Review for Yo-Kai Watch Blasters. Game for Nintendo 3DS and New 3DS, the video game was released on 07/09/2018
While our Japanese friends have been having fun with Yo-Kai Watch 2016 since 3 and have been enjoying Yo-Kai Watch Blasters 2 since December last year, Nintendo has decided to reward our patience (since we have only received Yo-Kai so far Watch and Yo-Kai Watch 2) distributing the first in the European and American territories Yo-Kai Watch Blasters.
Sometimes you have to be content, but when it comes to it Level 5 settling down is really easy and painless.
And who will you call? Yo-Kai Blasters!
If you think you are facing a classic game of the brand you are very wrong. Forget the classic fights that have always characterized the series, on Yo-Kai Watch Blasters you will play the Yo-Kai in first person in action fights. The figure of humans in this spin-off is almost totally removed in favor of spirits. With a clear makeover to Ghostbusters we will be in charge of a team of Yo-Kai belonging to an organization called Blasters, the special unit of the Yo-Kai that stands against those spirits who have lost their minds and sow panic among the spirits weaker. The problem is only one: our team sucks. The team initially formed by Jibanyan, Nono-No, Dentrostrello and Sabbio, will then receive help from the central command of the Blasters who will send Serg. Kuadro to manage their missions. Thanks to Kuadro and all the other helpers, the team's climb to the top of the organization will begin.
All our activities will start in a well built central hub where we can run freely: divided into six floors, each of them useful for a stage of preparation, this area is incredibly easy to navigate making the prelude to each mission quick and easy. Another very useful tool is the Yo-Kai Pad, a kind of tablet where various apps will be installed during the course of the adventure. Thanks to this device we will be able to perform all the basic functions of a menu (save the game, access the options, view the inventory etc ...) and access the Yo-Kai Clubs. This last function will take the place of a gigantic encyclopedia of spirits, which will reveal how vast the bestiary of this title is.
Simple is best
Don't be fooled by the spin-off nature of Yo-Kai Watch Blasters: Level 5 didn't go easy on the content. During the adventure you can enrich your team with different spirits. A maximum of four characters can go on a mission when active, but the choice will be among more than 400 Yo-Kai each of them with specific characteristics, skills and roles.
Like any self-respecting RPG, the characters have a specific role: in this case very simply we find Fighters, Defenders, Rangers and Healers. The roles are distinct and never risk mixing, giving rise to questionable hybrids. The Fighter must, in fact, fight and therefore his attack statistics are much greater than the norm; the Defender must absorb the damage of the enemies and therefore will always be attacked in the first instance, the Ranger must apply debuffs and the Healer must heal and will have multiple skills all dedicated to this task. Such a clear distinction could be narrow to some more demanding players, but in our opinion it is more than enough even if it is extremely simple.
Spirits are also distinguished by a rank (indicated by a letter), by a level, by a tribe (Scary, Elusive, Daring, Mysterious, Dark, Generous, Splendid, Tough) and a unique dowry. The Rank indicates the rarity of the Yo-Kai; the level must be increased manually through the Oni points that are scattered around the missions; the dowry is instead the most interesting feature: it is a passive ability that varies for each spirit and it is what most distinguishes it from others. The tribe, on the other hand, to our chagrin, only indicates the "character" of the spirit without changing other characteristics.
The aim of the game is as simple as the rest: once we go down on a mission we will have very specific objectives to complete (recover a number of objects, eliminate some spirits or take out a boss) and once completed we can go back and collect the reward. All this, as we have already anticipated, will be faced with an action combat system. Each spirit has a basic attack, two other stronger abilities (which have a cooldown, however), and an Energimax move. What you will actually find yourself doing is pressing keys very quickly seeing the life of simple Yo Kai drop in seconds and hoping to get the better of the bosses before they kill you with a single shot. Even in these clashes, however, simplicity will be the master.
It looks like Spin-off but it is not, it serves to give you joy!
If "simplicity" has been the most recurring concept throughout this article, it is definitely not the word that comes to mind when thinking about the technical realization of Yo-Kai Watch Blasters. Level 5 has dedicated an obsessive care in the realization of this spin-off slap. Between well-made Cut-Scenes, exclusive locations and a style that is totally detached from the main saga you will never have the impression of playing a secondary title. Put in practical terms, Yo-Kai Watch Blasters brings back the Blasters mini game featured in Yo-Kai Watch 2 in an entire title.
The mini game in the main title, however, had gigantic issues that have been perfectly fixed in this full release. On Yo-Kai Watch 2, moreover, it was possible to use only spirits already present in our team and rather high-ranking characters were needed to defeat the bosses (forcing us to challenge the mini game only as post-game content), while in Yo- Kai Watch Blasters the differences are less noticeable and we can easily use even Grade D or C spectra to face the most fearsome threats.
The game is available in two different versions: Clique of the Red Cats and Band of the Pale Dogs. The only differences between the two versions concern a dozen Yo-Kai exclusive to each of the titles.
Yo-Kai Watch Blasters takes both hands from a mini game from the second main chapter of the saga and improves it in all respects, offering a simple, fun action game with a huge amount of content. For some, it may even be "too" simplistic, at least as regards the basic mechanics, but anyone who has loved the two main chapters of Yo-Kai Watch will not be disappointed by Blasters despite the difference in the type of game.
► Yo-Kai Watch Blasters is an Arcade-Adventure-JRPG game developed by Level 5 and published by Level 5 Nintendo for Nintendo 3DS and New 3DS, the video game was released on 07/09/2018
