This is such an incredible game that really meant a lot to me. I initially picked this up on the Switch years ago, but stopped at around the third chapter of the travelers. I picked this back up recently on PC and finished it within a week. I'm so glad I finally finished this.

As long and as hard as I think about it, I can't not rate this game 5 stars. It just has so much going for it that puts it into the "wow!" territory for me. It's made it into my top 10 JRPGs of all time.

Let's talk about the good:
- That music? I could literally listen to the soundtrack all day (and at this point, I probably have). Huge shoutout to My Quiet Forest Home
- Each of the 32 chapters were incredibly engaging and full of twists and turns. I genuinely felt like I was reading a well-written novel. I never once felt bored.
- These characters are some of the best characters I've ever met in a video game. I use the word "met" because it really does feel like I went on a journey with them. Sure, they might be a little flat, but there is something about each one of them that makes them so likable.
- The voice lines that play at the beginning of the battle will ring in my head for the next few weeks. Big shoutout to "What is the logical course of action??"
- I love the map. It's so refreshing to actually have an overworld in a JRPG nowadays.
- I can't talk about Octopath Traveler without talking about the art style. It singlehandedly created its own new genre, coined HD 2D, that now seems to be a popular direction. We can thank this gem of a game for starting that gorgeous trend.
- The battle mechanics! I absolutely loved the break system and thought it was so clever. It was fun trying to find each enemy's weaknesses.

Now, let's talk about the bad:
- I dislike how running makes the encounter rate increase. I get that they wanted to go for a risk/reward type situation, but speeding up the walking shouldn't equate to increased random battles. Otherwise, what's the point?
- The pacing is just slightly off. Near the end of everyone's fourth chapter, I felt like it was dragging on a bit. But this wasn't enough to make me dislike it, I just think it felt very repetitive after a while.
- Some characters felt a bit too OP. Like, why is Therion the only character who can open locked treasure chests? I get what they're going for here, but I pretty much always had Therion on my team even though I wanted to use Primrose instead just because I felt like I couldn't complete a dungeon fully without him.
- I strongly disliked how the side-quests were handled. Not sure if it was just me, but I rarely ever had a clue of what to do for each side-quest. It got to a point where I had to install a mod that acted as a guide, but this is just poor game design in my opinion. Main story quest? Keep me guessing. Side plot? Give me directions.

Overall, this game really wowed me. As you can see, the good majorly outweighs the bad. No game is perfect, but this one came pretty damn close.

I've heard the sequel is even better. Can't wait to give it a go!

Wow, what a fun little game. I loved that it didn't overstay its welcome, but I definitely think this can be expanded to a sequel.

Solving this case was so much fun! It reminded me of Professor Layton in terms of word puzzles.

Also, the humour in this game is so funny. I genuinely laughed out loud in several moments. Loved that this was fully voice-acted.

The story is actually quite good. It's hard to create a mystery without things getting too confusing for the player. But because of the simplicity, I found it quite easy to follow. Though some of these puzzles stumped me, but that's just because I'm terrible at puzzle games.

Overall, what a breath of fresh air. This game encapsulates everything I love about indie games. So glad I played this one, I highly recommend it!

This has to be one of the best new RPGs I've ever played. Many people tried to call this the "Pokemon Killer" when it came out, but that was never supposed to be its title.

In fact, this is so different from Pokemon that if it wasn't coined the "Pokemon Killer" by the community, this game might've had more of a chance. People probably picked it up expecting Pokemon gameplay, realized it was nothing like it, then put it down and never played it again. But those that made it to the end had such a special treat.

I 100%'d this game. Collected every single Yo-Kai because it was just that fun. I don't want to compare this game to Pokemon, because it's not. But what I get out of this series that Pokemon no longer gives me is this unique Japanese charm.

I can't describe it. But this game is so odd in such a good way. It's so refreshing to just see a company take a monster taming game in such a silly route. Some of these designs are WILD and I know Game Freak would never do, but that's why I love Yo-Kai Watch. If Pokemon is fine dining with wine and cheese, then Yo-Kai Watch is pizza and beer.

But I don't want to dump on this game. I'm not saying it's bad by any means. It's just completely different than any other monster taming game I've played, and that's a good thing. I love that it uses Japanese lore and culture as an integral aspect of the game. Pokemon uses Japanese lore as inspiration and mixes it with other kinds of lore in the world. But Yo-Kai Watch makes Japanese lore an integral part to its story.

And I love it.

I am so sad this series didn't get the love it deserved in the West. I still remember collecting all the toys, the plushies, the figures, because I was just so obsessed.

Many players said that the battle mechanics were way too easy because your Yo-Kai auto attacks. I thought this was actually very unique. I had never played a game where you didn't directly control the action of your party members.

And honestly? It made for some pretty tough fights, especially later on in the game. I eventually got used to it and had no problems with it, in fact, I grew to love it.

But for those people, I'd say they completely overhauled the battle system on the Switch games. It's incredibly fun and would probably appeal to most players. So if those games ever get localized, let's please all support them so Level 5 can see that there's still an audience here for the series in the West!!

Overall, incredible game. I can't give this anything less than 5 stars, despite my minor gripes with the game. If you're even remotely interested in this series, I highly recommend you just play this one from beginning to end and see where it takes you from there.

Happy hunting!

Wow, what a game. I had no idea what I was getting myself into this with one. My last Yo-Kai Watch game was Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters (skipped Yo-Kai Watch 3) so I was a little rusty. But this game really changed up the series in the best way. I know a lot of people complained about the battle system in the first three games (even though I loved them), so I feel like this shift to action-rpg would appeal to more players.

Here's what I liked:
- The story. While not the best story I've ever engaged with by far, this was a really interesting story that kept me intrigued. And that ending made me just really sad.
- The battle system. I actually really enjoyed this shift in the series! It was cool being able to control either the Watch wielders or the Yo-Kai themselves.
- The difficulty. I didn't feel like this game was overly easy like some other games nor did I feel like it was Dark Soul difficult. The perfect amount.
- The exploration. It was really fun exploring all parts of the city, trying to find new Yo-Kai to add to my team.
- The way you recruit Yo-Kai. I hope this becomes a staple for the series going forward.

Now here's what I didn't love:
- Yo-Kai collection. You definitely collect less Yo-Kai in this game than before. I know a good portion of the cast was cut from this game, and it's noticeable. I also found it placed more emphasis on the story and less on recruiting Yo-Kai. Not only is it harder to recruit Yo-Kai, but they are less scattered throughout the map.
- The sidequests. I found a lot of these rather boring and dull.
- The pacing. Right around Chapter 6, I was starting to feel like it was a little drawn out. I still managed to finish it, so it wasn't a total turn-off. But it could've used some tightening up.

Overall, this was a HUGE step up for the series. I'm shocked that such a big refresh never saw the light of day in the east. I'm confident if Level 5 ever decides to localize this game it'll reach a wider audience than they think. The battle system alone is enough to appeal to a wide variety of players.