Yo-kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters

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.