Yo-Kai Watch is a deeply charming and addictive RPG that combines the best aspects of Pokémon and Dragon Quest Monsters with its own unique and well-made elements.
Yo-Kai Watch
Developer: Level-5
Price: $49.99
Platforms: Nintendo 3DS
Dubbed a “Pokémon-killer” in Japan, Yo-Kai Watch had taken its time to come to the West. With two wildly popular games available in Japan and a third coming in 2016, Yo-Kai Watch is something of a cultural phenomenon overseas. Now that the first game has come over to the West, it’s not hard to see why the series is so beloved.
Yo-Kai Watch revolves around a young boy or girl as they befriend and battle with Yo-Kai, mischievous ghosts who can effect humans in numerous ways. One Yo-Kai, for example, makes anyone around it endlessly hungry, while another makes people forgetful. This proves to be a fun and unique concept, which breathes new life into the creature collecting trope.
The game’s story starts with the main character walking into the forest to collect bugs for a school project. The character encounters an ancient gashapon crank machine, and upon turning the crank, obtains their first Yo-Kai companion, the ghostly spectre named Whisper. Following a series of eerie events, the main character receives the titular Yo-Kai Watch, letting them see and battle Yo-Kai all across the town.
The story stays simple and self-contained for the majority of its playtime, but this works to the game’s advantage. Though there is an overarching plot involving the increasing number of Yo-Kai emerging from the Yo-Kai World, the game is mainly composed of smaller events divided into chapters. In one chapter, the player has to help their friend find their parent’s missing wedding ring, while another has the player investigating a haunted museum. Each smaller plotline incorporates Yo-Kai in a tasteful and fitting way, which causes the game to feel like a series of compact and enjoyable adventures, with slice-of-life overtones.
There are also countless side-quests, which can be as simple as finding a kid’s lost soccer ball, or as original as using a specific Yo-Kai’s ability to aid someone in one of their daily tasks. These side-quests are all very rewarding, as they provide experience and items, as well as a satisfying conclusion to each quest’s mini story. These little quests add to the day-to-day feeling that Yo-Kai Watch gives off, which brings with it an enjoyable feeling of nostalgia.
It’s also worth noting that Yo-Kai Watch‘s translation is top-notch. Many seemingly pointless NPCs will spout random knowledge, or silly puns, which all work very well for a Western audience. Even the names of the various Yo-Kai are translated with cheesy wordplay, which only adds to the fun. This doesn’t take away from the game’s distinctly Japanese atmosphere and strikes the right balance of being well-translated, without becoming too “Americanized”.
Yo-Kai Watch‘s gameplay is divided into three main segments: traversing the overworld, battling Yo-Kai, and catching bugs and fish. The game primarily takes place in the town of Springdale, with different parts of the town unlocked over the course of the game. Traversing the town is easy and convenient, as the player starts out with a very handy “sprint” ability. The player runs extremely fast until their stamina runs out, which makes going from place to place quick from the get-go. Eventually a bike is obtained, which comes with the ability to move quickly without using stamina, as well as a method of quick-travel, through the use of a Yo-Kai named Mirapo. All of these options make travelling simple and speedy, which not only makes the game more fun overall, but allows the player to explore the town at their own pace.
While exploring the town, players catch bugs and fish through a roulette-like mini-game. As an arrow goes in a circle over the fish or bug, the player can stop it at any time with a button press. The objective of the mini-game is to land the arrow on one of the varying number of white or red squares, which determine the success of a catch. The process of catching these collectibles is somewhat confusing, as the roulette feels somewhat random. The arrow doesn’t stop immediately, and the amount of time it spins after pressing the stop button seems off, making it difficult to obtain the game’s rarer specimens. Once caught, the player can trade in certain fish and bugs to the “Jungle Hunter”, a store that gives the player special, and otherwise unobtainable, items. Though this is unnecessary to complete the game, it’s a nice touch that adds even more content to the game.
Battles are carried out in an unconventional, but engaging way. The player’s Yo-Kai carry out their own actions, such as attacking or healing one another, without player instruction. These actions depend on the Yo-Kai’s behavior, which is changed outside of battle through the use of items. Though the player doesn’t control their Yo-Kai’s primary actions, they can control what their Yo-Kai targets, using the touch screen. This is essential in a number of boss battles, and when trying to obtain certain Yo-Kai. The battle system also lets the player switch Yo-Kai easily and freely at any time during a battle, as the player’s Yo-Kai are selected through a wheel on the 3DS’s bottom screen. Though only three Yo-Kai can be actively fighting at once, the player can rotate the wheel in any way at any time, making it easier to shield wounded Yo-Kai, or swap out Yo-Kai teams.
Yo-Kai Watch is pretty easy for the majority of its narrative, with the only real difficulty ramp occuring at the very end of the game. Even then, the final battles feel more than manageable with the right team, which isn’t difficult to obtain. Experience is earned through battle and by completing side-quests, which means that anyone who does a few sidequests along the way should have little difficulty in clearing the game’s main story. This adds to the game, as it helps make collecting Yo-Kai a priority, as little to no level grinding is required to complete the base story.
Unlike the “catching” systems in most Pokémon-like games, Yo-Kai Watch revolves around creating something of a mutual agreement between the player and the monster. During a battle, the player can throw different foods at the hostile Yo-Kai. A random Yo-Kai will catch it, and, depending on how much they like the food, may ask if they can join your party after the fight. This is a fascinating take on the “catch-em-all” formula, which is reminiscent of the Dragon Quest Monsters series. The only problem with the system is that it’s impossible to target a specific Yo-Kai to throw food at, meaning players may waste food, or even miss out on getting their desired Yo-Kai, because of the random nature.
Befriending Yo-Kai is incredibly addictive, as each obtained Yo-Kai helps fill out the “Yo-Kai Medallium”, a book of Yo-Kai Medals showing off the player’s collection. Rarer Yo-Kai can be obtained through the Crank-a-Kai, provided the player obtains coins through Spotpass, or by finding them in chests. Coins can also be obtained through hitting the “road-crossing” button before crossing a street, which is a neat little touch, as it gives any kids who play an in-game reward alongside a positive real-world message.
The visuals are superb, especially for the Nintendo 3DS. The environments, both in and out of battle, are vibrant and full of life. Springdale feels like a truly inhabited town, as there are always cars driving around, with people and Yo-Kai everywhere. Each part of town, while similar, is easy to differentiate from other areas thanks to the unique landscapes and buildings. The Yo-Kai World is even more diverse, as it’s full of intense colours and eerie features on every building, like watchful eyes or tooth-lined doors.
The Yo-Kai themselves also look fantastic, with the vast majority looking unique and well-designed. The Yo-Kai based on folklore or legends tend to especially stand out, as they not only resemble the creatures they’re based off of, but also have their own original elements to make them fit into the world of Yo-Kai Watch. Yo-Kai also fuse to create all new monsters, which often yields incredibly powerful results. The fusions appear as a well thought-out mix of the combined Yo-Kai while still feeling like their own creatures, making the process as visually interesting as it is beneficial.
Yo-Kai Watch‘s sound is just as fantastic as its visuals, and compliments the game’s tone well. The songs used in the game’s overworld are bright and chipper, in tune with the happy summer atmosphere, while battle themes and tunes used during Yo-Kai encounters have a particularly spooky element to them. The voice acting, for the most part, is also superb, especially when it comes to the main characters. The player’s avatar has a particularly fitting voice, with Whisper and Jibanyan standing out as additional favorites. Most of the collectable Yo-Kai actually tend to have fitting voices as well, although the odd ones here and there sound completely different than one would expect.
The Final Word
Yo-Kai Watch is a remarkably refreshing, original, and charming take on not only the catch-em-all format, but RPGs in general. There’s tons of content to enjoy, and collecting Yo-Kai is as addictive as one could hope. The gameplay, visuals and sound are all fantastic, and provides the game with a spookily quirky atmosphere. All-in-all, this is one game that shouldn’t go undetected.
-MonsterVine Rating: 4.5 out of 5 – Great
