We've just scratched the surface with the game, but already it's becoming a big part of our family gaming. This, along with the toys coming to retail and the upcoming TV Show, means that Yo-Kai looks like it will be a permanent fixture in family homes and school playgrounds of the UK for some time to come.
Comments 28
Oh please come to the west soon, sequels! After having finally gotten to taste this franchise, I don't wanna have to import a 3DS from japan in order to continue to do so! >.<
Loved the first game when it came out last year in the US. Hoping that with upcoming toys, medals and the new watch, there will be confirmation of the sequels being greenlit for release outside of Japan. I intend to import both YW3 Sushi and YW3 Tempura this Summer from Japan
@GoldenGamer88 I doubt we will get the sequels too. If we had the first at the same time as America then there would be a chance for a Christmas 2016 release of the second game. But now that the NX release is announced for March, there is no chance for YW 2&3, nor Danball Senki/LBX "2" and "3".
The less costly way would be for you to find the best fit to your own 3DS among the several ways of unlocking the game card reader. (RegionFree homebrew, emulated system through modified firmware, or the last trend using some very specific bug)
My sister loves this show. Its very cute.
@Rei
But we still don't even know just exactly what the NX is. Nintendo hinted at something of a "hybrid" system but until we have the details, I wouldn't completely count out getting the YW sequels just yet. And shoot, even when the NX, whatever it may be, comes out, Nintendo hasn't really just outright dropped support of previous systems. Level-5 seems very determined to make Yo-kai Watch a loved franchise outside of Japan and they have made it clear they want to bring over the sequels.
If you look at the video in the article, the Hasbro rep is showing off the second Yo-kai Watch toy which made its official debut in the second game (it was shown off in the first season of the anime but was fairly close to the release of the second games). So I intend to take that as a potentially off-hand confirmation that even this late in the 3DS' life, Level-5 and Nintendo may very well be satisfied with how the first game has done internationally so far and are moving forward. Also, every time I go to Target or Barnes & Noble to pick up medal blind packs for myself and the kids, they're almost always running low or sold out of them. One could argue that it's likely they might not be replenishing stock but I have actually seen kids in Gamestop get excited about getting medals
I'm excited that Europe finally gets this. My backlog is a bit big at the moment, so I'll wait a while before picking it up.
Pokemon over this crap 👌👌👌
@HyrulianOfHyrule
Really? While certainly entitled to your preferences, I fail to understand why you and others see the franchise as "crap" when it has already been validated the two are nothing alike. I like both because each brings something different to the table. Pokemon has a more immersive story (to a degree) but Yo-kai Watch has a far more immersive world despite only being one town. I plan to import the third games of the Yokai Watch series AND still purchase Pokemon Sun and Moon (granted they are actually interesting but I would likely still get them even if they follow the usual archaic formula)
Just bought the game from the EU e-shop. Really looking forward to giving this a shot!
My kid loves the cartoon, and he plays the game every time we go to Target (we don't have a 3DS at home). He got one of the toy watches for his birthday. I don't know how well it's catching on in the rest of the U.S., but it has definitely caught on with him.
Wow, why is their such a big gap in time before our European friends get some of these games?
@Mr_Zurkon Simple, translations.
When Yo-Kai Watch came to the US, it was only in english. You can get away with only english when it comes to a US localization. However, for Europe, it's also expected to have as many languages as posible for the largest audience Spanish, French, German, Italian, and other translations are needed.
@Seacliff ah that makes sense.
I think it's actually relatively safe to say we are getting the sequels, if you look at the marketing for everything BUT the first game.
-Hasbro announced more medals for the Yo-Kai Watch toy, which might include Yo-Kai from the second game.
-The english Dub of the anime already had Yo-Kai from the second game.
-Yo-Kai Watch Wib Wob was localized on Mobile just a few weeks ago. This is the biggest one since it had a TON of Yo-kai from the second game, with localized names for them along with their skills.
I mean, that would be a lot of time giving localized names to Yo-Kai that will never appear in the main games, right?
At the same time though, the reason why the game never caught on in the west is also quite obvious when you compare it to how the marketing was handled in Japan. In Japan, they got the game first, then a few toys, anime starts, more toys, then the second game and first movie comes, then more toys. In the US, the game, anime, and toys were thrown at us all at once, which had a variety of reactions, I don't think they were all positive.
I wouldn't mind more Yokai Watch in the future. Although not my particular cup of tea, the game is really engaging with it's battle system and the show has some pretty funny jokes for both adults and kids. That Bruce Willis one really cracked me up for whatever reason . My kid brother is Lukewarm on it and prefers the Pokemen over it, but he still pops it into his 3DS every once and while will dance to the music.
@Seacliff
Exactly! As I pointed in my earlier response, the video in the article is Hasbro showing off the second watch, which I think is an unofficial confirmation about getting the sequels.
@ShikabaneHime13 Ah, I hadn't watched the video before my post, but you're right.
At this rate, it's safe to say the next fifty one episodes of the anime will get dubbed along the with second game, maybe the movie as well. Curious about what other spinoffs will come with it.
Does anyone know if the medals have an important impact on the game? Are there any medal-exclusive goods/characters or should I be able to get everything with the game alone?
I just bought the game and don't know wether I should place the jap.audio on my 2DS (who has the most empty space) or n3DS (because of the scanner).
My kids adore Yokai and one is a girl and is 3 and the other is a 10 year old boy. They like the anime a lot.
I'm glad that this article mentions that Yo-Kai Watch is NOT a blatant Pokemon clone, unlike what some corners of the internet are claiming. I personally like both series and am hoping that the other Yo-Kai Watch games are localized in the west.
I have picked up Yo-Kai Watch and, though I haven't yet played it, some YouTube footage (plus the demo) have so far been very promising. The show is also entertaining for both kids and adults.
I got the game when it first came out in the U.S. I hadn't heard about it before but it looked interesting and I really like Level 5 so I figured I'd take a chance and its been so much fun. It's a lot of fun exploring the town and working on all the side quests and the battle system is neat. Definitely feels different than just a pokemon knockoff.
I just started watching the show on Netflix and got my husband and sister into it too, so the show has plenty of weird humor to keep adults interested. And Ive been playing Yokai Watch Wibble Wobble on my tablet. I like that you can enjoy the game or show or app on their own, but I think it adds to the experience when you're more involved. I think if enough people give it a try and recommend it to friends, it could easily be a new phenomenon.
@Rei
You use the 3DS/2DS camera to read the QR codes on the backs of the medals. These, in turn, give you coins which can be used in the Crank-A-Kai machine.
@Rei
The only exclusive yokai are the 5 jewel nyans where you get an item for them to appear from their toy metals. Overseas these aren't out yet though.
To me, it felt like a combination of Mega Man Battle Network and Pokemon. While I wasn't absolutely blown away, I definitely would buy the sequels. This was a good idea.
@Rei Yeah, I can see your point. But I doubt Nintendo would outright drop support for 3DS once NX, whatever it may be (who knows, it may very well just be a home console and replace WiiU but not 3DS), releases. And even if they won't come to the west, I'd much rather import a japanese 3DS (or 2DS as that's possibly the cheaper option) than support piracy. I can access the japanese 3DS eShop outside japan, right?
@ShikabaneHime13 Thank you. I can then start the game on my 2DS without any concern.
@SteamedOddish Thank you, I just read about it. (I suppose if they ever come out in the West, some people will publish their cell codes somewhere on the Internet.)
@GoldenGamer88 I am not supporting piracy either o_O (and only the emulated system allows it, that's why I listed it last)
But the foreign e-shop is indeed an advantage, I'm sorry I forgot it (reason is I dislike this system and prefer to buy an imported game rather than virtual owning of a cheaper version locked on my console who totally depends on Nintendo's will). ^^"
I hope you are right and we keep getting some localizations during a year and a half (more would be very strange).
Great game. There's some good guides on't net now if you get a bit stuck. Also, some fun walkthroughs on YouTube.
There's two Yokai that at particularly hard to get (Snartle and Pandanoko) might want to read up on these to avoid frustration later.
What firmware does the EU copy require?
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