The Yo-Kai Watch franchise has emerged as one of Pokemon’s biggest rivals in recent years, so it follows that Yo-Kai Watch would also follow Pokemon into the realm of augmented reality (AR). Players in Japan are no able to hunt down Yo-Kai using their smartphone cameras.
Yo-Kai Watch World uses similar mechanics to Pokemon Go, with the typical features of Yo-Kai Watch sprinkled in.
Players can use their smartphones to scan the streets, parks and other Japanese public areas to find yo-kai and battle the creatures for a chance to become their friends and recruit them to your side. Recruited yo-kai than be added to your party and levelled up.
A slight difference is that yo-kai can be attached temporarily to another player so they can visit another place for a while before returning with special items and even exclusive yo-kai who would not be otherwise available.
Yo-kai trees can also be planted, which creates an area that new yo-kai will be attracted to, advantageous as the main objective is to fill up the Yo-Kai Encyclopedia. Players find new yo-kai by using the ‘search’ function, which pinpoints areas of likely yo-kai activity.
Battles are said to mostly occur automatically, though players can intervene by activating special moves at advantageous moments. Winning battles levels up your yo-kai, and a higher-levelled party means that stronger yo-kai will make an appearance to challenge you.
There are also the Advent Boss fights which are said to offer special rewards, and something called the Outing Map feature, which lets players look back at previous travels. There are also hints that group battles similar to Raids will also be possible at some point.
Yo-Kai Watch World is compatible with both iOS and Android devices, but is currently only available to play in Japan, and there is currently no word on any plans to bring it to the west. The trailer is available to view below.
For future coverage of Yo-Kai Watch World and other upcoming AR apps, keep checking back with VRFocus.
via Mint VR