Yo-kai Watch

 3DS
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 210 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 158 out of 210
  2. Mixed: 30 out of 210
  3. Negative: 22 out of 210
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  1. DORK
    Nov 8, 2015
    10
    This game is not Pokemon. Thank goodness. The similarities are very few, and this doesn't make or break the game at all. Comparing the two is pointless, why not give this great game a fair review. Yo-Kai Watch is a fun and very imaginative creation. I find myself growing more and more addicted to the battle system and trying to find as many Yo-Kai as I can. There's tons of ways to doThis game is not Pokemon. Thank goodness. The similarities are very few, and this doesn't make or break the game at all. Comparing the two is pointless, why not give this great game a fair review. Yo-Kai Watch is a fun and very imaginative creation. I find myself growing more and more addicted to the battle system and trying to find as many Yo-Kai as I can. There's tons of ways to do it too; plenty of quests that might give, or force you to befriend a Yo-Kai, a gambling system in the woods that lets you have up to possibly three a day, a streetpass motel, and probably more. I'm about 8 hours in, I'm not a rush and get it finished type of player. I like details, and Yo-Kai Watch has plenty of little tidbits to make you smile.

    I keep reading reviews about how un-"complex" this game is or how "child-like" it is, and I don't really see that. When I play, I see a witty little girl, who for all I know could be 19 living with her strict parents who don't let her out at night, and she happens to see things others can't. While playing, I saw a domesticated pet Yo-Kai that was turned to ice in the pond, was it a pet that got lost, died and turned to ice in the pond? Maybe. My point, use your imagination guys! And when has whether a game is complex or not ever been a grading criteria? Especially in America, come on, really? The last game I've played, and it's the complete opposite, was the Witcher 3, and I'm pretty sure Yo-Kai Watch is more "complicated" as far as mechanics, battling, befriending, collecting, etc as opposed to button mashing and quest searching. I'm not a hater, I love both games.

    Yo-Kai Watch is addicting, imaginative, cute, and good ol fun. I say try out the game for yourselves! I truly hope some of these mediocre reviews don't spoil the second game from coming to America.    … Expand
  2. turboenchilada
    Dec 27, 2015
    10
    ok, so i was jay walking and my little ghost buddy was all like "you should follow the rules, its dangerous and you could get in trouble." i ignored him because who cares, its a game. After doing it a few more times this monster pops up and he's pissed that i just waltz across the street instead of hitting the button and safely crossing and he completely 1 shots my entire team.
    11/10 will    ok, so i was jay walking and my little ghost buddy was all like "you should follow the rules, its dangerous and you could get in trouble." i ignored him because who cares, its a game. After doing it a few more times this monster pops up and he's pissed that i just waltz across the street instead of hitting the button and safely crossing and he completely 1 shots my entire team.
    11/10 will keep playing the hell out of it.    … Expand
  3. faloop
    Jul 8, 2016
    10
    This game is really cute, the level of finished of the assets and the animation are just beautiful! (As expected from Level 5) Mechanics are really, really different to Pokemon. Don't try to compare them, the only thing they have in common are the little creatures but they are not animal like, like in Pokemon, they are more person like, they talk, have feelings and personalities, AND notThis game is really cute, the level of finished of the assets and the animation are just beautiful! (As expected from Level 5) Mechanics are really, really different to Pokemon. Don't try to compare them, the only thing they have in common are the little creatures but they are not animal like, like in Pokemon, they are more person like, they talk, have feelings and personalities, AND not everyone can see them. The story is child like but charming I could say is more RPG than Pokemon and more open too. The battles are really different and I find them more active than just pressing A A A A A all the time, require a little more interaction. I would say is like Fantasy Life mixed with Etrian Oddisey mixed with Digimon or something.… Expand
  4. MARUYAMA
    Dec 6, 2015
    9
    Really refreshing RPG experience, I recommend playing this without reading about it first. it was like rediscovering Pokémon, the world is amazing and immersive, the battle system is deceptive it seems like your input has no weight because the monsters attack/inspirit on their own will but it's because of that that you can focus purely on strategy ( and you will need it! ) and keeping yourReally refreshing RPG experience, I recommend playing this without reading about it first. it was like rediscovering Pokémon, the world is amazing and immersive, the battle system is deceptive it seems like your input has no weight because the monsters attack/inspirit on their own will but it's because of that that you can focus purely on strategy ( and you will need it! ) and keeping your Yo-kai well, the demo was terrible because it heals your yo-kai after every battle and doesn't let you use items so it seems very shallow. in reality you have to plan ahead and be really fast, so it keeps you constantly on your toes.
    I played this shortly after playing another monster collecting rpg and I WISH it had an "auto A" like the yokai watch battles so i wouldn't be bored.
    anyway, the music is really good except for a few battle themes.

    I don't like comparing it to pokemon, but since everyone is doing it, Pokemon X and Y tried really hard to rip off YW and going as far as stealing a few character designs.
    and YW is, disregarding pokemon BW, the best pokemon game since the original gold and silver. it feels like the natural evolution of those GBC rpgs like robopon, pokemon, and so many others.
    a pet pevee of mine, pokemon houses still doesn't have beds while this has bedrooms and even bathrooms. it's amazing

    it's only a little bothersome to recruit some yokai, but it's understandable, they got the recruiting system from Dragon Quest Monsters on GBC
    it's a bit frustrating sometimes, but i prefer that to the pokemon formula that people have figured out mathmatically and all    … Expand
  5. thomasnichols
    Jan 4, 2016
    8
    It has it's bumps along the road, but it is great fun. The game is not Pokemon. It isn't and it never will be, which is fine by me. It is it's own thing and after completing the game, you can see that it isn't like Pokemon at all. Their only similarity is the monster capturing aspect (which, of course, is a pretty big similarity). If you start playing expecting it to be this "PokemonIt has it's bumps along the road, but it is great fun. The game is not Pokemon. It isn't and it never will be, which is fine by me. It is it's own thing and after completing the game, you can see that it isn't like Pokemon at all. Their only similarity is the monster capturing aspect (which, of course, is a pretty big similarity). If you start playing expecting it to be this "Pokemon Killer" than you will be disappointed. If you respect it as it's own game, you will enjoy it.… Expand
  6. javiandre10
    Jul 5, 2016
    10
    Hace unos días le di oportunidad a este juego y llegué a la conclusión de que la prensa especializada está lejos de realmente analizar con la misma vara a todos los juegos o por lo menos en profundizar algunos que tiene mecánicas poco usuales, como así mismo también me doy cuenta del por qué del rotundo éxito de Yokai Watch en Japón.

    Las similitudes con Pokémon son muchas, pero es un    Hace unos días le di oportunidad a este juego y llegué a la conclusión de que la prensa especializada está lejos de realmente analizar con la misma vara a todos los juegos o por lo menos en profundizar algunos que tiene mecánicas poco usuales, como así mismo también me doy cuenta del por qué del rotundo éxito de Yokai Watch en Japón.

    Las similitudes con Pokémon son muchas, pero es un concepto totalmente diferente, Yokai Watch te ofrece un mundo abierto y mayor libertad que los monstruos de bolsillo, contrario a Pokémon donde la historia avanza de manera más lineal, aquí puedes darte el lujo de ir completando misiones, atrapando yokais, descubrir zonas y distraerte por los vecindarios de una enorme ciudad, donde cada uno de los recintos están bien detallados, con variedad de npcs, tiendas, casas y un mundo más vivo de lo que normalmente ofrece Pokémon.

    Al principio el juego parece un poco simple y repetitivo, pero conforme vas avanzando te vas dando cuenta que tiene un grado de profundidad interesante, donde debes tomar decisiones de manera inmediata pero eficiente, donde así mismo el que realmente le da oportunidad al juego de principio a fin se da cuenta de que en el aspecto jugable es un RPG muy innovador donde siempre se presentan situaciones diferentes en cada combate.

    Los personajes humanos como los Yokais tienen mucha personalidad, el cual se mezcla con el ambiente de un juego donde realmente nos hacen sentir que estamos en un pequeño pueblo en Japón, con detalles y tendencias que no pasaran desapercibidas para los fans de la cultura nipona. El juego tiene una duración considerable, larga y justa para lo que esperamos de él, como así mismo la recolección de los monstruos, objetos, misiones, etc., le dan mucha vida al juego que no tiene nada que envidiarle en cuestión de tiempo a la competencia.

    Como fan de Pokémon les puedo decir que me alegra encontrar esta interesante alternativa, que lejos de venir a suplir al juego de Nintendo, viene a aumentar nuestra variedad de diversión en cuanto a lo que significa los juegos de colección de monstruos, Nintendo tiene un nuevo vende consolas en Japón, el cual convivirá junto a la franquicia de Game Freak para seguir nutriendo los catálogos de sus portátiles, en este caso 3DS.

    Este es un juego de 9 en general, pero para el amante de los RPGs y la colección de monstruos en un 10 con muchas horas de diversión y exploración.    … Expand
  7. The-criticman
    May 4, 2021
    10
    i just, hate people who say its a bad game or a "Pokemon ripoff" it is such an unique thing i have even seen people who haven even played the game and write its a Pokemon ripoff I even saw a review that said that he could suicide but just give it a chance it has a good battle system (even though you can't do that much) yes, yes, I know the befriend sistem is kinda weird but this game isi just, hate people who say its a bad game or a "Pokemon ripoff" it is such an unique thing i have even seen people who haven even played the game and write its a Pokemon ripoff I even saw a review that said that he could suicide but just give it a chance it has a good battle system (even though you can't do that much) yes, yes, I know the befriend sistem is kinda weird but this game is much better than it looks just give it a chance and you'll see… Expand
  8. SirXyonder777
    Jun 9, 2021
    8
    This is a good game, but be warned, play this one BEFORE the sequels, you don't need to, but once you play the second game, you can't go back to this one. It has a big open world, and lots of Yo-Kai, but the second improves on this one first in every way, so play this one first.
  9. AfonsoPro
    Oct 1, 2021
    10
    THIS GAME IS AWESOME. Good graphics for the 3DS, very good music, good game-play and a good story. If you have a 3DS and want something new and very good try this game it is amazing. They say that this game is a Pokemon rip-off but this game is not that. I can confirm that this game can be sometimes better than Pokemon, but not always.

    P L A Y T H I S G A M E
  10. Slizarus
    Nov 18, 2015
    9
    Long review, so my real score is an 8.5.

    +This game is great, + the combat is fun, + practically every person on screen has something to say (Coming from so many worlds of uninteractable npcs even a single line of dialogue is nice) + Interesting Yokai, there are a couple recolors, but mostly you find evolved versions, I like the art style. + Positive Dialogue for children, I put on    Long review, so my real score is an 8.5.

    +This game is great,
    + the combat is fun,
    + practically every person on screen has something to say (Coming from so many worlds of uninteractable npcs even a single line of dialogue is nice)
    + Interesting Yokai, there are a couple recolors, but mostly you find evolved versions, I like the art style.
    + Positive Dialogue for children, I put on my thinking cap as I played through the Girl's Story, I think she starts off differently and she has different parents because both the girl and the boy exist in the world, there's a lot of good female positive talk in here and most people find positive resolutions to the problems visited upon them by the Negative YoKai

    Neutral Thoughts:
    The story is alright, it's not necessarily gripping but it's a kids story and so far 8 hours in it's done fine with keeping my attention, there are plenty of sidequests to do too, I enjoy them as I like to keep a strong team and I like meeting new Yokai and learning more about their world since most Yokai can talk to us and some characters know about Yokai.

    Negatives/Nitpicks:

    -The game doesn't go to any lengths to explain some of it's systems, I come from Darksouls and other games that love to just drop you in, I'm fine with that, but I wish it said more in game, gave another option to see what "Caring, Tough, Grouchy" mean or whatever, maybe it's in the EManual, I'll have to check.
    For this reason, I recommend using a Yokai Watch Wiki or Guide to understand the automated combat and yokai acquisition system better so that you'll have a better experience. I'm a Catch Most of 'em All kinda guy and I like to get a lot of monsters, and fuse lots too, so the relatively low rate of acquisition early on is a nitpick, I'm ok with it because I'm levelling up my main guys but it could be finetuned.

    -The Combat resolution screens and most especially the quest turnin screens are slow going! I can't imagine any kind of speedrunner doing sidequests in this game, it takes too long because you get a quest complete screen then a little symbol and a sound has to pop up in like 2-3 seconds, then in sidequests a clip plays of the Yokai Watch Anime doing something silly or dumb with a Bingo or Boo afterwards and they're cute the first couple times but you start to have repeats and I don't think they're skippable. I mean, it's not long enough to curb my experience, but it's like watching an Ad in the middle of a youtube video, sometimes they're interesting, but oftentimes they only serve to make you that much happier to get back to the game.

    Overall, I'm still really happy I bought this game and I have actually enjoyed it enough to give me hope that I'll enjoy LBX, another child story JRPG, as much as I did this.    … Expand
  11. Fenny86
    Nov 11, 2015
    8
    This is an excellent must have game if you enjoy the pokemon series, and I must apologize in advance for the inevitable comparisons. This game is distinct in numerous ways I enjoy, yet there are a few ways, mainly the battle mechanics that are a mixed bag of good and poor innovation. It's key innovation is exploration.

    The environment, map, and designs are excellent. I like the camera    This is an excellent must have game if you enjoy the pokemon series, and I must apologize in advance for the inevitable comparisons. This game is distinct in numerous ways I enjoy, yet there are a few ways, mainly the battle mechanics that are a mixed bag of good and poor innovation. It's key innovation is exploration.

    The environment, map, and designs are excellent. I like the camera angels and the ability to camera angles. The ability to search tunnels, garbage-laden alley ways, ponds, beaches, forests, cars, utility poles, gutters, and vending machines in search of yo-kai adds a sense of adventure that is not captured in the pokemon "hunting" process. The only issue I find is that the map is not interactive or useful for navigation. For instance, you cannot open up quests and display directions on the map. Not only is the atmosphere great, but so is the music and yo-kai designs.

    The score is an 8 rather than a 10 primarily on the basis of the battle system. Though it is fresh and distinct from the battle mechanics of the pokemon series, I take issue with the lack of autonomy the player has in the battle. You cannot change movesets, select attacks, or anything of the sort. The player has the ability to use items, use one special move (which cannot be modified), and switch the party arrangement in battle. I do like the active element of the battle mechanics, easy access to the full team, simple training (without the preoccupation of IV's and EV's), the emphasis on party alignment and team work, and the animated action sequences.

    If only the innovative mechanics and environment were also met with more player autonomy and battle strategy, along with more bosses and degrees of difficulty I would have scored this game as a 10. Still, this is an excellent and highly-addictive game.    … Expand
  12. Bitrip
    Nov 7, 2015
    10
    Yo-kai Watch is an open-world mission-based RPG that will have you smiling again and again. Production values here are quite high and you'll quickly notice as the voiceovers, graphics, and cutscenes are all immaculate. The game is very episodic as each day more or less consists of a main quest, though you are free to do as you please throughout. Don't compare the game to Pokemon or you'llYo-kai Watch is an open-world mission-based RPG that will have you smiling again and again. Production values here are quite high and you'll quickly notice as the voiceovers, graphics, and cutscenes are all immaculate. The game is very episodic as each day more or less consists of a main quest, though you are free to do as you please throughout. Don't compare the game to Pokemon or you'll be disappointed, it's truly a game of it's own pedigree...and that's exactly where its strong points come into play: aside from the storyline quests, everything is optional! Dungeons are optional, battles are 90% optional, fishing and bug-catching is optional, talking to NPCs is optional, side-quests are optional...are you starting to see a pattern? Another nice thing the game does is reward you for what you like doing the most. You don't only have to battle Yo-kai to gain experience for your party, you can actually get a large chunk of xp from completing favors and requests from locals.

    I am really enjoying the game so far, I love the real-world setting and the characters are all very charming. The only reason I feel people are confused about some things is because everyone is drawing comparisons from Pokemon. If you are going to compare a game compare Digimon World 2 or 3 because those have far more similarities with Yo-kai Watch than Pokemon does.    … Expand
  13. gibran19
    Nov 8, 2015
    10
    Cute and charming. If you don't understand the charm in yo-kai watch the inevitable has happened, you lost your inner child. This game is not pretentious, is just a likeable game for kids or anybody who wants to feel like a kid again
  14. Dartek
    Nov 24, 2015
    9
    Big question, is this a same game as Pokemon? The answer is NO, Yo-kai Watch is a game that shows an interesting lesson, every Yo-kai have the power to make people do good or bad things, e.g. if you suddenly want to fight to a friend probably is a Yo-Kai messing with you, or if you hear a person that have a lot of hungry maybe is a Yo-kai, so, as the main character Nate you will receive aBig question, is this a same game as Pokemon? The answer is NO, Yo-kai Watch is a game that shows an interesting lesson, every Yo-kai have the power to make people do good or bad things, e.g. if you suddenly want to fight to a friend probably is a Yo-Kai messing with you, or if you hear a person that have a lot of hungry maybe is a Yo-kai, so, as the main character Nate you will receive a yo-kai watch that can display a lens and a light to see where Yo-Kai are, and you can fight them with other yo-kai or try to be a friend, if you succeed you will receive a medal from them so you can put it on your clock and summon them to help you on your journey.
    This game is for those people that want a refresh on a battle system that is not per turns, have 3 ways to fight using the touch screen (spin, tap, follow the patron) and also is full Japan fan service, you have main quest and side missions non repetitive and a lot of yo-kai to be friend with, scenarios look great, 3D effect is really amazing on this game, and so much charming.
    Also let you know that you only need the game to play, no need of additional medals or the physical watch. Only available on english for those who wanna know if other language available on the game.    … Expand
  15. Lingrow
    Nov 6, 2015
    9
    The first thing that comes into mind when one talks about Yo-kai Watch is Pokemon but in order to truly appreciate this game we should not compare the two of them. Of course there are similarities but they are a lot of differences also. Also we need to understand that this game is aimed to children so the story is not very complex. In my opinion Level-5 has done an awesome job with thisThe first thing that comes into mind when one talks about Yo-kai Watch is Pokemon but in order to truly appreciate this game we should not compare the two of them. Of course there are similarities but they are a lot of differences also. Also we need to understand that this game is aimed to children so the story is not very complex. In my opinion Level-5 has done an awesome job with this game, is very funny and catchy, the music is awesome and the design in general is top notch. The only flaw of this game is the battle system, is not BAD but is not GOOD either, I have no idea in the 2nd installment of the game they fix it (I hope so) but in this one you do not have a lot of control in the battle, of course you can do stuff but is very basic. Still the game really shine in the other aspects that I mentioned, I recommend it to any fan of JRPG and Level-5 in general.… Expand
  16. thedreadedzero
    Nov 8, 2015
    10
    I can see why this is as big as Pokemon in Japan. The game is full of charm, and I'm glad we finally got it. Some people complain that the battle system is poor because you don't have direct control over each yo-kai, but you are given enough control that simply sitting there and letting your yo-kai attack will lead to your failure. The characters are cute and charming, and Jibanyan easilyI can see why this is as big as Pokemon in Japan. The game is full of charm, and I'm glad we finally got it. Some people complain that the battle system is poor because you don't have direct control over each yo-kai, but you are given enough control that simply sitting there and letting your yo-kai attack will lead to your failure. The characters are cute and charming, and Jibanyan easily surpasses Pikachu as an awesome mascot. There are plenty of side missions in the game to keep you busy, and if you want to collect all the yo-kai you'll be playing even longer. I've been reading the manga and watching the show alongside playing this game and it is a sheer joy. It's an entertaining world to be a part of. I highly recommend the game.… Expand
  17. blisters
    Nov 9, 2015
    9
    Finish The Game And Find all Yo kai's -- then tell us that this game doesn't have Depth -- Lots To do After finishing the game ! fantastic game play and so much fun !!!
  18. mrend55
    Nov 4, 2018
    2
    I really enjoyed the game but the RNG ruins it, Just spent an hour trying to befriend a yo kai with no luck at all.

    Pros
    Music is nice
    Neat battle system

    Cons
    Befriending rate is awful
    Can only run for a limited time before slowing down
  19. gravitywolf
    Nov 22, 2015
    7
    Yokai Watch is the first installment in what is considered a huge success in the Japanese market. It's been a best seller every year since the first game came out on the 3DS in 2013. I was very curious to see what the fuss was about and was very happy when I heard Nintendo had plans to localize it for English audiences. I really wanted to love this game, but there a few things that justYokai Watch is the first installment in what is considered a huge success in the Japanese market. It's been a best seller every year since the first game came out on the 3DS in 2013. I was very curious to see what the fuss was about and was very happy when I heard Nintendo had plans to localize it for English audiences. I really wanted to love this game, but there a few things that just bog down the experience, making it just a decent game.

    Many people might look at this game and draw a lot of comparisons to pokemon, but Yokai Watch is a bit different. First, Yokai are based on Japanese folklore, as most of the monsters in this game have huge connections to Japanese mythology. You can tell when playing that a lot of things have been westernized for English speaking audiences, but there are plenty of things that make this game quite Japanese like rice ball items to when entering buildings you take off your shoes. I have no problem with these things, but I find it odd that all the main characters have been given Western names, yet everything surrounding this game is so very Japanese and culturally different. To me this is where the English version of the game misses out and I find most kids probably won't understand the significance of certain yokai versus somebody who grew up in Japan. Unlike pokemon, where a lot of the designs can work for plenty of different audiences worldwide, a lot of yokai are much stranger, but I feel most of the designs are cool enough and the English translations work well enough still.

    The main gist of the game is you're a young kid who befriends a rather perky ghost-like yokai named Whisper. Together with him and your yokai watch which helps you see the invisible yokai around you, you solve mysteries, usually by problem solving or fighting yokai that are causing mischief. For instance, in the beginning of the game you'll find your parents are fighting, and there is a yokai inspiriting them that makes them fight. You'll battle these yokai rpg style, as you can have 6 yokai in your party, with up to 3 fighting all at once, and being able to switch them out on the fly. The battle system is actually very fun, though you don't actively command your yokai, as they automatically attack. What you do have control of in battle is using items or activate a yokai's soultimate move, which triggers a short touchscreen game like spinning an orb, drawing some quick characters, or tapping flying discs that fly across the screen.

    Probably the biggest flaw in this game is trying to recruit yokai. In order to recruit yokai, you'll need to give yokai their favorite item, like meat, milk, candy, etc, then hope they want to join your party at the end of the battle. It sounds easy enough, but the frustration I've had in trying to get yokai to join me cannot be emphasized enough. You'll spend hours trying to get yokai to join you, giving them the best quality items that they love the most, even having yokai in your party that aid in recruitment, only for nothing to happen. Plenty of times I'll be in battle and give an item to a specific yokai, only to have a yokai I didn't give an item to want to join me instead. Trying to get yokai feels like you don't have much active input in whether or not they will join you, and it feels like it's entirely chance based. I am 40 hours into the game and I have almost half of the 235 or so yokai, and the ones that aren't given to me from the story were only obtained after many many encounters with the same yokai again and again, and it becomes very tedious and frustrating. This is something that shouldn't be as hard as it is, especially since you'll need a few of the yokai for certain missions. If you're coming into this thinking it'll be a fun pokemon-esque "catch em' all" game, you'll be quite frustrated in that regard.

    I still think Yokai watch has a good battle system, and I like some of the yokai designs. Even if the localization is not perfect, it is still quite good, and I think yokai are quite unique in the way each one of them affects the world around them. It's a decent game, but the recruitment mechanic can be quite frustrating and bogs the experience down.    … Expand
  20. SayakaMari
    Nov 22, 2015
    0
    this game definitely did not deserve the hype it got, its not the worst, but unlike Pokémon (which its always compared to) will have a hard time to appeal to older people, with its cheesy humor, simplistic character design, and eccentric gameplay it only really works for kids 10 and under.
  21. DeezNuts
    Nov 22, 2015
    3
    It's not a bad game, but its nothing to write home about. The game play mostly consists of looking for bad yo-kai with casper the ghost, than when you find them you pretty much use sesame street characters rip-offs to fight other sesame street characters. The battles mostly consists of tapping the screen like you have parkinson's, while some stratedge is involved it gets old real fast.It's not a bad game, but its nothing to write home about. The game play mostly consists of looking for bad yo-kai with casper the ghost, than when you find them you pretty much use sesame street characters rip-offs to fight other sesame street characters. The battles mostly consists of tapping the screen like you have parkinson's, while some stratedge is involved it gets old real fast. this game barely has a story, its mostly about stopping yo-kai from messing around. other than the graphics and some mechanics this game surely is nothing special. (it's nothing like pokemon, don't get that idea, aside from the battling which is still very different in the two games)… Expand
  22. SNESStarter
    Aug 23, 2016
    7
    Aside from the frustrating battle system, everything about this game is a lot of fun. The music is great, the environments are cute and the Yo-Kai have neat designs that I enjoy. There is also a difficulty to this game that was a breath of fresh air compared to similar games in the monster collecting genre. Within the first two hours I had died three times, which was a welcome change fromAside from the frustrating battle system, everything about this game is a lot of fun. The music is great, the environments are cute and the Yo-Kai have neat designs that I enjoy. There is also a difficulty to this game that was a breath of fresh air compared to similar games in the monster collecting genre. Within the first two hours I had died three times, which was a welcome change from not dying a single time in the last five years playing the competitors games!… Expand
  23. Michael_Afton
    Sep 5, 2017
    0
    This is just a bad Pokemon rip-off! It's stupid, has bad graphics, terrible battles, bland story, and stupid gameplay! The battles are HORRIBLE! All you do is watch your Yo-Kai battle other Yo-Kai! That's It! Watch Jimmy Whetzel's review for more information! Rating: 0/10
  24. JBTBFDIG
    Jan 5, 2018
    0
    Whatever. I am really not going to buy that stupid game. Pokemon is better than that. I might commit suicide because of this!
  25. Deltasigma
    May 24, 2019
    1
    Where do I begin, playing through the game, I tried to keep an open mind as an avid Pokemon fan, that was difficult. I was not expected to be hit in the face by how awful this game is. The story is nonsensical, the yo kai are poorly designed and geez I have never been more disappointed in characters. The combat was strategy based but drawn out.
  26. vahn
    Aug 8, 2016
    7
    A long time ago I played a pretty nice game called pokemon. It was original for its time and had plentiful of things to do: I easily spent all day playing it until I finished it. Then I couldn't care less about its sequels due to how identical they were, with barely any innovation except for graphics. And new pokemon but that's not enough.

    What I'm saying with this silly intro is that    A long time ago I played a pretty nice game called pokemon. It was original for its time and had plentiful of things to do: I easily spent all day playing it until I finished it. Then I couldn't care less about its sequels due to how identical they were, with barely any innovation except for graphics. And new pokemon but that's not enough.

    What I'm saying with this silly intro is that Pokemon never seemed to attempt at innovating its own core mechanics, while many others did but failed to achieve the same fame as pokemon. This is what happens when a famous brand is attached to a - in my opinion - mediocre game.

    Until I tried Yo-kai watch and while I wasn't really sure about it, the more I played the more I fell in love with it and screamed to myself "THIS, this is what I wanted all along: new gameplay, new mechanics, a story, ANYTHING that didn't look exactly like the first pokemon!". And I'll explain why.

    First and foremost, am I the only person in the entire world that doesn't see the similarities with pokemon, but with Shin Megami Tensei and Jade Cocoon 2? The interaction parts are similar to the Atlus game, except that it's much more simple and you can't actually talk, but only interact with food. I'll explain later about this but overall, the main difference with pokemon is that you ACTUALLY interact with them, as they don't repeat their own names like inbred retards. It's not incredibly vast but, I felt more attached to my yo-kais than my pokemons for sure.

    Secondly the combat allows you to use 6 Yo-kai at once in a circular pattern, meaning that you can only put the first 3 in battle while the other 3 will stay in the backline, which is a very similar system used in Jade Cocoon 2 (with 9 instead of 6). Not only that but this system is actually well used, as the enemies will constantly curse your yokais and this will force you to switch the formation; during the switch you must de-curse your yo-kais and doing so you obtain a lot of EXP. In addition to this you'll be able to perform special abilities, which are from healing to multi-target attacks. Each Yo-kai have their own and it's well varied!

    Another similarity with SMT is the merging: you can merge yo-kais with other yo-kais AND items to obtain new and stronger ones. Luckily enough it's very limited so you won't have to randomly try for new spirits: if you have the right yo-kai or item, you can merge it, or else you won't.

    The game also allows you a lot of freedom and has NO RANDOM ENCOUNTERS WHATSOEVER. Yes, you can avoid all encounters at will, even in dungeons, as they appear in the screen anytime. This is SO much better in comparison to pokemon...but also a bit of a drawback, for a reason that I'll explain later. However the game is very open ended, despite limited at the start, and has a lot of sidequests, sideactivities (which are incredibly RNG, sadly) and an actual main story to follow that's...interesting but not nobel worthy. There are also "medals" to acquire but, unlike pokemon which are kind of a nuisance and are there because...uh...because it's poekmon, in Yo-kai watch they serve 2 purposes:

    1) The possibility to obtain stronger Yo-kais
    2) Allow passage through certain passages.

    Infact thanks to the watch, you can easily see what kind of Yo-kai is nearby you with a sort of radar that shows the weakest (E) to strongest (S) Yo-kai. You're free to avoid them whenever you want but eventually you'll have to upgrade your watch in order to move with the story.

    However there's one major issue that ruins the game: the Yo-kai capturing.

    Let me explain how it works: you see a Yo-kai nearby through the radar, you search around for it and you find it; after that you have to highlight it with your watch for a few seconds (by the way, why can't the 3DS just show **** on the touchscreen already? The DS did that!) and you get into the fight. You finish the fight...and pray to RNGesus that he/she joins you. More than likely they won't. Repeat the process.

    This....this is mind numbingly bad: RNG should be left for F2P games (or Final Fantasy games, as they seem to love it the most), not to a main mechanic of the entire game! You can use food to raise the chance to capture your Yo-kai but it's not even assured you'll get it! I spent hours trying to capture 1 Yo-kai and every Yo-kai but the one I wanted joined my team. Every. Single. Other. Yo-kai. And I still haven't got it until now.

    This is why this game gets 7: if the capturing system was more controlled I would've loved this game to no end, but the RNG factor ruins it and it's not really that fun either. The combat is quick sure but why couldn't we have some meter or something that shows that we're going to capture it at the end? It's just needlessly complicated (like some other company I know).

    Overall, the game is fantastic, a fresh take on the monster capture game. Give it a try, but don't go in thinking of pokemon: it's definitely not.    … Expand
  27. Rumic
    Jun 9, 2016
    8
    It is one of the freshest games of the year, at the start you can think it's a simple game, but when you try the mechanics and look the Yo-kai character and how to get profit from it in combat, you see how fun the combats can be.
    You don't choose the attack, but you can treat wounds with food, clean diseases and lock on an objetive, in some combats you can't stop doing things.
    The plot    It is one of the freshest games of the year, at the start you can think it's a simple game, but when you try the mechanics and look the Yo-kai character and how to get profit from it in combat, you see how fun the combats can be.
    You don't choose the attack, but you can treat wounds with food, clean diseases and lock on an objetive, in some combats you can't stop doing things.
    The plot is simple as allways, normally it takes 24h to complete doing only the basic to advance and beat the final boss, but don't mistake complete this game takes much more than a hundred of hours, geat all medals, fulfill al secondary missions and the secret dungeon is not something you can do when you fbeat the final boss    … Expand
  28. Kingpinn02
    Jul 25, 2016
    7
    SHORT VERSION: It has it's fun moments despite it's simplicity, but I wouldn't call it a "must play".

    I know the rating for "7" appears mixed, but I'm actually more positive about this game (I just don't feel it's good enough for an "8"). After playing LBX: Little Battlers eXperience, it left a bad impression on me with it's ridiculous story. This worried me since I had also got Yo-Kai    SHORT VERSION: It has it's fun moments despite it's simplicity, but I wouldn't call it a "must play".

    I know the rating for "7" appears mixed, but I'm actually more positive about this game (I just don't feel it's good enough for an "8"). After playing LBX: Little Battlers eXperience, it left a bad impression on me with it's ridiculous story. This worried me since I had also got Yo-Kai Watch, made by the same developer Level-5. I heard about it's popularity in Japan and comparisons to Pokemon, so it had made me curious on whether I'd like it or not.

    GAME-PLAY: Battles feel simple yet fun with this sort-of roulette wheel that allows you to decide which three Yo-Kai will help out in a battle. They all fight by themselves, but you'll have to make sure their health doesn't get low and when will be the right time to perform a Soultimate Attack which can deal a lot of damage to enemies. Boss fights can be really fun and even strategic at times since you have to target certain parts of them for the Yo-Kai to hit.

    The process of befriending Yo-Kai can feel really tedious most of the time. Since there's no "Yo-Kai Balls", they only befriend you by chance after every battle. You can increase your chances by giving them food, but it doesn't work most of the time.

    STORY: Unlike LBX, which tried to hard to be a complex plot only turning itself in to something ridiculous, Yo-kai has a simpler story. For most of the beginning and middle, it doesn't involve trying to save the world or anything like that, It's just you helping friends with problems and befriending more Yo-Kai. At times, it felt pretty similar in tone to Kiki's Delivery Service since it's just you completing everyday tasks (albeit, with strange methods).

    That being said, the characters can also feel pretty bland and forgettable since you really only help each one out with one task and never have to interact with them again. Because of this, some Yo-kai start off interesting but are never developed. Jibanyan used to be a kitten owned by a girl named Amy, but this subplot is never explored. Kyubi is made out like a jerk but he ends up having no relevance besides helping you in the end because he feels like it.

    FINAL THOUGHTS: To my comfort, Yo-Kai Watch ended up being a better game then LBX. It was simple, and it didn't try to be anything more then that. However, this also backfired at certain story moments that made it feel generic. I don't regret playing it, but would I have gotten something else? Eh... most likely. Would I get any of the other installments should they ever get localized? Nah, the first one is enough for me.

    If you're a Pokemon fan, you might like it, but you're honestly better off getting Super Mystery Dungeon and waiting for Sun & Moon. Anyone over the age of 12 might just end up finding it to simple to hold their attention    … Expand
  29. Maxed_Out
    Apr 24, 2016
    7
    i think its a ok game because it has a really innovative and cool battle system and involves many 3ds features which is nice too but the cheesy humour and the alright graphics will only apeal to peoples below the age of 13
  30. IxSaru
    Feb 7, 2016
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I began to play this game very excited , and to some extent I liked , but after that only take me discomfort, why ?, because in this game there are just lucky and specific procedures .
    The game seems very cool, beautuful city, side quest, a cotidian life, but has a little things that I don’t like.
    If you want a YoKai, look for it , over and over time, if you're very lucky after a few hours you will have , or get one of the 3 YoKais that make can make friends with easier YoKais , or give them the food they like, which is no way to know unless you a guide on the side , but wait, this is not a guarantee that you get it easily , there Yokai Throw in appearing very very very rarely ....
    (SPOILER ALERT)
    But that's just the beginning , the story is easily ended in a few hours , and has no wonder, including , the final would rate it as mediocre, to give you an idea , the story is: Meet YoKais , Boss, helps a friend , it is repeated multiple times , Surprise the YoKais will attack the world (it’s the last chapter in the game), defeat a boss, defeat 3 mini bosses, defeat boss again, YoKais leave the World, End, YoKais return to World(Has no mayor explain)….
    (END OF SPOILERS)

    (The game has more than 100 missions fill the void of history, that is good…)

    Besides , you cannot beat the game with YoKais you want, you have to have a Healer and Support , especially in the post game .
    If you want objects to get rare YoKais , you should get bugs and fish , but you need the rare versions for these , which also appear rarely (Special Rare fish / bug ) , and they ask more than one, I was two hours trying to get just one, and I could not get outside in fishing and catching bugs is also influenced by luck.

    If you want special meal , you are limited to a few units per day , and if you want YoKais rare , you should try to get them into the YoKai vending machine, only limit you 3 per day and is not influenced by luck, marrow, YoKais you'll get are predetermined.

    Post game has no further exploration , rather than go to the last area in the game (which you should not know how to unlock) and go old areas that previously had bloqued parts, also has more than twice bosses the main story , which are more difficult , but if you have no very good team (which is very difficult ) , you have nothing to do against them , note that in this last area get very little experience , making the transition between the end of history and the postgame be more difficult ( include passing the 100 missions you get in history before arriving here ) . If you want to level up fast is best to use a trick with the calendar (never use it or will use), which I do not like at all ...

    Notably, the game claims more than 200 YoKais , but more than a third of them are the same in another color, you just change the name and attacks, but the same design, if we see more specific cases we have jibanyan , which has 2 fusions, legendary form, fusion with Komasan , 2 robot forms and other 5 shiny forms....

    Conclude by saying it is a good game, but it has many things that are irritating if these details have been better, it would be an almost perfect game.

    Lucky Watch…    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

18
#18 Best 3DS Game of 2015
7
#7 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2015
2
#2 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 69 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 69
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 69
  3. Negative: 0 out of 69
  1. Telegraph
    Jul 25, 2016
    60
    It is still zippy and enjoyable enough -with touchscreen mini-games for purifying and Soultimates- but strikes an awkward middle-ground where combat isn’t involved enough for more experienced players, but is chaotic enough with its machinations to befuddle newcomers.
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  2. Games Master UK
    Jul 5, 2016
    80
    An expertly paced and enjoyable Pokemon-like RPG, tailored beautifully for younger audiences. [June 2016, p.68]
  3. Edge Magazine
    Jul 5, 2016
    60
    Thanks to a thoughtful, witty localisation, Yo-Kai Watch proves to be a kids' game that's capable of winning over adult players, too. [July 2016, p.123]
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