News
YO-KAI WATCH Releases
REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 5, in the year of our Lord 2015
– Do your socks go missing in the dryer? Are you constantly
shopping for useless stuff? Or maybe you can’t stop spilling all
of your secrets? All of this could be caused by demonic Yo-kai!
Hundreds of these sometimes spooky, sometimes cute and usually
mischievous ghostly Yo-kai secretly inhabit our world. They
can’t be seen by the human eye, but they’re hiding everywhere!
In YO-KAI WATCH, an original game from top Japanese
entertainment company LEVEL-5 Inc. which launches exclusively
for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems on Nov. 6, you can
explore the in-game world to find and befriend more than 200 of
these Yo-kai, each with unique skills, strengths and
personalities.
After selecting to play as a male or female character, you begin
an adventure in an expansive world filled with hidden Yo-kai
waiting to be discovered. As you explore the world, you will
encounter Whisper, the self-proclaimed “Yo-kai Butler,” who
entrusts you with a Yo-kai Watch. With this special watch,
you’ll be able to see spiritual Yo-kai everywhere in town and
even befriend them. Befriending new Yo-kai is not always easy,
though – in many cases, you will need to battle with them and
impress them during your battle. Once befriended, you’ll receive
a Yo-kai medal as proof of your new friendship. Then you can
summon your new friends with their Yo-kai Medals, form a team
and challenge troublemaking Yo-kai or solve the problems of
people in need. Finding all the Yo-kai in the game (especially
the rare ones) and seeing their names and designs is all part of
the game.
As you collect Yo-kai throughout the game, you can form teams of
six Yo-kai at a time. Since each Yo-kai has different abilities,
it will take strategy to form the right team and gain the upper
hand when confronting particularly troublesome Yo-kai. By
strategically initiating Soultimate Moves and purifying your
friendly Yo-kai using the touch screen of the Nintendo 3DS
system, you can gain the advantage in battle. You can even feed
your Yo-kai food, beverages and medicine in battle to heal them.
Your assistance and leadership in battle is crucial to success.
YO-KAI WATCH is in stores, in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS
on Nov. 6 at a suggested retail price of $39.99. If you want to
try before you buy, a free demo of the game is now available to
download in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS. For people
looking to get the game along with a Nintendo 2DS system, a
bundle is also available in stores on Nov. 6 at a suggested
retail price of $99.99. The bundle includes the Nintendo 2DS
system and a pre-installed version of YO-KAI WATCH.
Alongside the video game, the YO-KAI WATCH animated TV show is
being broadcast on Disney XD, Mondays at 5 p.m. Full episodes
will also be appearing on the Yo-kai Watch Official YouTube
Channel on Nov. 5. At the same time, VIZ Media’s Perfect Square
imprint is bringing the original manga series to the West for
the first time. Starting in January, Hasbro, Inc. will introduce
a YO-KAI WATCH product line featuring a system of play centered
around the YO-KAI WATCH accessory and collectable medals, along
with board games, plush and figures. Fans can pre-order the
YO-KAI WATCH accessory at select retailers starting on Nov. 6
and running through Dec. 31. People who pre-order from select
retailers will receive an exclusive* Jibanyan “Paws of Fury”
medal, while supplies last.
*The exclusive medal is available at Toys R Us, Target, Walmart,
GameStop and HasbroToyShop.com. A deposit of $1 to $5 is
required to pre-order the watch, while supplies last. See clerk
for details. Pre-order availability: Nov. 6 to Dec. 31. Coming
January 2016.