Yo-kai Watch released yesterday and as we stated in our review, it’s a great Pokémon competitor. It doesn’t shy away from wearing its inspiration on its sleeve, but it does plenty of things to establish its own identity.
Here are a few of the ways the two games overlap, as well as some of the ways the two games feel distinct.
Similarities
The evolving
As your collected Yo-kai gain strength, they gain the ability to evolve, making them stronger, giving them new attacks, and changing the way they look. It’s very rewarding to see your ghost children grow up, in the same way it’s exciting to see your Pokémon change form in the Pokémon games. I’m surprised Level-5 didn’t at least consider calling it something different than evolution, though.
The healing
They’re not called Pokémon Centers in Yo-kai watch, but the assorted locations that offer to heal your Yo-kai team function nearly identically. Even the layout often featured in Pokémon centers for going online and trading Pokémon is similar to the way it is laid out on Yo-kai Watch.
The anime
I don’t speak literally of course – the Yo-kai Watch anime has different characters and creatures, but functionally they are very similar. A lead character with a few familiar Yo-kai explores the world, occasionally adding new Yo-kai to his roster, and it subtly explains mechanics of the video games outlining assorted strengths and weaknesses of the more than 200 Yo-kai featured in the game.
Differences
The combat
This is perhaps the biggest separation between Yo-kai and Pokémon. The combat in both games is turn-based, but they feel very different. In Pokémon you typically have a single Pokémon in the fray and select actions one at a time. In Yo-kai Watch, three of your Yo-kai are always in the fray, they attack without your input, and you execute special attacks by playing one of three mini-games as they become avaiable.
The tone
Pokémon has always had a saccharine, optimistic tone. Even in the face of wide destruction, the inhabitants of the world always have a positive, love-filled outlook on the future. In Yo-kai Watch, most of the characters have a sarcastic sense of humor, and the protagonist, in particular, always seems a little put out to be participating in finding, befriending, and generally dealing with the Yo-kai. It’s often funny, and refreshing especially when compared the tone of Pokémon.
The world
Pokémon is often laid out on a track. It’s easy to get off that track, and it’s fun to explore the trail that leads to the end of the game, but there is a path. In Yo-kai Watch, the city you live in is completely open and broken into a handful of large sections. There is no through-line to follow and blockades limiting your progress are rare. Neither series offers a particularly linear experience, but between the two, Yo-kai is a much more open world.
There are more similarities and differences between the two games, but there are some of the big ones. For more on Yo-kai Watch you can find our review here, as well as an interview with developer Level-5’s president, Akihiro Hino, here.