The video games I grew up with go hand in hand with all my cherished memories growing up.
I remember my first console game being Minecraft for the Xbox 360, and my first DS game being Lego Ninjago. But no franchise had a hold on me quite like Pokémon. From Pokémon Red/Blue to Pokémon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, my childhood and early teenage years were defined by the monster-catching JRPG. I was absolutely obsessed. I couldn’t imagine any other game series being as captivating. It was the building blocks of countless childhoods after all, and many people would agree. However, It wasn’t until July 11, 2013 that the release of a certain game changed the playing field.
The Sensation
Yo-Kai Watch, a monster-catching RPG, was released exclusively in Japan in July 11, 2013, for the Nintendo 3DS. Facing underwhelming sales at first, it wasn’t until 2014 when the franchise really began to skyrocket. With only around 50,000 copies sold at the time, Level 5 studios still wanted to continue to pump the franchise with money.
Early 2014, an anime series based off the video game received a warm reception in the Japanese community. The Yo-Kai Watch anime was so beloved, the sales for the original game went passed that small 50k to over a million sales within a year.
From 2014-15, what I would call “Yo-Kai mania” took place in Japan. Merch sold in the millions, books and manga got published, and a sequel series was released as two (later on three) separate versions. 2015 saw the spread of the franchise towards the Western audience as well. With a cult following of the franchise, Level 5 brought every other Yo-Kai Watch media over to the west as well. Looking back, this era was what I would define as the “peak” of the Yo-Kai Watch franchise.
Just like in Japan, it wasn’t until the Yo-Kai Watch anime aired in the West that Level 5 saw sales for the game series increase. We can see a more recent case of this phenomena with Cyberpunk 2077, a game that was released unfinished, disappointing fans. With the Cyberpunk anime release of Edgerunners gaining so much popularity and love, more fans made their way toward the game.
Yo-Kai Watch, however, was never a broken game to start with. It was far from it.
What Makes It So Special?
Pokémon was the main competitor to Yo-Kai Watch and the rivalry between the two was expected. Jibanyan and Pikachu clashing heads as mascots while Nate Adams and Ash Ketchum drew comparisons with one another in their respective anime series. From the start, the two were fated to at least be brought up in the same conversation.
But how did the games compare? And why did some people genuinely believe this new franchise went toe-to-toe with one of the biggest names in the industry? I’ve recently played a game from both franchise’s and trying my best to not let nostalgia cloud my better judgement, I wanted to fairly compare the two.
Yo-Kai Watch for the Nintendo 3DS was outstanding in what it strived to be, and had almost everything that Pokémon fans begged Game Freak for years to include in its games. A more interactive means of “catching” the monsters (or Yo-Kai in this case) were implemented. With various quick-time events and unique gameplay, Level 5 made sure to make the combat more than just a simple turn-based strategy but an interactive battlefield.
Another aspect of Yo-Kai Watch that I enjoyed was just how alive “Springfield” (the town that the story takes place in) felt. NPCs having walk cycles, day and night mechanic that had different areas accessible during different parts of the day, and characters that had depth and faced realistic and hard-to-swallow issues. All of these aspects of the game weren’t present or weren’t expanded enough in the Pokémon games that shared the same platform on the 3DS. With that in mind it was understandable just how confident people were that Yo-kai Watch was a fair competitor.
The Bad Ending
Of course, in 2016, Level 5 studios released Yo-Kai Watch 3 in two separate versions. The reception of the game was… underwhelming, to say the least. Selling only a quarter of what Yo-Kai Watch 2 made, the third installment saw fans stray away from the franchise and the western audience followed suite.
In desperation, Level 5 continued to fund other Yo-Kai Watch related projects to capture the hearts of fans once again only to fall flat once again. From selling over a million copies in one week to their last mainline game only racking up just over 100k, even the biggest fans of the classic 3DS game would admit the series was falling off.
Do I think it deserved it? Absolutely not. It breaks my heart that the franchise with so much potential and depth now will potentially never have a new installment. It had everything it needed to stay successful, passionate developers, intriguing premise and a cult following. Unfortunately, it died off like any other trend.
In spite of its early triumphs, especially in Japan, and the indisputable charm that distinguished it from rivals like Pokémon, Yo-Kai Watch was ultimately unable to maintain its appeal. The series’ downfall is evidence of the difficulties even the most promising franchises encounter in the constantly changing game industry.
As a fan of Yo-Kai Watch to this day, I still find find myself eagerly waiting for news on what’s to come next.
Featured Image: Level 5
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