Yo-kai Watch 2

Yo-kai Watch 2
Discover the origin of the Yo-kai Watch!
Protagonist(s): Nate Adams Katie Forester Genre(s): Role-playing Platform(s): Nintendo 3DS Nintendo Switch Release Date: Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls: JP: July 10, 2014 NA: September 30, 2016 AU: October 15, 2016 EU: April 7, 2017 Psychic Specters: JP: December 13, 2014 NA/EU: September 29, 2017 AU: September 30, 2017 Switch: JP: July 10, 2024 Developer(s): Level-5 Publisher(s): JP: Level-5 WW: Nintendo Country: Japan Series: Yo-kai Watch Predecessor: Yo-kai Watch Successor: Yo-kai Watch Blasters (by release date) Yo-kai Watch 3 (direct sequel)

Yo-kai Watch 2 is a role-playing game developed and published by Level-5, with Nintendo acting as the publisher outside of Japan, for the Nintendo 3DS, and the second game in the Yo-kai Watch franchise. Initially, the game was released in two versions (Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls), while a third one (Psychic Specters) was an updated version released afterward.

Why It Deserves Another Yo-kai Medal

1. While the story is more linear than the previous game, it is much deeper and has a more serious tone to it while still allowing the player to do missions and befriend Yo-kai.
   • It also has several similarities to Back to the Future, as it involves Nate/Katie traveling back in time using Miradox to meet their ancestor (Nathaniel/Kenny).
2. New Yo-kai have been added to this game, with various new abilities and personalities that give the combat more depth. This increases the number of Yo-kai you can collect to over 350.
   • Several bosses, such as Wobblewok, Slimamander, SV Snaggerjag, Sproink, and the Oni Bosses (Gargaros, Ogralus, and Orcanos), now have smaller befriendable forms.
   • There are exclusive Yo-kai in both Bony Spirits (Arachnus, Venoct, Faysoff, etc.) and Fleshy Souls (Toadal Dude, Kyubi, Boyclops, etc.) while you can get ones from both in Psychic Specters if you choose Spirit or Soul Donuts along with several ones exclusive to it.
   • Three new Legendary Yo-kai are included for the tribes that didn't get one previously (those being Spoilerina for Charming, Poofessor for Shady, and Slurpent for Slippery).
   • There is a new tribe called the Wicked tribe, with five original Yo-kai and ten possessed versions of Classic Yo-kai.
   • A new variant of Yo-kai called Classic Yo-kai has been added and is more similar to the yōkai that inspired them (such as Pallysol for Kasa-obake, Smogmella for Enenra, Lady Longnek for Rokurokubi, etc.)
3. Nate/Katie, Whisper, Jibanyan, and the Koma Brothers are still their likable selves (despite having traits from the anime carry over into the games), and there are plenty of new ones as well:
   • Hovernyan is a mature and serious cat Yo-kai based on Superman/Clark Kent, with his counterpart Darknyan being based more on Batman/Bruce Wayne.
   • Nathaniel Adams and Kenny Forester, the grandfathers of Nate and Katie, respectively, are stubborn yet playful children who created the Yo-kai Watch (in this case, the Model Zero).
   • Despite their war being ridiculous, the Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls have a funny and memorable rivalry.
   • Dame Dedtime is a much more serious and sinister main antagonist than McKracken, as she was once a Sengoku-era woman who was imprisoned for a crime she didn't commit, causing her to slowly but surely hate humans.
     • Once you complete a certain postgame quest in Psychic Specters, she reforms and becomes Dame Deartime.
   • Kin, Gin, and Bronzlow are good secondary antagonists who are responsible for Nate/Katie losing their watch and memories of Yo-kai.
   • While Dr. Maddiman was a boss in the previous game, he gets a lot of development in this one as he remembers his past: he was once a human doctor with a wife and son that he cared for, to the point where he tried to take over the world by using his patients for experiments but miscarriages his family to the point where they abandoned him. As he kept working, he slowly started to lose his memory and sanity.
4. Once you build the Yo-kai Watch Model Zero, you can activate Moxie Soultimates, which is an even more powerful Soultimate at the cost of draining the closest team members' Soul Meters.
5. Fantastic graphics, with many areas such as Harrisville, past Springdale, and Gera Gera Resort, making the game's world larger than in the previous game.
6. The voice acting is still good, just like the previous game and anime.
7. This is the first time online trading, a highly-requested feature, is available.
8. A wider variety of minigames than the previous game, such as rhythm-based ones, bicycle races, and pole climbing.
9. The map is easier to navigate starting in this game.
10. There is a fun subgame app called Yo-kai Watch Blasters, which expands the Terror Time feature of the series and makes it a full-fledged action RPG.
    • The app is so good, it even got its own spin-off game.
11. There are over 100 quests to complete, with some of the Key Quests revealing the past of Jibanyan and Whisper.
12. After beating Dame Demona, you can access the Infinite Inferno, Divine Paradise, and Gera Gera Resort, along with much of the other postgame content.

Bad Qualities

1. The game has the reskin problem from its predecessor, with many of the new Yo-kai (such as the new Robot Yo-kai and the Fruitnyans) being simple recolors of pre-existing ones.
2. While the train sections are funny, they can take forever to get through and are particularly frustrating when you're trying to get an all-access pass.
3. Only 8 story bosses this time around (those being Gutsy Bones, Meganyan, Cap'n Crash, Eyeclone, Kin & Gin, Bronzlow, Dame Dedtime, and Dame Demona), although there are 20 more that can be fought after the main game.
4. Just like the Switch remake of the first game, the remake of this game was only released in Japan.

Reception

All versions of Yo-kai Watch 2 received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics (Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls received 72/100 and 70/100 respectively on Metacritic, while Psychic Specters received a 73/100), but positive reviews from players (with Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls receiving 8.2 and 8.1 while Psychic Specters received 8.7), with many saying it was improvement over the previous game as far as the story and gameplay were concerned.

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