Yo-kai Watch 3

Yo-kai Watch 3
"No more grumbling, stop your cries Hooray, bravo! Yay, you guys! Love is blooming, cheers, Yo-kai!" — Intro theme (Banzai! Ai-Zenkai!)
Protagonist(s): Nate Adams Hailey Thomas Genre(s): Role-playing Platform(s): Nintendo 3DS Release Date: JP (Sushi and Tempura): July 16, 2016 JP (Sukiyaki): December 15, 2016 PAL: December 7, 2018 NA: February 8, 2019 Developer(s): Level-5 Publisher(s): JP: Level-5 WW: Nintendo Country: Japan Series: Yo-kai Watch Predecessor: Yo-kai Watch 2 (direct prequel) Yo-kai Watch Blasters (by release date) Successor: Yo-kai Watch Busters 2 (by release date) Yo-kai Watch 4 (direct sequel)

Yo-kai Watch 3 is a role-playing game developed and published by Level-5, with Nintendo publishing outside of Japan, for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the third mainline game in the Yo-kai Watch series, and the fourth overall, as well as the last mainline game released on the 3DS.

The game was released in July/December 2016 in three versions (Sushi, Tempura and Sukiyaki) in Japan, while PAL and North American regions got only one version released in December 2018/February 2019 that follows Sukiyaki's story and features all exclusive Yo-kai from all three versions.

Why It Deserves Yet Another Yo-kai Medal

1. The story has a bigger focus than the first game, but is much less linear than the second one, which allows for a multitude of side quests that relate to the main story while still maintaining the ability to complete Mystery and Side Quests at the player's leisure.
   • The first four chapters also feature two sides of one larger story (one half for Nate and the other half for new protagonist Hailey) before the two converge in the second half of the game.
2. The graphics and art style are just as good as its predecessors, especially the way BBQ (USA) looks.
3. As always, the voice acting in both languages is good. Even better, the English version features the return of the original actors (except Johnny Yong Bosch, who is replaced by Griffin Burns) after the third season replaced them with cheaper actors.
4. Many improvements to gameplay were made, including:
   • The Battle sections now take place on a 3x3 grid, allowing you to plan out where to attack,
   • This game introduces the Forbidden Fruit, which not only guarantees that you befriend any Yo-kai (except for ones that do not take food), but also makes collecting Rare ones a lot easier. The only trade-off is that it's exclusive to the Blasters T mode.
   • About halfway through the game, you unlock the Yo-kai Watch Dream, which can be used with a Blaster that either damages Yo-kai or makes them easier to befriend), a Cleaner that can suck up trash and Medals, and a Drill that lets you break specific blocks.
   • In the endgame, you create a Pocket Mirapo to allow you to fast-travel anywhere you want!
   • Along with the Crank-a-Kai in Springdale, St. Peanutsburg has its own version known as the Dream Wheel, which is based on a roulette wheel.
     • You can also play Darts to increase how many plays you get from both. Be careful, as you could get just one or two from this method.
5. The soundtrack is just as good as always, especially the "Vs. 'Merican Yo-kai" theme (when you battle in BBQ/USA) and "Vs. Don Spiracy".
6. Nate, Whisper, Jibanyan, the Koma Brothers, Hovernyan and Sgt. Burly are just as likable as they were previously, while the new characters are also amazing additions:
   • Hailey Anne Thomas and her partner Usapyon are fantastic new protagonists, with personalities that are different and balance out their interactions.
   • Buck Hazeltine is a hilarious comic relief character who starts out as the butt of several jokes and a pest who shows up constantly, but becomes more likable after the Hazeltine Mansion chapter and seeing his mother (Beddy-Byes) once again.
   • Like Dame Dedtime/Dame Deartime before him, The Ghoulfather is a complex and threatening villain with a compelling backstory: he was once a boy who witnessed an alien abduction, and his family abandoned him after he told the truth about that, so he wanted everyone to see what he saw was true.
7. Like its predecessor, this game introduces new Yo-kai, and their designs are as creative as always despite BQ #3.
   • You can now collect nearly 700 Yo-kai, which is the highest in any game thus far (beaten only by Busters 2).
   • Because part of the game takes place in BBQ (USA), there is a new variety of Yo-kai called 'Merican Yo-kai, which are based on American culture.
   • There is a new tribe called the Wandroid tribe, even if the only member is Sighborg Y.
   • Four new Legendary Yo-kai are added (Re-Q-Perate, Princess Pearl, Asura and Whyvern King), along with three Yo-kai Pioneers (Columbakat, T. Energison and Starwin) and eight 'Merican Legendary Yo-kai (The Last Nyanmurai, Koma Star, Platinos, Gabby, Flash T. Cash, Teducator, Gentlemutt and City Licker).
   • A new group of Yo-kai based on Gods of Fortune (such as Bishamonten, Benzaiten, Fukurokuju, etc.) is available when you purchase Souls, and you can find Treasure Stones to obtain Treasure Yo-kai (such as Meopatra, Fitwit, El Dorago, etc.)
   • The Build-a-Nyan allows you to make your own Originyan, customizing their appearance, tribe, etc.
8. This game has 13 story bosses (those being Junkernaut, Supermanager, Hoaxy-Coaxy, Agent X/The Executor, Slackerjack, Meganyan, Dr. Maddiman, Yo-kaiju, Yopple-Bot, Beddy-Byes, No-Bot, Rongo Swirll, and of course, the Ghoulfather/Don Spiracy himself) and as always, have weak points and weaknesses.
   • There are also many bosses in Blasters T that are exclusive to that mode, including Maiden Ruin, The Woebra, Yellskitchen, and of course, the Goldfather.
   • Just like Yo-kai Watch 2, you can befriend bosses from the prior games in smaller forms, with new ones including Gutsy Bones, Hinozall, Rubeus J, Hardy Hound and Kabuking.
9. The humor is just as fantastic and hilarious as ever.
10. Like its predecessor, this game has minigames, including Zombie Night (a stealth-based game where you must ring the bells in each area specified), Next HarMEOWny Dancing (a rhythm-based game) and Rafting Adventure (where you steer the raft down the river to find new areas).
    • Also like its predecessor, there is a side mode called Blasters T, where Nate, Hailey and Buck search for treasure on the Cluvian Continent with the Blasters Corps. This also got its own game, just like Blasters was to Yo-kai Watch 2.
11. As always, there is a multitude of side quests to complete, including Mysteries that have a fun animation when completed.
12. Online trades and battles return from the previous games.

Bad Qualities

1. Unlike previous games, you can no longer play as Katie outside of a specific section of the game (that being a parallel universe where she is the protagonist); instead, Nate becomes the canon protagonist while Hailey is the playable female option.
2. Meganyan and Dr. Maddiman, while still good bosses and characters in and of themselves, are reused wholesale from the previous games.
   • Additionally, you fight Hoaxy-Coaxy twice in Hailey's Chapter 2 and Agent X/The Executor four times throughout the game, which is considered lazy.
3. As per usual, the game has a reskin problem, particularly specific 'Merican Yo-kai (such as Tomnyan, the Koma Knomads, Tattlecakes, Li'l Kappa, etc.).
4. While the gameplay has many refreshing ideas that give it a new identity, it can be frustrating for new players to get used to, particularly the Dream Link.
5. As stated on the first game's page, the fact that Springdale was moved from Japan to the US almost came back to haunt the localization team due to this game being partially set in America: Although the US was changed to a Southern state, Springdale still clearly looks Japanese while St. Peanutsburg clearly has normal American influences.
6. Some features were cut from the English release, such as the Dream Bet feature for the Dream Roulette, due to the Dream Medals never being released by Hasbro.
7. The international version has a lot of bugs and glitches, likely due to there only being a limited number of localization team members who didn't have time or resources to iron them out.
8. Sadly, this game was rarely seen in retailers due to the 3DS' lifespan, which makes no sense considering that Pokémon and Mario 3DS games had been available at that time. Games that are rarely seen would only make sense when they are seen for a limited time, like Super Mario 3D All-Stars or those with controversial feedback like Cooking Mama: Cookstar.

Reception

Yo-kai Watch 3 was positively received by critics and players alike (with an 80/100 critic score on Metacritic and an 8.6/10 user score), with the story and new gameplay ideas being praised.

Sukiyaki sold 337,979 copies in its first week, and eventually 653,000 copies, making it the first game to sell under a million copies total. It was even worse in the US, where it was sold as a limited run and just under 4,000 copies were released, likely due to the Switch being released for two years and the 3DS hit the tail end of its lifespan.

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