The Yo-Kai Watch series may not have blown up in popularity abroad like it did in Japan but that didn’t seem to stop the sequel from making its way to the West.
Yo-Kai Watch 2 Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls will release Sept. 30 and is pegged to be a bigger adventure with more Yo-kai to befriend, and you know what? That’s exactly what Yo-Kai Watch 2 delivered.
I played the original Yo-Kai Watch and enjoyed its quirky story and unique battle system, but the franchise definitely had room to improve. Enhancements to the battle mechanics, “catching” system and Yo-kai designs made Yo-Kai Watch 2 a more enjoyable game to play than the original.
STORY
If you’ve seen gameplay trailers and the E3 2016 announcement, then you are aware that Yo-Kai Watch 2 is a time-travel story where your character will go back in time to the creation of the first Yo-kai Watch.
Not to give too much away, but there’s a force that is looking to destroy the bond between humans and Yo-kai and that bond begins with you. This leads to your character reliving a lot of the beginning points of the first game.
If the first game is fresh in your mind, then you may be a little annoyed that you have to replay some aspects of the game. For those new to the series, this was a great way to introduce them to the different mechanics in the game, including battling and befriending.
And although having to go through a bunch of the same events of the first game was repetitive, I appreciated the introductory parts being broken up into missions that advance the story instead of one large tutorial session.
But the story of Yo-Kai Watch 2 not only revolves around the first Yo-kai Watch but of two warring factions. The Bony and Spirits factions are fighting in the past and it’s up to you to stop them.
Yo-Kai Watch 2 is released in two versions, Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls , and just like any Pokemon game the versions give some variations to how you play. While certain Yo-kai are different, the story remains relatively the same, albeit you’re getting the story from one side of the war.
From the opening moments, players will realize that your choices will be a big part of your experience. While your choices don’t necessarily change the story, you will be asked to make decisions. Whether it’s choosing which donut store to shop in to which item you are awarded for finishing a mission, your choices can influence your playstyle.
Players should also enjoy some of the missions break away from the main plot to highlight other characters like Jibanyan.
While the original Yo-Kai Watch kept you in one area for a lot of the game, the sequel allows you to travel to new towns and even to a different time period making the story of Yo-Kai Watch 2 feel grander in scale.
GAMEPLAY
The original Yo-Kai Watc h was simple in its gameplay. You walk around and interact with people and objects as you travel between towns. The battle system was unique in its use of the stylus and the strategy needed to win battles.
However, the first game didn’t do a good job of explaining how to master battling and befriending Yo-kai. You were left to guesswork and trial-and-error to figure out which element was good against which and what exactly each attitude meant.
Thankfully, Yo-Kai Watch 2 makes it a lot easier. The same mechanics of attitudes, tribes and type elements are still there but you can figure it out by using the Targeting button. While this is normally used for targeting a single Yo-kai for your entire team’s attacks or to attack a boss’ weak point, the Target now can tell you which your opponent’s weaknesses and what kind of food each Yo-kai enjoys, making it easier to befriend.
There are other small changes in Yo-Kai Watch 2 that are very noticeable, like the graphics and movements of characters. They seem more dynamic, especially when your character opens up the Yo-kai Radar and when the weather changes. You can tell the budget for the games was increased.
The map is also tweaked making it much easier to navigate through the different towns with the names of each building located on the map so you know where you are walking toward before you get there. It also helps that your Missions tab allows for you to choose one mission and have your map set a navigation course.
Considering how big Yo-Kai Watch 2 is in terms of areas, you will love these changes.
Speaking of large areas, an odd choice to include in these games are some of the mini-games and modes of transportation. You’ll have to travel on the train to get from town to town (until you meet Mirapo) and when you do you will be waiting for the correct trains and finding the right connecting train. And god forbid you hop on the local train, you’ll be stuck waiting to get to your destination.
The game tries to include battles and random people showing up to give you items to warrant you sitting on a train for minutes, but as someone who takes a train to work I didn’t need more of this in my life.
The same can be said about some minigames in Yo-Kai Watch 2. Whenever you sit down to eat dinner, you will be put into a rhythm mini-game where you tap on the bowl of food to the beat. I guess it’s to give some variety in gameplay but considering how rare it’s used I don’t see the reason for its inclusion.
BATTLING
Battling in Yo-Kai Watch 2 is largely the same as the first, albeit with some added features thrown in, like a new Soultimate charging method and a new way to purify your Yo-kai. The introduction of M Skills is a nice little addition that you can employ in battle. M Skills are more powerful versions of Soultimates, but I tend to never use them. Still, it’s nice to have them there.
If you enjoyed how battling was done in the first game you’re going to get more of the same from the sequel.
Also, the new Yo-kai in both versions are great. A big problem with the first Yo-Kai Watch was how a lot of Yo-kai looked the same but with a different color scheme. While some of the older Yo-kai have returned, the new ones are unique in how they look and how they battle giving players a lot more variety. Couple that with new hold items and ways to power up your Yo-kai, players will have a lot of fun coming up with new teams.
Boss battles are about as difficult as they were in the first. Like the first, I found myself going through grinding sessions to topple the big bad bosses.
VERDICT
Yo-Kai Watch 2 is a larger and more polished version of the first game, which is what sequels should be.
More unique Yo-kais gives more variety in team-building and battles, while slight changes to missions and how the map works makes playing through this game much easier. The story seems large in scale with time travel being implemented really well and even some “side” missions getting players more attached to the characters made playing the game a joy.
The difficulty was middle of the road and while some mini-games and riding the train seemed unnecessary it didn’t detract from the overall product. New game modes and the trading aspect makes the game feel fresh.
In a game that gives players a lot of choices, the choice to pick up Yo-Kai Watch 2 is a no-brainer.
