As a child, I used to believe that there was more to the world than meets the eye. Not fairies, of course. Nothing so diaphanous or innocent. Growing up in Malaysia, my imagination swarmed with hungry ghosts and pontianaks, and all the other things that go bump in the Southeast Asian night. Yo-Kai Watch reminds me of those days - except this alleged Pokémon challenger's a lot less toothy.
The basic premise of Level-5's popular role-playing game is this: you play as either a boy or a girl who discovers an unusual device beside a sacred tree. You pick it up and your life changes. Unlike other humans, you're now able to bear witness to the strange world of the Yo-Kai, the unseen spirits who permeate every corner of the known universe.
It's a glorious spectacle. The Yo-Kai feel wonderfully integrated into the environments, and I won't lie, it's an absolute joy to see how they interact with an oblivious humanity, alternatively helping and hindering, never outright malevolent, but always delightfully mischievous. There's an undertone of darkness that works in the game's favor. Although it never gets particularly graphic, you see nods towards mythological inspirations. Jibanyan, for example, is a red cat spirit who is adorable and effusive and every inch the ideal mascot, but also the tragic consequence of a traffic accident.
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