Yo-kai Watch, the ridiculously popular Japanese franchise about catching invisible creatures that are definitely not Pokémon, will make its way to Australia this Christmas, launching on Nintendo 3DS on December 5 (and is playable at the Nintendo booth at the EB Expo this year!)
The release is a co-op between developer LEVEL-5 Inc., Nintendo Australia, Hasbro and the Nine Network’s GO! alt channel.
The press release describes a Yo-kai as being neither a spirit, monster or ghost but are invisible, all around you and are frequently responsible for your having a crappy day (running late? Can’t find your keys? Spill your coffee on yourself for no apparent reason? Yo-kai did it). From the press release: “The Yo-kai are based on common concerns kids have, and by confronting those concerns, kids can learn to overcome them. ” That’s a Buffy the Vampire Slayer level of dealing in big, bold metaphor and I like it.
A role-playing title, Yo-kai Watch has you explore the game world, befriending over 200 Yo-kai, creating an OP squad and making them fight other Yo-kai. These games are insanely popular in Japan. Last year, the three Yo-kai Watch 2 games made up three of the six best selling games in Japan for 2014 – on both consoles and handhelds.
The anime based on the game begins airing on GO! this December, tying into the game’s release. Yo-kai Watch releases December 5 and is playable right now at the Nintendo Booth at EB Expo 2015 so swing by and try it out!
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