In recent years, Nintendo fans have become increasingly aware of the slow decline of “Pokemon,” a game series that is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary. Fans have been knocking the handheld console games for lacking creativity and updates, and Nintendo seems to be moving toward using “Pokemon” in various mobile puzzle-style games. However, it seems that Nintendo has prepared a new IP to fill the void that may eventually be left behind by “Pokemon:” “Yo-Kai Watch.”
Developed by Level-5, well-known for their “Inazuma Eleven” and “Professor Layton” series, “Yo-kai Watch” was released to the Nintendo 3DS in Japan in the summer of 2013 and in North America this past November. Much like “Pokemon,” “Yo-Kai Watch” has a corresponding anime, which began airing in Japan in early 2014, and in North America a month before the game’s English release. The game focuses on collecting creatures, called Yokai, to help you, the player, battle other, sometimes stronger, creatures, much like games such as “Pokemon” or the “Shin Megami Tensei” series.
However, the process of befriending these Yokai is much more similar to the “SMT” series than it is to “Pokemon,” as the Yokai must be appeased with a food item that they like to have a better chance of them joining you. Even with these similarities, it is the battle system that sets “Yo-Kai Watch” apart from competitors.
Like other creature-collection games, you must create a team to use in battle. “Yo-Kai Watch” adds a new feature by putting your six-creature team into a ring formation. Throughout the battle, this ring can be rotated to switch between different team members depending on the situation. This is helpful, as many Yokai use abilities called Inspirits. Some can buff the user or their teammates, and others cause status ailments to the opponent.
Most battles include three enemies at a time, so these Inspirits can come in any combination. When a party member is affected by a negative Inspirit, you can switch them out and heal the effect through a quick coordination minigame. This same style of minigame is used to activate each of your team members’ Soultimate move, which has a number of different effects depending on the Yokai using it.
There are a few different methods of actually obtaining the Yokai. The most common route is to befriend them through battle by feeding them a food item during the fight. Based on the food item, the rank of the Yokai, and certain innate abilities that your party members may have, the enemy Yokai may approach you after the battle and ask to join you. Other Yokai, with the exception of bosses, will befriend you as the story progresses.
However, there are some that can only be recruited through the Yokai Medallium or Crank-a-Kai. The Yokai Medallium is where the Yokai medals from your recruited Yokai are kept, and legendary Yokai can be summoned by collecting the correct medals. The Crank-a-Kai is a gachapon-esque machine that takes Yokai coins, obtained through playing the game or using QR codes, passwords, the camera or 3DS play coins. Once a coin is used, a capsule is released, yielding an item or a Yokai of various use and rank. The Crank-a-Kai only give three tries per day and is the only way to obtain certain superpowered Yokai, and because of this, it can become a bit of a hassle.
Compared to the gameplay mechanics, the actual story is lackluster. The characters themselves are very one-dimensional, and most can be described in one or two words.
For example, the player character is sarcastic, and his (or her, depending on which you choose) friends are a musclehead and a thinker. Occasionally, the player character and their guide Whisper, the first Yokai introduced, will have funny banter, but the humor is largely dependent on breaking the fourth wall. The game is also fairly different from the anime, but there are some small callbacks to the show. For example, if a Yokai called Manjimutt is obtained through the Crank-a-Kai, it will reference being busted out of prison. In the show, Manjimutt is a Yokai that is often arrested and placed in jail.
The main problem with the storyline is that it appears to actually include two plots. The first is more reflective of the summer vacation of a normal 10-year-old, with the inclusion of the Yokai. The second focuses more on there being a central antagonist who the player must stop. These two plots conflict heavily, leading to hard shifts between the two as the game progresses. The ending also feels extremely rushed and unsatisfying, which could be caused by the conflicting plots.
For most of the game, it is heavily implied that a certain character is the final boss, but, seemingly at the last second, a different character is revealed to hold that title. It’s confusing to the player, and a bit of a letdown, as a certain ending is teased for so long.
In the end, “Yo-Kai Watch” is an interesting game due to its battle system, but the story isn’t very strong. However, as the game is rather short, it can be easily enjoyed by players of all ages.
Megan Sabers is a fourth-year student majoring in business marketing. She can be reached at MS789222@wcupa.edu.