Yo-Kai Watch is about the most fun I’ve had with a game on the 3DS in a while. Sure the Pokémon games are always great but it’s nice to have something a little different. And while this game will surely have it’s comparisons to Nintendo’s venerable franchise, Yo-Kai Watch is it’s own beast and is in some ways better than Pokémon.
First let’s talk about the similarities. In Pokémon you travel the world collecting badges as well as cute cuddley Pokémon. You battle them, collect them and then have them battle for you. In this world everyone knows what Pokémon are and there seems to be no shortage of those looking to become masters looking to battle.
The similarity of the two franchises with collecting “monsters” and using them to battle is where the similarities end in this game. (Other than the fact that they also evolve)
In Yo-Kai Watch you start off as Nate (or Katie if you prefer) and are out collecting bugs in the city of Springdale, because that’s what little kids do. In an effort to find the best, rarest bugs of all your friends you venture off to the mountain temple. Once there you mysteriously stumble upon a capsule machine beside a large tree.
After a little mysterious beckoning you pop a coin in the machine and out pops a capsule … and Whisper, your first meeting with a Yo-Kai. He gives you a Yo-kai Watch, a device that lets humans see the normally invisible Yo-kai.
Yo-kai are the physical embodiment of everyday problems, and they live everywhere in our world—under cars, near vending machines, in the river — you just can’t see them. With the power of the Yo-kai Watch, though, you can find these hidden Yo-kai, befriend them, and call upon their powers when you need their help. There are over 200 different types of Yo-kai just waiting to be discovered!
I’ll be brutally honest. I love this game.
First off Yo-Kai Watch has a quirky sense of humour. The folks who did the English translation of the game put a lot of thought into the translation, which can often be a challenging task. The dialogue between the characters, especially the protagonist and Whisper, is often very witty and funny.
At once point in the game you take on a Yo-Kai boss in an empty the steamhouse at night while trying to retrieve a pair of lost underwear. Don’t ask. The place is pretty much empty when you are confronted by this Yo-Kai baddie but when the battle starts you’ll see guys in towels dancing in the background. This is of course because every area has it’s own battle background and while it seems odd that these guys are there, directly after the battle your character actually makes reference to this. “Where did those backup dancers come from?”
The backgrounds area also beautifully done and detailed, as is the rest of the game.
The developers definitely didn’t skimp on the level of detail in environments in the game. Every area you’ll encounter is fully fleshed out with very minute detail. From items in the houses, decor in the shops, and flyers and banners in the shopping districts, there is a great attention to detail in the game. Right down to the fact that every house you go into actually has a bathroom!
Added to the level of detail includes the areas where you can search for Yo-Kai as well as insects and fish. Yes, you can fish.
When you’re out and about in the game you’ll see a little magnifying glass pop up letting you know that you can take a closer look. You can look under vending machines, unders cars, up trees and light poles, in tall grass, in streams and a couple of other places.
What is neat about this game is that the folks at Level 5 have really taken the time to diversify the controls. Not only can you use the buttons on the 3DS to play the game (aside from a few points that require the touchscreen) you can also use the touchscreen exclusively to play the game. From opening your radar and lens, zooming in the map of the area on the lower screen, opening your menu and rotating the camera, but you can also move around by sliding the stylus on the screen. It’s really intuitive and refreshing.
The novelty wears off quickly in games which force the use of touchscreen controls to move around. Having the option to do so in Yo-Kai Watch while you can also simply use the circle pad to move around is great. There are points when you use the lens to find and chase a hidden Yo-kai. You can use the stylus to slide around and keep them in your sights to uncover it, but you can also use the circle pad to move the reticule. The stylus is so much easier to use for this task, but it’s nice that Level 5 gives you both options.
Yo-Kai Watch feels very much like a traditional RPG in that you’ll fight battles with your Yo-Kai, but with a twist.
The battle system is very interesting with the player not having direct control over the battle and acting more in a support role. Instead of choosing which Yo-kai will attack and where the attack will take place, you are instead in control of other things in battles.
Your Yo-kai are on a wheel on the touchscreen. The top three in the wheel are your active battlers with the bottom three your reserve, which you can swap in by spinning the wheel. I’m sure it’s possible to set these in any order you want but that wasn’t an option in the demo with no access to the menu. Your Yo-Kai each have a special move which you can access with the “Soultimate” button. When their meter is charged you tap that button followed by the Yo-kai which is about to attack. You’ll then be treated to a very brief minigame to initiate the attack. Either tapping on a few moving orbs, tracing a shape or spinning a wheel with the stylus. These are all very brief, but all require the stylus. Once you charge up the attack your Yo-Kai will do more damage.
You can also choose to have your Yo-kai focus their attacks on a specific opponent with the “target” button. You can also “purify” your Yo-kai on the bottom of the wheel if they become “inspirited” by the enemy in battle. You’ll gain some extra experience if you do purify your Yo-Kai.
One thing that I find pretty neat about the game is that there is a ton to do in the game. Aside from the main story of the game there are a lot of request and favor side quests in the game. What is even better about these quests is that you gain experience for completing them. Not just experience, but a good chunk of experience. You’ll also get an item on occasion.
You can actually level up your Yo-Kai pretty well without having to grind in battles.
In certain areas like back alleys and some wilderness areas, where wild Yo-Kai wander around freely and will attack you, you are forced into battles. There are no random battles however while walking around in many of the areas. You can search for Yo-Kai with your Yo-Kai watch and start a battle if you wish, but you aren’t forced into it. The leisurely pace of the game in this way, and the fact that you can do “other” things to level up is refreshing.
You can also find items which give you experience, some of the bigger ones at the Crank-a-Kai. Remember that capsule machine where you first find Whisper? Yeah, go back there because there’s more to do there.
At points in the game you’ll be given coins which you can use at the Crank-a-Kai. You’ll get special items out of here, including some that will give you the gift of experience. I got one item that gave one of my Yo-Kai 20,000 EXP in one shot. Watching Jibanyan go up 15 levels in one shot was quite cool to see. You may even get another Yo-Kai out of the machine.
You can also spend 10 Play Coins (Nintendo 3DS system) on the machine. You’ll get three plays a day with the Crank-a-Kai reappearing at 6am (system time).
There is SO much more to the game, including an unlockable Yo-Kai Cam to take photos of yourself and other for coins, fusing Yo-Kai together to create new ones and more.
This game is similar to Pokémon and in ways so vastly different. But one thing is for sure. If you do enjoy Pokémon then you’ll LOVE Yo-Kai Watch.
