The game features samurai as its main characters, dealing with a world overrun
with yokai (demons).
The game concept has always been that it will take place in Sengoku Jidai but
with Yokai beasts appearing and so it was easily going to be a dark fantasy style game.
In many of the manga that have been translated here, the yokai can either be the leads or they can be helping a human interact
with the yokai world.
We rarely see much of those who aren't affiliated
with yokai, so it was fun getting a glimpse of Natsume from someone else's angle.
The 3DS also had the highest selling game of the week
with Yokai Watch at 34,690.
It'll be interesting to see if these two games manage to reclaim spots near the top of the chart next week, as newcomers might slip faster than games that have a long - tail, as we've seen
with Yokai Watch reclaiming spots in the chart for weeks now.
Not exact matches
The New Nintendo 3DS reigns supreme in Japan, along
with Monster Hunter 4, Super Smash Bros., and
Yokai Watch 2.
Yokai Watch 2 still dominates the top of the charts
with 143k sold this week, solidifying just how crazy Japan is about Level 5's new RPG.
Nevertheless, I am still surprised that
Yokai Watch 2 is still at the top of the table
with 2.2 million sales overall.
Aside from how well
Yokai Watch is doing in Japan, there were also several new releases on Nintendo 3DS, PS Vita, and PlayStation 3,
with five of the top ten being new to the list this week.
Yokai Watch Busters and Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer both chart ahead of Splatoon, which claimed fourth place this week
with nearly 24k sales.
Attempting to capitalize on the extreme popularity of Pokémon and
Yokai Watch in Japan, Monster Hunter Stories looks like the perfect way for both children and new fans in general to become familiar
with the series.
Team Ninja's samurai epic, Nioh, moves to change that scenario by taking the player deeper into the Far East where dragons and knights have been replaced
with more vicious samurai and
yokai.
The difficulty may be enough to turn some prospective gamers from stepping into William's boots, but those that persevere through the fields of
yokai and demons will be rewarded
with one of the finest PS4 exclusives to date.
Yuki Midorikawa returns
with yet another volume of Natsume's Book of Friends, taking us back to the enchanting bittersweet realm of a boy haunted by
Yokai due to his grandmother's strange childhood hobby.
Takashi's grandmother Reiko Natsume made many enemies by enslaving
yokai with her magical book of the work's title, and this volume continues his encounters
with the supernatural, and search for the comforts of a happy family life and friendships.
The magazines team has also taken an aggressive approach to integrating the SHONEN JUMP web site (www.ShonenJump.com)
with the print magazine
with subscriber - only content available exclusively online, including the brand new manga series, NURA: RISE OF THE
YOKAI CLAN (rated «T» for Teens) and new exclusive feature and news items every month.
LH: I'm pretty much in agreement
with you about the art Alex, It didn't impress me overall, and the
yokai scenes in general didn't really have an otherworldly feel to them.
In the December 2010 issue of Shonen Jump USA, VIZ makes a major announcement
with a splash page in the opening pages, and a small blurb in the next issue previews indicating - «Subscribe NOW and next month you'll get to read: Nura: Rise of the
Yokai Clan Bakuman Toriko Available exclusively for subscribers online @shonenjump.com ``... Read More...
Blue Excorist and Nura: Rise of the
Yokai Clan confirmed licenses previously revealed
with more solid release dates while Natsume Ono's La Quinta Camera is a fresh license from the creator of previous Viz Signature series, not simple and House of Five Leaves:
Manga I talked
with translator Zack Davisson about
yokai, the Japanese spirits who found new life in the manga of Shigeru Mizuki.
In addition, Level - 5 has undoubtedly increased their fanbase
with popular handheld game franchises including Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven, and
Yokai Watch.
Yokai folklore is packed
with quirky and interesting ways of explaining the universe and all the weird stuff that happens in it, and now you're in charge of making these mischievous sprites do battle.
Whisper, our new
Yokai friend, is a ghostly yet friendly chap who is all too happy to get you acquainted
with the secret side of our world that is home to the
Yokai.
The aesthetic change is obvious,
with Dark Souls» oppressive, gothic trappings eschewed for a Japanese setting populated
with all manner of
Yokai and samurai.
Instead, your time during battles is filled
with maintaining your
Yokai's health, making sure they don't feel depressed (this is a genuine problem) and executing their Soultimates.
You have a party of six
Yokai, and swap three of them into battle
with a wheel on the bottom screen, swapping out if you have different enemies to face or need to heal, etc..
There are dozens of
Yokai to meet and capture,
with their own types and strengths, though the designs seem to be somewhat of a low point.
You also have four options in each corner: Soultimate, which is the
Yokai's special move, Target, which pinpoints a particular enemy to go ham on, Purify, which allows you to remove a status condition from any
Yokai not in battle, and Item, which takes you to a menu
with all your foods and medicines.
Also branded
with characters from the popular Pokemon-esque
Yokai - Watch anime, these curry flavored corn snacks smell more intense than they taste.
Supposedly infused
with soft - serve ice cream flavor, this
Yokai - Watch branded version of Tahato's Caramel Corn tastes like a sweeter, fluffier version of Captain Crunch.
The game is not geared towards kids (unlike something like,
Yokai Watch or Pokemon) and there's a lot of reading
with quests and missions that you kind of have to understand to be able to do.
Along
with an ever - growing number of hostile
Yokai, Yomi Island is inhabited by a mixture of the indigenous Ainu and Japanese.
Design and Name a Demon Mini-boss - work
with the team on behavior, visuals and back - story for a «Wanted»
Yokai and record sound for the vocals + Enjoy a Japanese Dinner
with American McGee in San Francisco + all previous reward tiers from Limited Edition Penguin Pet.
The difficulty may be enough to turn some prospective gamers from stepping into William's boots, but those that persevere through the fields of
yokai and demons will be rewarded
with one of the finest PS4 exclusives to date.
Team Ninja's samurai epic, Nioh, moves to change that scenario by taking the player deeper into the Far East where dragons and knights have been replaced
with more vicious samurai and
yokai.
In addition to basic stats, skill points can be utilized to unlock skills across each weapon tree and magic type
with many of the skills unlocked offering universal perks that augment William into becoming a nigh - invincible
yokai slayer, assuming he doesn't misstep and get knocked out in one hit by a giant Japanese demon.
Yōdanji (KEMCO, $ 4.99 USD)-- This cutesy rogue - like dungeon crawler tasks you
with capturing and summoning various
Yokai, then using those characters in your runs.
Yokai Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Nintendo 3DS) which is a collaboration title
with the very popular series
Yokai Watch and released by Level - 5, also Square - Enix's DISSIDIA FINAL FANTASY (Arcade) has started operating.
Other
yokai prove susceptible to a gunshot or two, going down
with just a little lead in them, but these crow - faced «karasu - tengo» creatures get the better of me every time, if I try to go toe to talon.
A land where strange magical beings, the «
yokai», appear before William, looking to stamp him out of existence
with even more relish than the many, loot - dropping human warriors blocking his path.
Of course, the
Yokai Watch series is set in the modern day, but I'm still interested in what the company does
with a new game set in a less fantastical setting.
One thing is certain: Nioh isn't just Dark Souls
with Samurai and
Yokai.
The child - hero protagonist still stands strong in
Yokai Watch, giving a wider demographic and a familiar feeling to those already comfortable
with the Pokémon franchise.
Nioh plays like a dream,
with swift and challenging combat, while William has a diverse range of skills, gear and combat styles, and the environment can be changed during play by the
Yokai.
Sourcing prevalent facets of modern Japanese culture like anime, Manga, and
yokai horror films, Kenichi Yokono's meticulous carvings contrast rampant notions of globalization and consumerism
with the overwhelming «cuteness» (or kawaii) found in his country's commercial vernacular.