Welcome to our review of Yo-kai Watch 3, the new game in the Yo-kai watch franchise which is out now for Nintendo 3DS!
Mischievous beings known as Yo-kai are everywhere, and it’s up to Nate and Hailey Anne to befriend, battle, and solve problems with them.
Follow two parallel stories and unravel the mysteries behind strange sightings while meeting over 600 Yo-kai and using the new 3×3 grid battle system to strategically dish out or dodge attacks.
More Yo-kai, more mysteries! ’Merican Yo-kai have made their way to YO-KAI WATCH 3 and they’re rootin’ tootin’ troublemakers. Speaking of troublemakers, in BBQ, zombies rise from their graves and Nate must free the town during Zombie Night. If you’re too afraid of zombies, you can always find treasure by exploring randomly generated dungeons and discover the truth about the mysterious ruins hidden all across the continent with the Yo-kai Blasters T group.
Yo-kai Watch is a clear step upwards from its previous iterations as it not only became a dual story wielding game, it also stepped up and became slightly more difficult to play. Goodbye to the feeling of easiness and welcome harsh reality that battles have become a notch harder.
As there is now a dual storyline, it is important to keep your eye on the prize, which is still the gathering of friendly Yo-Kai and all, but you do it from two sides now. While we are in completely new worlds too, this game feels more like a much-needed breath of fresh air rather than anything else.
The core of the game is still the same old trusty game, but at least they did change sceneries and this can be seen in all sorts of details, BBQ Bucks instead of the Springdale dollars, … A completely new layout of everything around you, even a school cafeteria that is popular all summer and actually stays open. Just to name a few differences.
The battle game is now also slightly different, despite all the similarities to the previous games. The main battle is now a board where you move your Yo-Kai forward or backward or even sideways in order to protect another one. It has become more serious as a battle system and it forces you to keep your eyes on the price. Fight or be defeated.
Sure, there is an auto-battle system, but unless your Yo-Kai are really strong, you will end up losing a few battles here and there. Yo-Kai Watch 3 does feel in many ways like a brand new game.
So does it mean this is the one people should buy?
Yes, It does, as much as I enjoyed the previous games, this one was just better. The change of scenery, the dual story and the overall fresh feeling, it made me really enjoy the game. It actually made me put down my Switch (playing Diablo) and really enjoy this game.
The new sceneries made it look so much better too, instead of the classic town, we now have a modern layout that resembles Akihabara a little with the AnimeChum store, … We got the new Yo-kai watch itself and not just our hero but also a newly introduced heroine, really so much to explore right here.
There was also this weird part about a translator Yo-Kai straight from the start that you need in order to understand everyone around you, all because they speak ‘Merican, a near incomprehensible language unless you speak it out loud, haha. This game just had more irks and quirks than expected.
So what is bad about Yo-kai Watch 3?
Not a whole lot really, as this is mostly a child-oriented series with their own merchandising line and anime series and so forth, it might not be for kids of all ages, but really just for kids. Nothing wrong with that, just that I feel older players might not enjoy the game to its fullest.
In conclusion, this game is the thing this franchise needed, a complete makeover in disguise.
