Yo-Kai Watch Reviews

Yo-Kai Watch is ranked in the 67th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Dave Aubrey
Top Critic
7.4 / 10.0
Jun 7, 2016

Pokémon's younger brother has a lot to learn. Yo-kai Watch is hugely recommended for young teens and kids, but I struggle to imagine any adult 3DS owner finding it to be an essential purchase.

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Apr 20, 2016

Yo-Kai Watch is an RPG that continued to surprise us. What we thought was going to be a Pokemon rip-off is much, much more than that.

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Justin Celani
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Nov 17, 2015

Yo-Kai Watch is another game to add to 2015 that surprised the heck out of me. I've tried countless times to get into the Pokémon games before and they just never pulled me in, even though I appreciate what they offer players. Here, the idea of spirits, the charm, the writing, the battles, and the style just immediately sucked me in. I wanted to explore the world, find the spirits, and help people. It's a great start to a new franchise, one of the best looking 3DS games I've ever played, and if you're looking for a RPG with heart and spirit, Yo-Kai Watch is the right choice and a great start to a new franchise.

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82 / 100
Nov 4, 2015

Aside from it taking me (and potentially many others) an embarrassingly long time to get a handle on the combat system, this game is a good, solid package that I recommend, as it will offer loads of fun for those that have the time

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Nov 4, 2015

Yo-Kai Watch is a good variation on the monster collection genre of RPGs that will definitely please fans and earn a few new fans, but has just enough tiresome elements to keep it from being great.

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Buy
Nov 4, 2015

Yo-kai Watch delivers a fun, easy to play, tough to master RPG that I found just as exciting as it is relaxing. I want more of this series.

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Apr 20, 2016

Forget any sneering Pokémon comparisons. Yo-Kai Watch looks sure to be a monster hit with the 3DS's school age audience, but it might also make a fair few friends among older gamers. It's not the deepest or richest game that Level 5 has ever come up with, with character development linear and limited, but it's smart, innovative and funny. You won't grow to love it any less.

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7.5 / 10.0
Apr 20, 2016

Yo-Kai Watch might look like a pocket monster clone with a fumbling battle system, but it's the genuinely endearing cast of characters and Yo-Kai who give it enough heart to be more than just a simple copycat. It's not the next Pokémon, but it certainly is going to be something in the future at this rate that other games will aspire to emulate.

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Emma Schaefer
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
Nov 10, 2015

Yo-Kai Watch is a kid-oriented, lighthearted game packed with quirky characters, secret areas to explore, and bizarre Yo-Kai to befriend. The unwieldy process of recruiting Yo-Kai to your team and an incredibly unhelpful map bog the side content down a bit, but the battling system is unique and fun and there's always more to discover.

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4 / 5.0
Nov 5, 2015

Yo-Kai watch is a promising addition to Nintendo's stable of games, thanks to a polished presentation and intriguing game mechanics. Admittedly, the questing can get a bit repetitive and the battle system isn't quite as dialed down as Pokemon's from a competitive standpoint. Still, with its sizable stable of interesting ghosts, solid gameplay and oodles of charm, Yo-Kai watch should tickle the fancies of the young and young at heart.

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DualShockers
AJ Moser
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Dec 25, 2015

Still, Yo-Kai Watch makes for a good time on the 3DS. It might scratch the itch of a long-time Pokemon fan, and will surely delight younger players. This game doesn't rewrite the formula and will likely not go down in history as an all-time great, but it's a fun, worthwhile experience.

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7 / 10
Apr 19, 2016

A stunning looking RPG with fun interactions and gameplay, Yo-Kai Watch packs over one hundred hours of lifespan to explore fully. While it could have invested more in developing its plot, it's a very welcome arrival to the European market of a game that has spawned a successful series in its home country.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

Nov 24, 2015

Yo-Kai watch might seem like another Pokemon clone, but it's anything but. Don't be fooled by its kid-friendly nature; it's chamring, endearing, and one of the best 3DS games of the year.

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7.8 / 10.0
Apr 20, 2016

As many other games developed by Level-5, Yo-Kai Watch is a well-rounded RPG, perfect to address a younger audience. On the long run, though, the battles become somehow boring and the narrative weakens.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Daily Dot
Top Critic
Nov 6, 2015

Ultimately the appeal of Yo-Kai Watch will depend heavily on you as a gamer. If you're interested in a light JRPG with a twist on standard turn-based mechanics, you will find Yo-Kai Watch to be a delight. If you're looking for something deeper, you might want to stick with Pokémon.

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Nov 4, 2015

"Yo-Kai Watch" is an immersive, hard to put down RPG with tons to do that will more than fill up the time until the next real Pokemon game. Although the fetch quest-filled gameplay and mediocre map take away some of the fun, it's still a tough game to put down and the best new Nintendo 3DS series in North America of 2015. In the end, "Yo-Kai Watch" is not "Pokemon," but it's just as cool, in its own unique way.

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Liked
Nov 4, 2015
Yo-Kai Watch - Video Review video thumbnail
8.5 / 10.0
Nov 5, 2015

Though Yo-Kai Watch does borrow a lot from the Pokemon franchise, the game does strike out a spot for itself in the monster-collecting market. The game is still really fun to play, and the feeling of collecting and discovering new Yo-Kai is exhilarating.  The game has tons upon tons of cut-scenes, and does not have random enemy encounters, which makes it so much easier to get through dungeons without facing the same exact Yo-Kai again and again. Sure, Yo-Kai Watch definitely has places to improve, like its multiplayer and depth, but overall Yo-Kai Watch is more than worthy of a purchase.

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Will Greenwald
Top Critic
Nov 17, 2015

Yo-Kai Watch isn't quite the next Pokemon, but this friendly, light-hearted RPG is still a fun game to pop into your Nintendo 3DS.

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7 / 10
Nov 10, 2015

Yo-Kai Watch is almost a great game. In fact, in many ways it eclipses the effort GameFreak has put into Pokémon over the years, both in production and creativity. That alone should be commended. Unfortunately, there are a few oversights and missteps that ultimately detract from enjoying the many, many things Yo-Kai Watch does so well. The groundwork is here for a franchise that could thrive for a long while to come, but Level-5 needs to rethink a few design decisions and put more focus into plot before Yo-Kai Watch reaches its full potential. This is definitely a game that you should play if you're attracted to the concept, but there are caveats to bear in mind before hunting down spirits on your 3DS.

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