Yo-kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters

Yo-Kai Watch 2 Psycoscopes is really the ultimate experience with regard to the crazy universe of Level-5.

Yo-Kai Watch 2 Psychic Specters is like the definitive edition of Yo-Kai Watch 2. Psychic Specters is the game that you need if yo want to enter into this universe. If you already have any version of Yo-Kai Watch 2, this game contains new dungeons, Yo-Kai, stories (like the origin of Darknyan) and new features to Blast Mode.

The new areas and new Yo-Kai creatures don’t justify the purchase of Psychic Specters for those who already have the previous versions, but for everyone else (especially for those who love the Pokemon games) the rich world and the improved battle system make this game a must-have.

This "definitive edition" is the best way to play Yokai Watch 2, with minor additions, but interesting ones nonetheless.

Same adventure as the previous Yo-kai Watch 2 games with a bunch of minor innovations. Very enjoyable for newcomers.

Psychic Specters is a sort of YO-KAI WATCH 2 Definitive Edition, that adds more and more contents: a perfect game for those who haven't played the main game yet, dispensable for everyone else.

More of the same. Same game, same characters, same quests... with just some new Yo-kai and a bunch of dungeons for seasoned players.

All in all, a great way to greet a great console.

With the exclusive content from Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls and all new content, Yokai Watch 2: Psychic Specters is the definitive release and best jumping point into the wacky JRPG series.

Yo-kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters is the best game of the series outside of Japan. It’s good to know that its contents are enjoyable either by beginners who start their adventure or by those who played hundreds of hours in past versions and seek challenges that fit their skills. Having said that, the game could be sold as an expansion instead of a full priced game.

Ignore the obvious Pokémon comparisons, and you’ll find that Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters is a charming RPG that manages to take a familiar idea and easily reinterpret it into something fresh and youthful. Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters is the sum total of that experience, a reset on a pair of established games that adds even more to its distinct formula of crossing through to the other side. All aboard the Hex Express for this one.

Out of the three versions this is the Yo-Kai Watch 2 to get, it’s very much what has gone before, but this time they’ve thrown in the kitchen sink.

This is definitely the best version of Yo-Kai Watch 2, and we recommend it to the uninitiated of the franchise, but we wouldn't do the same with people who already finished any of the previous versions.

Yo-Kai Watch continues to be a delightful mix of morality stories for children, nostalgia for what it's like to be a child in suburban Japan, humour and monster collecting. The series may well never hit the same notes of mainstream popularity as Pokemon, but the fact that Pokemon has got a very genuine competitor in this particular genre, finally, is hopefully a sign that will push both franchises forward into the future.

The improvements received in Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters are scarce enough to make the player interested in him. The mechanics continue to work but perhaps it would have been better to launch it as downloadable content.

An interesting RPG that lacks enough original content to be really interesting.

With such fundamental narrative additions and rich locations to discover, Psychic Specters is undoubtedly the most complete, accomplished version of Yo-Kai Watch 2, underlining its role of Japanese culture's ambassador at the same time. Yet considering the substantial updates released for Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls, the decision to get this definitive edition will not only depend on what you possess, but will also reveal if your are possessed by Level-5's wicked franchise.

Yo-Kai Watch 2 Psychic Spirits is the Ultimate version of its predecessors. And that's not a good thing, nor is it a bad thing. The game offers cute creatures, a great soundtrack, but bland fights.

My opinion of the Yo-kai Watch franchise has faltered. [Issue #30 – November/December 2017, p. 72]

Whilst the game is densely packed with a ton of stuff to do, I still believe most of it is much too easy or repetitive – resulting in it feeling mostly like constant fetch quests. The parts I did love came significantly late into the experience and left me wanting more due to their brevity. It’s fair to say there’s something for everyone but that also makes it feel uneven. Up until the late game all the player does is run back and forth, switching between different times, battling with no interaction, and riding those damn trains that actually make stops like a 10-minute loading screen. I wasn’t really hooked by the bad attempts at humour or the weird little jingles that yo-kai types have, either, but I would still play a future Yo-kai game in hopes that the combat gets the lime-light it deserves. Until then, though, I can only recommend the title to a much younger demographic who could get the full experience, but probably still need their older sibling to help with those tougher fights.

While there's nothing fundamentally wrong with Psychic Specters - it is, after all, the most compre-hensive entry in the series, and Level-5's signature polish emanates throughout - yet it is also more than a little disappointing to see a fully-priced release add so little to the base game. Hardcore fans intent on purchasing should be aware that the new content is a little on the thin side, although it does make for a decent place for newbies to start their YO-KAI collection.

While the game is certainly colourful, vibrant and features varied creatures, it makes virtually no difference compared to its predecessor and it's too shallow to allow for a full, compelling and interesting immersion.