Review: Yo-Kai Watch (3DS)
Your
Pros:
- Wonderful graphics. Looking like the cartoon in every way, The art style pops and looks really good on the 3DS screen.
- Opening area tutorial.
- Gameplay is very akin to Pokemon. Find these beings called Yo Kai and befriend them, They will then fight for you when called into battle. Your ultimate goal is to protect your friends and family in Springdale from the strange goings on.
- Yo-Kais: Beings that can only be seen with the Yo-Kai watch. Yo Kais can affect humans moods like hunger, sadness, Anger and many more. Once friends with a Yo-Kai you get their coin to add to your medallium. Yo Kais are in tribes thus meaning same tribe members form bonds meaning better attack powers and more.
- Open world map that grows as you play through the main story. You can go anywhere in the world. Buildings, Shops and schools are now your playground.
- Watch: Not only used for seeing Yo-Kais, Your watch also has a PKE meter looking device that will tell you when Yo-Kai are close. You can also see the time in game. You upgrade the watch to enable you to see stronger and better Yo-Kais.
- Save whenever you like.
- HUD: Very clear and easy to use. Open your inventory to examine the map, items, quests and coins collected. You can zoom in and out of the map.
- Alleys: Act like little dungeons with always respawning enemies.
- Wayfarer Manor: Place used to interact with any collected streetpass hits. You can friend/battle Streetpass Yo-Kais.
- Online and local battles.
- Controls: You have to use the touch pad for fights but can use the face buttons for exploring. That said you can just use the touch pad exclusively.
- Cartoon cut scenes direct from the TV show.
- Combat: You set 6 Yo-Kai on your wheel, They will auto attack and defend. You get to activate and use their ultimate attacks once they have enough spirit. Once triggered you do one of three mini games to launch the attack. It could be following a line on screen or tapping coins. Aside from that you can turn the wheel to change the fighting line up as only 3 are ever fighting at one time.
- Loot chests are hidden away in the world containing items and other goodies.
- Day/Night cycle.
- Full 3D integration and its best played in 3D.
- Quests/Favours: You can do side quests or side favours for ectra rewards and exp. Favours are simple little tasks where as quests may have many parts to them or a set long goal. All favours and quests are found in game and are totally optional.
- QR code support: Use this feature by scanning the QR codes found on Yo-Kai toys and the TV show to add bonus loot to your game.
- Crank-a-kai: Use your special coins to earn loot and even new Yo-Kais. You only get 3 goes a day and depending on the coin used depends on possible rewards. Crank-a-kai is a capsule machine.
- Coins: Huge range that are used in the Crank-a-kai and can be found in chests, quest rewards etc. Coins have categories like eerie, Soft, Heavy and dictate what type of Yo Kai or loot you could possibly get from the machine.
- Play coins: The Crank-a-kai uses 10 play coins for one capsule.
- Really good checkpoint system. Limits the need to replay sections of the game.
- Eye-Po: Acts as a save point in dungeons, Allows you to change your Yo Kai layout and all Yo Kai get a health refill for free.
- Medallium: Bible showing off all your collected Yo Kai coins.
- Three save slots.
- Camera option allows you to earn bonus loot from the Post Office by taking photos with it rewarding you when you make expressions and faces. Smile for example and find the happy Y Kai. Its a fun distraction and is a great way to break the game up.
- Story is instantly enjoyable, Sure its a bit predicatable but it does follow the TV show in many ways and has humour through out.
- Promotes road safety. Use the button on the pedestrian crossing to get a thumbs up. Dont use it and you get a bad mark against your name. Do it too many times and you get summoned to the Yo Kai in charge of the road safety program who doesn’t take kindly to your misconduct and lack of safety.
- The game is really easy to get into and hooks you in almost instantly.
- Over 200 Yo Kai to befriend all more crazy than the last one.
- Oni: Oni is a big monster who randomly shows up and changes your game world into darkness. You must avoid his minnions whilst running away from here. Capture is instant fail but collect any of the hidden loot boxes for untold riches and escape through the door.
- Earn exp and level up your Yo Kai. Once high enough you can evolve them into a completely different Yo Kai complete with new attacks and abilities.
- Shops/Vendors:Located all over the world, You can buy supplies, Sell your bugs, Fuse Yo Kai duplicates together to make new ones.
- Bugs: Collect bugs from trees, Flower beds and long grass. Sell them or trade them for new items at the hunters lounge.
- Fish: You can fish and again like the bugs, sell them or trade them for rare items.
- Game is so big that there is always something to do even if its doing the daily Crank-a-kai or fishing.
- Voices are the actual voices from the cartoon series.
- Passcodes:You can exchange passwords for Crank-a-kai coins at the Lambert Post Office. You earn one letter or number of a password every time you catch wanted Yo criminals 3 times. (Shh or just google it shh)
- Play the game how you want in terms of missions and quests. You are under no time limit to finish particular missions and can take your time.
- Huge epic boss battles requiring major planning and skills to win.
- Easily over 60 hours of game here, Thats before you even begin to think of the side quests.
Cons:
- Slow starter especially when traversing the game world. Apart from a limited run feature, Long travel takes ages until you get your bike or fast travel ability.
- A lot of reading and learning.
- A lot of simple yet repetitive fetch quests.
- Code entries/QR codes are only done one by one so if you have a few it can take a while.
- Difficulty spikes, More aimed at the boss fights.
