Quick Look: Yo-kai Watch

Dr. Tracksuit laying down some of that Nasty Medicine.

I think you just sold me on Fantasy Life.

It seems totally fine, but I just cannot imagine this hitting in the west as big as it hit in Japan.

Also, Japan has over 125 million people. It's a smaller market than the US, but not nearly as small as Drew seems to think it is.

I'm a huge lover of Pokemon and I really wanted to get into this game. I've only played the demo, but the big thing jumping out at me is the map. Sure, it's much more detailed than any Pokemon town, but as far as I can tell it's just... a town. Like, that's it. The whole thing is a town.

Pokemon, while less detailed, at least has more diverse areas to traverse through. I can imagine myself getting really bored running around this same area really quickly in Yokai Watch. Again, though, I've only played the demo and watched this QL. Is there anybody that's played the game that can tell me otherwise? I'd love to enjoy this game as a pseudo "replacement Pokemon" for this year since there's no Poke-proper game coming out.

This is very much more like SMT than Pokemon.

Game of the Year

seriously though this looks pretty fun. I'm glad kids today get some good games. I don't feel like that as good of stuff as we got, since a most AAA attention is focused on T+ plus games anymore

I honestly went in optimistic and am glad the guys did a video because I had been hearing a lot about how cool this game was and and basically only knew that it was 'like Pokemon,' but after seeing it in action I'm no longer interested. The battle system seems completely stripped down so much that it's no longer interesting to play; I think that people saying that Pokemon's battle system isn't (as) deep haven't actually played much Pokemon, especially Gen III/IV and onward.

Every time they ql a 3ds game it makes me want to get that game but I never do. Ive had a 3ds for a year or so and still don't have any games.

Intro is already GOLD

Dang this is a lot like Pokemon! Is this the same engine used for XY and ORAS?

it was also the GOTY of some guy named Austin Walker

I'd say the Bravely Default QL still wins this category.
http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/quick-look-bravely-default/2300-8474/

@p_tog: There 4 parts of the town, a park area and lots of buildings.

Second game has you going to other towns, traveling through time and riding the Japanese rails (with adorable announcermans telling you stop names)

Where is the European release?! ugh.. :(

Yo that map is useless! Am I missing something? I can't imagine a map being that unhelpful in the year of our lord 2015.

Oh man I'm not sure which one I should get. yo-kai watch has a demo so I guess I will give that a shot first.

I'm sure knowing what food to give to which Yokai makes more sense if you have some experience with Japanese mythology. Like that Walkappa gave you a cucumber because Kappas are known to love cucumbers. And not all Yokai are ghosts, which is why they aren't just called ghosts. It's a shame that the English version does such a horrible job of communicating this; instead of actually trying to teach you more about this other culture, it just hides behind a bunch of generalized made up bs. There's even a line somewhere that actively misinforms the player by saying "Yokai are Yokai, nothing else." or something to that effect.

What? You realize a lot of your time is spent just watching the battles play out right? Except maybe in boss battles.

so glad to see Fantasy Life getting some love! boss trees, boss stews, boss garments... it's a really cool ARPG thing. it's also got some nice uematsu tunes.

Very good game :)

@devil240z:Both games kind of have the same vibe/feel. If you're more interested in a catch'em'all and monster fights, go for this one. If you're more interested in a cutesy character-action ARPG with some minigames on the side, then Fantasy Life. Though only one game has you fight boss trees. And boss soups.

@ominousbedroom: Yeah! Its a game that I was pretty sad to see slip under most people's radar, I myself would never have even heard of it until a friend wanted me to play the (surprisingly fun!) multiplayer with him.

This is the game 8-4 has been hyping all year??

Very, very cute game.

I also like how Drew has just naturally become the site's mobile/handheld games correspondent.

@brinty: I want that!

Cutee, I'll probably get this when it comes out here sometime next year

hung gramps

Kappa

The liver and chives quest said the shop was on west street. West street, Drew!

@drewbert@jeff Yokai are indeed ghosts/spirits, though sometimes they have tangible forms, like oni who are basically just forest/mountain ogres. Functionally they're identical to any sort of mythological or urban legend. Sirens that lure sailors into the rocks, beacons of light that lure people off the trail only to get lost and die, poltergeists making sure you can't return that new set of fine china, old hags who will steal your children away if they don't wash behind their ears.

The lack of a positional marker for the player is pretty unfortunate but I didn't find it that hard to read. Places like shops and the construction site have unique icons that appear on the map, meaning if you pay any attention at all you'll know that you can get liver and chives on the street left of the construction site (assuming you don't ride through the middle of the street without actually stopping to examine anything).

This seems more like an extremely simplified Shin Megami Tensei for kids than pokemon in some respects. Cool idea and great presentation, game doesn't really seem all that fun.

That map is bad.

Why you gotta do Europe like that, though?

sooo we gave the open world kids game quick look to the guy who doesn't like open world games? Quick look was good and informative and though this isn't a game I would like my kid (if I had one might) just pointing out that someone who likes open worlds games might be a little better to give the open world quick look too. Love drew and he is super knowledgeable about games found the loop pretty easily and pointed out correctly this is pokemon clone. So good job there. I expect though going through the help might have told you how to read the map more but this does seem to be a wander around and do stuff kind of game mainlinging likely is going to only lead to frustration.

Wait yokai are more than just ghosts? Explain please? I love anime and Japanese culture but I always thought they were just ghosts? Thanks!

I think they said that Drew was the only one who was willing to look at it, or at least he was the first one to offer to look at it. Even if he doesn't like open world games, he is still interested in this and if anything, that makes this video more valuable. We know a guy who doesn't like open world games and never played a Pokemon game likes this.

My local Community Yo-kai Watch meets up twice a week.

The whole "use the stylus to search for Yo-Kai" mechanic seems really pointless and like nothing more than a time waster, but aside from that (and a few issues with the map) this seems like a pretty cool game.

Wanted to play something like Pokemon, but not quite Pokemon, on my 3DS for a while no, so this seems ideal.

This looks lot... like Dragon Warrior Monsters, right down to the 'capturing' monsters by giving them food until they decide to join you.

Man that game was something.

Jeff's continuous references to hiphop culture always fucking kill me.

Reminds me of Arc Magatama.

Excellent QL Jeff and Drew. Thanks, guys. :-)

This does look surprisingly cheerful be it that the world is inhabited by a bunch of seriously screwed up ghosts. So yeah, I might have to play this. :-P

Wish I had a 3DS, this game actually looks really cool.

@zaldar: yokai is less "just ghosts" and more of an umbrella term for supernatural creatures, demons, and spirits. yokai are "culturally significant" in that they're based if of Japanwse folklore, legends, etc.

let's say you frame it in American terms; then the game would have Bigfoot, the Jersey Devil, jackalopes, etc. that's probably why it's such a hit in JP since it's got cultural relevance and pokes fun at it too.

I like the title image!

How many Pokemon-esque games have Level 5 made at this point?

Is it me, or is this closer to an SMT game than Pokemon?

Anyone else think this looks a little boring? Kinda seems like you just watch the battles play out most of the time. I like pokemon so I was interested in this but the combat doesn't seem like much fun.

You had me at Paws of Fury.

Uh, how exactly do you expect them to explain what yokai are in the English version? I'm pretty sure they don't in the original release since every Japanese kid knows what yokai means, so they'd have to completely re-write parts of the script and possibly insert additional scenes.

HAVE A CUCUMBER!

Nyanspiriting!

This game looks charming as fuck. Maybe next year when I have time... who am I kidding? I will never have time for all this.

This is the best game to play inside on a bright and lazy winter day with a podcast in one ear and this game's tunes at the same time.