YO-KAI WATCH – (3DS)
Gaining popularity in Japan first, Yo-Kai Watch was sometimes notorious for being a Pokemon clone that wasn’t as good as Pokemon; other critics saw the potential of Level-5’s kiddie RPG and noted it as being excellent all on its own, causing the franchise to acquire multiple sequels, an anime, a manga, and would eventually go across the ocean and reach western audiences.
Yo-Kai Watch is all about finding spirits called Yokai and capturing them to use in your party to then battle other Yokai. All of the Yokai talk and cause mischief throughout the world and it’s up to Nate with the help of his magical watch to assemble the strongest team and make friends in the progress. Unlike Pokemon, Yo-Kai Watch’s battle system is used entirely with the 3DS’ stylus and is not as deep as Pokemon’s. The Yokai that you choose to battle with sort of attack on their own but it’s your decision when to switch em out and when to use their special attacks which are set in motion by playing touch-screen minigames.
Yo-Kai Watch is meant to be a children’s game so Poke-vets might have a tough time forgetting the deep system of Pokemon and dumbing it down a bit to enjoy what Yo-Kai Watch has to offer, which is a cute yet engaging RPG that doesn’t require too much thinking.
