Level-5 Announces Yo-Kai Watch 4 Western Release At The 2019 Anime Expo

I've tried to get into this series but it never really clicked. It must be good though, the fan base is a decent size

@Vectorman Twilight made Bank. I didn't like the series and the story is so... lame that it's a meme. Still, it is loved by a decent group of people.

I mean, what's good and bad is subjective but there's no denying that the series is successful and it's got a decent following. I'm curious though if the fan base is growing or shrinking like Wow is.

@Kalmaro
The fanbase size of Yokai Watch has collapsed over the last 5 years. Doesn't mean the quality went down with it.

@westman98 That answers my earlier question then. If the base is going down then something wrong must be happening imo.

This should undoubtedly make a lot of people happy, might even give this series a shot on the Switch.

If the base is going down all your base are belong to us.

I’ve been playing my import of the game since release and it effectively tackles a lot of the criticisms many players had regarding combat from the 3DS titles (i had loved that combat even though it was a nightmare for an unprotected touchscreen). I can say the changes to combat, updated graphics and engaging story and smorgasbord of side quests were made for the better and easily takes place as my favorite of all four main games. My kids are all having a ball with it, too, and were thrilled to hear it’ll be released here as well. Just wish we had even a vague timeframe and confirmation on if we’d get Shadowside (movie and/or anime) and Forever Friends so that anyone who purchases the new game would have proper back story on the newer characters since the game spans four different worlds

A must for people who enjoyed the ones on 3DS, don't like other monster collecting games, or just want to give the series another chance because they didn't like the others. Let's hope they don't take too much time localizing this one. Really love that new battle system, reminds me of Blaster, and I loved that game.

This game looks more beautiful than the new Pokemon, and the combat looks way more involved too. I'd like to try a demo.

I'd be shocked if it wasn't coming at some point...might be nice to scratch that Pokémon itch due to me having no interest in Pokémon Sword and Shield whatsoever anymore...

Glad the Yokai Watch series is getting a chance on hardware that actually has strong engagement in the west. Should propel the IP if done right.

They should start by patching in the Yokai at a much faster rate and making the multiplayer not exclusive to the DLC.

@Vectorman I have to disagree. DBFZ was good at first but they haven't done much to keep it fresh, it's been stale for a little while now and thus, interest is waning.

Twilight was lame imo but that's my opinion, other people loved it, hence, made money.

Wow, this is great news... Day 1 for me.

@Kalmaro people like Yokai Watch as a concept, but the series has never really been sure what it wants to be. It's a very experimental series, which even shows as they have 2 different versions of the anime. There's the popular cartoony version, the popular one. And the less popular darker series, which features Yokai that covers more serious Japanese folk lore. Besides the concept, the games also differed between gameplay styles, as they were never really sure how they wanted them to play. This also holds true with Yokai Watch 4 as now the game plays like a Action RPG.

This may be wishful thinking, but I hope they Dub this game in English. They already have English voice actors from the anime to call on. I don't think the Dark Side Yokai Watch series has an english dub, but if the games going to take a bit to be ported here then they could atleast dub it.

I'm not entirely sure how to feel. YKW is one of my favorite series, with 3 being one of my favorite games of all time, but I've heard there's a good deal wrong with 4. It cuts the roster from over 800 Yo-Kai to 109 (with more to be added through PAID DLC), and I've heard the story takes itself too seriously compared to the previous games, there's a huge lack of unique NPCs compared to the previous games, and sidequests, which were a massive part of the series and were always really in-depth and even often had character arcs, are incredibly dumbed down. I am interested in the battle system, but the rest is very concerning, seeing as it's essentially just a lot of removing what made me love the series in the first place.

@Xelha battle system is much more like ni no kuni 2 now

@Ketchupcat considering the yokai is all completely reworked since they changed battle system completely (to action like ni no kuni), it's no wonder they have to cut things out.

@Ketchupcat Theres a bit more Yokai in the game than that, and they are also planning to retroactively add in a ton of Yokai as free dlc. The story is more serious, but that's due to the game having a far bigger plot in general. Covering 3 versions of the Yokai Watch world, including the Dark Side universe which is a tad more serious Yokai Watch. The game isn't really lacking NPC's, i'm not sure how it compares to previous titles, but you'll see a bunch of people walking the streets.

But seriously, in comparison to Sword & Shield which have been tampered by Bring Back National Dex, this is HUGE news. Can't wait.

@patbacknitro18 That's interesting, sounds like they have something special but no clue what to do with it.

@Vectorman More characters don't make a game better if they play relatively the same or if they are just bad.

Android 17 had it very rough when he got in, I don't think they've helped him very much since.

But yeah, more characters ≠ better game in all cases.

This is huge news!!
Yes I want I and I Need this

As usual with JRPGs, I have no idea what is going on in the trailer but it looks like a good time. I’m getting some Earthbound vibes. Anytime I’m battling silly looking creatures on a bright yet slightly askew suburban street, I get interested.

I'm happy for the fans. Considering how this franchise seemed to fizzle out overseas, I'm surprised these games keep getting localized.

Not a fan myself, but I am intrigued by the way they changed up the battle system, which was my single biggest issue with the original game. Hopefully there's a demo or something.

Such a quick announcement should better translate to a much swifter western release than the previous games. Although I've seen all the movies, save for the most recent one, I hope something will be done to not leave anyone behind plot-wise.

@Kalmaro Pretty much, but this game is a huge bump in the right direction. It almost does everything perfectly, a huge step up from previous titles. The only big issue is that, like Sword and Shield, it cut down it's Yokai in the game. But they've already said that they will be adding in Yokai as free dlc for the months to come.

I'm a little worried that the required knowledge of films that may not be localized puts people off in a way the developers mistake for lack of interest in the series as a whole.

Like for real, this trailer is from game? Looks totally better as Sword and Shield design-wise which unfortunately is making me sad... Let's Go Pikachu as last good/decent entry in the series? Probably... What a time to be alive

@Preposterous You shouldn't feel lost.
The recent movie is related, but is basically retold in the game itself. Not unlike how the first movie shares YW2's story.

4th movie is the prequel to this game though, and I recommend people at least watch that before playing. Either through a possible upcoming dub or... other means.

@Kalmaro In this game it goes both ways for this kind of game though. While roughly 100 characters with varied playstyles is great for an action game like this one

it also means that there are less than 100 enemy types to fill the dungeons, streets, and alleyways. Which is really limiting for a JRPG.

I still really like the game though. Anyone interested in knowing more about it can read my (rather a length) posts on the YW4 thread in the forums on this site.

Yikes, someome can't handle being told their opinions aren't fact xD

Yo-Kai Watch always seemed too...Pokemon ish for me to be interested. Digimon created it's own Identity over the years, especially with Cyber Sleuth series and the new Digimon Survive, both straying away from it's super family friendly atmosphere. YKW-4 seems more of my style, where it's a balance of being meant for both older and younger generations of gamers. The story seems darker, the gameplay is better, and it has a nice looking expansive world to it. Very much looking forward to 4!