Yo-Kai Watch Review

Hello everyone. Today I will be reviewing a game for the 3DS called Yo-Kai Watch. It is a RPG that many people say is a ripoff of Pokemon. In actuality, I is more of a rip-off of a little known Japanese game called Shin Mega Tensai. In that game, you collect and battle different demon-like monsters. You can even fuse the monsters together to make stronger monsters. Unlike Pokemon however, in Yo-Kai Watch and Shin Mega Tensai to befriend a monster need to convince them to join your party by giving them food and talking to them.

Yo-Kai watch is filled with Japanese charm and culture, which makes the game so interesting since the game takes place in Japan. Most of the Yo-Kai  monsters in game are basted off monsters in Japanese folklore, like the Kappa, the Kitsune, and the Nekomata.

The story is about a 10 year old boy named Nate Adams who accidentally releases a classic ghost butler Yo-Kai named Wisper who gives Nate the Yo-Kai Watch, a tool used for detecting invisible ghost-like creatures know as Yo-Kai. Nate now needs to solve people's (and Yo-Kai's) daily problems with the help of the Yo-Kai Watch across the massive overworld while fighting against mischievous Yo-Kai. The story isn't that great and can get convoluted at times, but all the charm and humor put into the writing makes up for that.

Unlike Pokemon, you are stuck in only one town, but the town is just as big as any Japanese town in real life so it isn't as bad as it sounds. There is also a neat stamina system that is similar to the stamina system the The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword. There is also no random encounters unlike Pokemon, instead you have to find Yo-Kai yourselves, do a quest, or enter a dungeon were there are even still no random encounters. Instead you get touch-based map encounters. Good job Level 5, good job.

Finally, about the battles. The battles are very different than Pokemon in that they are real time, not turn based. You also do not have total control over your Yo Kai. That might not sound like a good idea when you first hear it, but that's not all. All battles are 3 on 3 battles except for bosses and VERY early game battles.You can also do your Yo-Kai special move my doing touchscreen mini games. They are called the Soultamate attack and they can do anything from doing massive amounts of damage to Healing your entire party to applying buffs on your entire party. Sometimes an enemy Yo-Kai inspirits (debuffs) your own Yo-Kai and you have to do a different mini game to get them out. But the catch is that you can only purify Yo-Kai that are not in battle, and that's when the battle wheel comes into play. You can spin the battle wheel on the 3DS's touch screen to change what Yo-Kai are in battle.

Also Yo-Kai have a special classification that gives them different strengths and weaknesses. For example, Yo-Kai of the Heartful Tribe (Happierre, Auntie Heart) are good at healing, and Yo-Kai of the Brave Tribe (Shogunyan, Cruncha) are good at physical damage. If two or more Yo-Kai of the same tribe are next to each other on the battle wheel, they gain a special buff. The biggest problem that I had with the game (and other people too) was that even if you feed a Yo-Kai the highest level of their favorite type of food there is still a chance that they will not join you. That can be very angering at times, especially if you had to waste 5 Marbled Beef .  (By the way they are a post game item and cost $300. Good luck getting those)

Yo-Kai Watch has a slightly flawed battle system, a lackluster story, slightly angering game play, but overall I enjoyed Yo-Kai watch because of it's funny dialogue, Japanese charm, fun factor, and challenging boss fights. Better, the final boss and the super boss. They are HARD. Oh, did I mention there is a SUPER ULTRA HYPER SECRET BOSS? He is ridiculously strong. Oh and did I mention that he is level 300? The final  boss was LV 65... Good luck beating the SUPER HYPER SECRET TRUE POST-POSTGAME FINAL BOSS!  

Rating: 8.2/10
Affection: Liked