The original Yo-Kai Watch is coming to Nintendo Switch, developer Level-5 has revealed. The news came during the newest episode of Level-5’s virtual YouTube series, which revealed not only that the game is being ported from 3DS to Nintendo Switch, but also provided a September 20 release date, which is when the Nintendo Switch Lite is poised to arrive. And given that the series is originally a 3DS series, it makes sense that Level-5 is bringing the popular 3DS title to the Switch alongside the Lite, which is aimed at the 3DS crowd who hasn’t made the jump to the Switch yet.
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At the moment, it’s a bit unclear if the port is just a straight up port, or whether Level-5 plans on updating the visuals for the Nintendo Switch release. Right now, it seems like the former is the case.
For those that don’t know: Yo-Kai Watch was once pitched as the next Pokemon. Unfortunately for Level-5, that didn’t happen. While the series is very popular in Japan, it hasn’t gained a ton of traction in the western market. It for sure sells copies in the west, but it didn’t penetrate the market as much as many thought it would.
The first game in the series — this one now being ported — debuted back in 2013 via the 3DS, and has seen since three main sequels and a few spin-offs on both Nintendo and mobile platforms. The most recent mainline release, Yo-Kai Watch 4, released in Japan this year via the Switch, and is scheduled to come west sometime in the future.
Below, you can read more about the original, courtesy of an official overview:
“The Yo-kai Watch game is about hundreds of sometimes cute, sometimes spooky, and usually mischievous Yo-kai that inhabit our world. Yo-kai are not ghosts, monsters or creatures. Yo-kai are, quite simply, Yo-kai. They cannot be seen by the human eye, but they are everywhere. Whether born from the soul of a deceased human, or an everyday object discovering its higher purpose, their personalities are distinctly humanlike.
“As you explore the world, use your Yo-kai Watch to find them, befriend them, and turn them into a team to battle other Yo-kai. Befriending new Yo-kai may not be so easy, though – in many cases, you will need to battle with them and impress them during your battle. Each Yo-kai has its own unique skills and strengths and you’ll use them to challenge the evil Yo-kai and help people in need of solving daily problems – like an argument with a friend or forgetting something important – which may be caused by mischievous Yo-kai hidden everywhere.”
