I know that I'm still working on my Digimon recap for my Halloween theme (I'm about halfway done taking screencaps of the episode I chose); but I felt this could use a post.
I have been long doubtful about the prospects of the Yo-Kai Watch franchise in the US; and it seems that my skepticism was justified.
Over the course of the weeklong premiere on Disney XD; the anime slowly lost ratings with each succeeding day. The Monday timeslot started at 300,000 viewers; then gradually decreased to 100,000 by Friday.
The following week; the promised Monday airing was bumped to Tuesday in favor of a Gravity Falls marathon leading up to a key episode involving Dipper and Mabel's 13th birthdays. Unfortunately still; that airdate also coincided with early presidential debates; causing the week-over-week ratings to drop to 250,000.
While the fanbase initially expressed hope that things would improve; the Monday of the 19th had a further drop to a paltry 115,000. Even the much-derided grossout show Pickle and Peanut outdrew them; to the point where talk of removing the show from the schedule before the initial order finishes has started.
Additionally, the game is still on track to launch against Call of Duty: Black Ops III; and the demo went live on Nintendo 3DS eShop yesterday. It's here I'm doing a deviation from my usual coverage on this blog to address it.
I was hoping that the game would impress me the way the anime failed to; given how much praise has been lavished on it. No such luck. While the presentation is smooth and the mechanics are fluid; they're also a might too simplistic for me.
Very rarely did I lose any Yo-Kai battles; barring the last one with Dismerella before the demo ends. With the exception of the occasional minigame or quicktime event; the combat is always on autopilot in a similar manner to the gambit system in newer Final Fantasy games. The matchups are also simpler than even early Pokémon games; doing away with elemental type balances (water beats fire, fire beats grass, grass beats water; and so on, and so forth) in favor of character attributes such as Charming or Mysterious.
Contrast this with other RPGs such as Level-5's own Ni No Kuni; as well as the demo of OR/AS thoroughly acclimating to the newer mechanics and providing free bonuses for the full game. In Persona 4: The Golden, the combat consists of a unique blend of melee and magic to fight the demons in town. The World Ends With You makes use of both screens of the system as well as the buttons to fight the Noise in a quirky yet dark use of the setting in the Shibuya district of Tokyo.
Worst of all; was not only the fact that I was forced to play as Nate (who the anime ruined for me) instead of the more level-headed Katie, but the game largely kills any sense of puzzles or problem solving by outright telling you every action you need to take in order to progress. Suffice to say; any chance of me buying the game at full retail price has officially dropped to zero.
Granted, it may not have been bad; but it certainly wasn't the spectacular game everyone else has hailed it as. It might even prove a good novelty on eShop at a reduced price; but I don't see many people rushing out on launch day or preordering/preloading the game when it's coming out against a murderer's row of AAA titles from established franchises. Even if I were to remove Super Mystery Dungeon from the equation (as well as the fact that a new mainline Pokémon game or news of thereof has been conspicuous by its absence); it's still coming out in the wake of Star Wars Battlefront, Guitar Hero Live, Rock Band 4; Halo 5: Guardians, and Zelda: Triforce Heroes.
I can't be certain how the game will do as someone who's not a fan of the series; but it doesn't take a fan to realize things aren't looking too good right now. While their enthusiasm is admirable; I am not making this post to be mean right now. I'm doing it to be realistic. I am taking things as they are; not as the fans want them to be. With that on the table, it's clear that this "Yokai invasion" is turning out to be more Terminator Genisys than Jurassic World; and all the claims of it being "the next Pokémon" are officially meaningless.
As it were; I'm not doing any more recaps of the anime until after the game or toys officially launch, so I can see how they perform as opposed to the anime. You should see my Digimon recap soon; then at least one more piece on Halloween weekend. I'm still not doing Danganronpa for a while because of the UCC incident; but something lighter and just as spooky. See you, space cowboy.
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