Yo-kai Watch 2: Fleshy Souls

Yo-Kai Watch 2 is a solid sequel: in addition to two hundred new yo-kai, Level5 is been able to expand the open world and the combat system with some new interesting mechanics. However, the recruitment system is still pretty poor.

It's the same formula as in the first game, but this time we have much more content and many more things to do, including online battles. Yo-kai Watch 2 consolidates this franchise as the best alternative to Pokémon.

Quotation forthcoming.

A solid sequel to the original, Yo-Kai Watch 2 opens up to the wild world outside of Springdale. With even more wild and wacky Yo-Kai to befriend and the added benefits of Internet connectivity, Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls stretch out to a wider breadth than ever before—though perhaps a slightly shallower depth.

Yo-kai Watch has improved almost everything from its predecessor, despite being very conservative in its mechanics and gameplay. However, the new additions and quantity of content turns out to be a more solid and better game.

Yo-kai Watch 2 improves everything done in the past, but at the same time overlooks some elements that fans wanted to be fixed. There are some new game modes, online multiplayer, new Yo-kais and a bunch of different activities, but overall the game still remains too easy for seasoned players.

It's fun but conformist. If you liked the first game you'll like what you'll find here.

Yo-Kai Watch 2 keeps the iconic feeling of the first title, but adding some ingredients to boost the original formula. It succeeds, but it also feels like we have seen the game before. It's a sequel in narrative terms, but not from a gameplay standpoint.

Despite some mechanics that didn't get the necessary fix they sorely needed, Yo-Kai Watch 2 definitely is stronger than its predecessor by leaps and bounds. While the recruitment system is still a sore spot, the wealth of content and freedom of exploration in Yo-Kai Watch 2 builds a much more solid foundation, making it a great sequel and a worthwhile purchase.

Yo-kai Watch 2: Fleshy Souls isn't a game that's going to change any pre-existing opinions on the series. At its core, Yo-kai Watch as a series is more about the adventure than any specific goals, and that's evident in every part of the game.

Coming from a series newbie, Yo-kai Watch 2: Fleshy Souls/Bony Spirits is an enjoyable game, but there were a couple of things that surprised me. The mostly-automated battles confused me at first as I wasn’t expecting it, but I did get the hang of it over time. I just wish the user had more input during them other than healing and Soultimate moves, but other than that and the tedium of befriending Yo-kai, fans of the original game should enjoy the second outing as well.

Yo-kai Watch 2 is a fun RPG that manages to provide some innovations and improvements compared to his predecessor. Unfortunately, some of the flaws of the original game have not been addressed yet, and some of the new gameplay elements, like train travels, can be quite boring. Despite its flaws it's still a good game, which fans of the original who don't expect too many improvements will surely enjoy.

It hasn't changed much compared to the first one, but it has evolved. Although it can be a little bit confusing at times, it is overall a very engaging adventure.

Yo-kai Watch 2 is an iterative sequel that plays too safe too often, but, taken for what it is, also delivers a solid JRPG experience, enriched by almost two hundred new Yo-kai, online battles and new areas to explore. Your enjoyment of the first game and of the anime really is a factor here.

Yo-Kai Watch was never about combat even from the onset, yet lighthearted scenarios that parody the mundaneness of life or silly little mini-game diversions can only carry a meaty 30-hour RPG so far. Until Level-5 can figure out how to make the battle system something more than an unwieldy, AI-controlled mess of ghost cats and otherworldly misfits, it seems like Yo-Kai Watch will have to settle with being one of those niche "big in Japan, and Japan alone" fads.

There’s a world with charm and careful detail, more than a collection of paths, obstacles and objectives. It’s a place worth occupying, even if you may sometimes, occasionally, feel a little lost while you’re there.

Yo-Kai Watch 2 has a charming world full of details and colorful characters but just a few innovations compared with its predecessor. Maybe all the new elements in the series like online medal swap and competitive battles should have been from the start on the first game. At the end of the day, is good to see the localization of this sequel for the big fans of the series.

Yo-kai Watch 2 may be too similar to the original at some points but that's not an obstacle in the way of this being a quality sequel that delivers on what is expected or even towards becoming the best game of the Yo-kai series. Its immense content will keep players interested for well over one hundred hours of play and its online multiplayer combats are a very welcome addition to the series, even if the combat system in the regular one-player mode may feel too passive at times.

Yo-Kai Watch 2 is far from being a bad game: its storyline is pretty entertaining and rather funny if you are fine with comedies made for 10 years old kids. However, the gameplay mechanics are not as good as we are used to with Pokemon games, especially the fighting mechanics, which become quickly boring.

The fights are too simple and the very frequent fetch quests are too taxing to hold interest. Even the pretty art style, fun dialogue, and immersive city (complete with metro rides) aren’t enough to make the game last [for] you.

It may not be as tight of a package or have enough variety in its quests, but the additional multiplayer components and new Yokai make this worth picking up.

While the game does introduce a number of new Yo-Kai and a follow-up story, this second entry feels too deeply rooted in the original to where many of the same faults are still present, with it really feeling like Level-5 played it way too safe in Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits & Fleshy Souls.

The map changes are great, but the other aspects feel like modified retreads of the first game. Even with the story’s interesting attempts to look at the origin of the Yo-kai Watch, it plods along without ever rising up to something worth seeing to the end. Yo-kai Watch 2 still stands as a worthwhile Pokémon competitor, but its forward progression is only happening by small steps.

Yo-Kai Watch 2 is quite literally a case of more of the same, albeit with a minor sprinkling of new ideas and some brand new annoyances to go with the package. It’s still massively likable and perfect for kids, but it’s not to shy to hide its lack of originality this time around behind a curtain of fetch quests and endearing characters.

Yo-Kai Watch 2 works great for someone that never played the first iteration; however, those who did will receive the same experience with no new game mechanics or elements that provide a different feeling. Whit no animation upgrades and a corny narrative, Yo-Kai Watch 2 is an RPG that took one step forward and two —or maybe three— steps back by not contributing with something fresh.

While the game doesn’t have the generation spanning appeal of the great Nintendo canon, what we have here is a very competent entry level role playing game for younger players. More mature players will find little to be impressed by with Yo-Kai Watch 2’s plentiful but basic offerings.

Yo-Kai Watch 2 is a charming, but passive and repetitive experience. The game lacks an enjoying fight system and the writing is horrible.

I was excited to play Yo-kai Watch 2, hoping it would expand on the enjoyment of the first title. Unfortunately, even a narrative of travelling back in time to witness the creation of the first Yo-kai watch was not enough to help me look past the repetitive nature of the game’s mechanics. Rather than persevering with ‘collecting them all’ in Yo-kai Watch 2, I think I’d prefer to travel back in time and revisit my dream team of Yo-kai from the original game.

Yo-kai Watch 2 isn't worth your time, no matter how stinking cute Jibanyan is. [Issue #24 – November/December 2016, p.13M]

Instead of evolving, Yo-kai Watch 2 plays it safe by fusing new content – some good, some trivial, and some bad – onto a recycled frame, and the result is what we refer to as a sophomore slump.

The world can be fun to dive into, but actually playing Yo-kai Watch can shift from tedious to outright boring. For every new story idea or impressive blend of humor and pathos in its writing, Yo-kai Watch 2 fails to breathe life into the act of actually playing it, and until something’s done about all the issues with combat, no amount of delicious doughnuts can cover up its problems.

Yo-kai Watch 2 may enamor younger audiences with its charm and simplicity, but its appeal for adults will largely depend on how much patience they have.

The game feels old hat, taking you through well-trod ground--albeit with a fresh coat of paint and a few new faces.