Yo-Kai Watch 2 is Now Available to Pre-Load in North America

Bony Spirits or Fleshy Souls?

by Mitch Vogel Fri 16th Sep 2016

With all the good press and attention that the Pokémon franchise has been getting lately, it's easy to forget that Yo-Kai Watch is due to receive its sequel later this month. The Yo-Kai Watch series has always felt like second fiddle to Pokémon, but the original 3DS release was really quite good. It may not seem like Yo-Kai Watch will ever quite reach Pokémon levels of popularity, but that doesn't mean that this franchise will forever live in the shadow of its competitor.

For those of you who are interested, the pre-load of Yo-Kai Watch 2 can now be downloaded off of the eShop in North America. Either version costs as much as a typical retail 3DS game; Bony Spirits takes up 14,459 Blocks, while Fleshy Souls will be 14,457 Blocks. Whichever version you choose, it unlocks at midnight on the 30th.

What do you think? Which version will you be getting? What did oyu think of the first Yo-Kai Watch? Drop us a comment in the section below.

Mitch has been a fan of Nintendo ever since he got his start on the GBA in 2005. When he's not busy playing games or writing, you can find him down at his local MMA training facility learning how to punish the unrighteous.

1
NinChocolate
Fri 16th Sep 2016

Played the demo which was better than the first game's demo which did not sell me on that game. I'm considering getting this sequel

2
Inkling64
Fri 16th Sep 2016

I absolutely despise the battle system. If they ever fixed that the franchise may have chance in the West.

3
Anti-Matter
Fri 16th Sep 2016

If that games released on 31 October 2016, sure it will completely Halloween Surprise.

4
Frank90
Fri 16th Sep 2016

I enjoyed the first game much more than I would imagine, I hate the demo of the first game, but like the game itself.
My only complain is the dual release (it is fine with Pokemon because everybody plays, and Fire Emblem Fates was so different that it isn't the same game). they should have released the third version only here in the west.

5
Jaredfrogman
Fri 16th Sep 2016

Unfortunately, I have a huge backlog of games to finish. With Pokemon being mandatory, and South Park: the fractured butt whole coming this fall, there's just not time. Maybe after it's been out a while and the price has gone down. I did enjoy the first one, possible more so than Pokemon.

6
ChromaticDracula
Fri 16th Sep 2016

I have bony spirits preordered! I didn't care for the combat in the first one but at the time I didn't feel like learning it. Otherwise, I love the demo of the second here and I'm very excited to play the full game. I hope it takes off here!

7
ianl579
Fri 16th Sep 2016

Yokai Watch is too weird for my tastes.

8
Tyranexx
Fri 16th Sep 2016

It'll be some time before I pick up Yo-Kai Watch 2, but I'm definitely getting Fleshy Souls!

9
ultraraichu
Fri 16th Sep 2016

I hope they do a sale on the 1st one as a promo. I still have yet to buy it, the current price and my backlog keep turning me away.

10
Ryu_Niiyama
Fri 16th Sep 2016

@Jaredfrogman I thought the south park game got pushed back?

Anyway, I will give the demo a shot.

11
stinkyx
Fri 16th Sep 2016

@InklingOrange The third game actually has a completely different system, and there's also a beat-'em-up spin-off called Yo Kai Busters. Personally, I didn't like the battle system either, but I gave the demo another chance and started to enjoy it.

The biggest problem with the demo is that the Soultimate Move meter always fills up before every battle, which means you can just spam special attacks and easily wipe the enemies out. In the full game, you refill your meter over time, so you have to actually use strategy to stay alive (i.e. rotating Yo-Kai in and out, healing, targeting specific enemies before they can use Soultimate moves, and Purifying when you get debuffed). It's actually a lot of fun. I recommend playing the demo without using the Soultimate moves very often to get a better idea of what the actual game is like.