Yo-Kai Watch 4 and Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher- A Tale of Two Localizations

This was not the plan I initially considered for this post; but then again, not a lot has been lately. I was initially planning on doing a post commemorating three years since the announcement of Yo-Kai Watch 4 being localized; and little to show for it since then. By contrast, another game that unites two distinct cult classic Japanese IPs was not only announced for this year in Japan; but a worldwide localization upon its release this year. So, I will rework it into a different post. Here is Yo-Kai Watch 4 and Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher- a tale of two localizations.

As I have documented on this blog before, Yo-Kai Watch 4 was announced at Anime Expo in July 2019; which was definitely the plan before everything changed. Given the near radio silence on the matter since then and the closure of Level-5 Abby in the year 2020, it's honestly not looking good. There's talk of localizing the Jam Project spinoff under the name "Y School Heroes" (which seems to be corroborated by the title showing up in the new PS Plus backend); but not much else has been said about that either. For an aside, the much-hyped Megaton Musashi has gone free-to-play; a move that has been met with mixed reception. Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds was a promising spinoff to the console installments that lost my interest and others once blockchain elements were added to the game. Unless Level-5 sells the international rights to another publisher, I don't see it still happening (especially given that email inquiry).

By contrast, Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher had its localization announced for this year of our Almighty Sinnoh, 2022. This would suggest that the English version of Monster Rancher 1 and 2 DX did well enough for it to happen: not BDSP or Legends Arceus numbers; but enough to suggest there's still an audience for Monster Rancher in the US. As for Ultraman- while it's never been a critical darling; it still has a following in Japan and a cult following in the US that could make the case for the game doing modestly well here. They're even retaining the searchable database of CDs to make up for the lack of a disc drive on Switch. As someone who bought the remasters day one, I can verify how extensive the amount of albums one can summon monsters from is. It's been an interesting year for game reveals so far, and I will keep an eye on this one.

Bottom line- while an English localization of Yo-Kai Watch 4 remains elusive after three years; Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher wasted no time in announcing localization plans. That's all for now, and I will see you all again soon.