Yo-kai Watch Blasters

Yo-kai Watch Blasters is a role-playing video game developed and published by Level-5 for the Nintendo 3DS. Blasters was originally released in two separate versions, named Red Cat Corps and White Dog Squad. The game itself is a spin-off based on the Blasters mini-game in the main series game Yo-kai Watch 2, and was released in Japan on July 2015 and worldwide by Nintendo in September 2018. An free expansion called Moon Rabbit Crew released in December 2015 in Japan and on September 2018 Worldwide. Human characters are noticeably absent from gameplay, and players control yōkai in a beat 'em up action style instead.

Gameplay
In Yo-Kai Watch Blasters, players can take down enemy Yo-kai and Big Bosses using skills and Soultimate Moves with up to 3 other friends. As you tackle missions, befriend new Yo-kai to amplify your team's awesomeness. Train with Sgt. Burly to become the strongest Blasters team there is. As you complete missions, gather Oni Orbs and items to level up or forge equipment to power up your team. Some missions, bosses, and Yo-kai are exclusive to each version. Players can also trade Yo-kai between versions in order to collect them all, players can also befriend all friend Yo-kai from all versions of Yo-kai Watch 2, boss Yo-kai, plus the all-new Usapyon, Blizzie, and more. Players can also link save data with a version of Yo-kai Watch 2 to befriend special Yo-kai. Much like previous entries in the franchise, you can also use QR Codes and passwords to collect items or gain a Crank-a-Kai coin to put in the two brand new Crank-a-kais, the Oni Crank-a-kai and Lucky Crank-a-kai.

Additionally, players can also uncover new sides to the story as well as new Yo-kai, bosses, and missions with a post-launch software update.

Why It's a Blast

 * 1) Like Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, the idea of making a spin-off title based on a game mode is a pretty neat idea, except here, it worked perfectly.
 * 2) The Moon Rabbit Crew update is free and there is a new story to encounter such as how Usapyon becomes a blaster team.
 * 3) The game does a good job at spoofing the Ghostbusters franchise by adding parodied characters and having Jibanyan and Komasan wear the outfits similar to the outfits in that franchise.
 * 4) For the first time ever, Whisper is finally playable and Nate finally becomes an obtainable Yo-kai for the very first time in the form as Fuu 2.
 * 5) The graphics are pretty good, even for a spin-off title, as it uses the same engine as the mainline games.
 * 6) Nice soundtrack that is pretty catchy and for the first time ever, the theme song is finally dubbed in English, which made fans happy due to the series being infamous for replacing dubbed versions with pointless (yet catchy) songs.
 * 7) This is also the first time to change interiors and exteriors in the Blasters house, although limited, the OverTech interior and exterior is the best one out of the four.
 * 8) Players can finally encounter Goldy and Glitzy bones for the first time since the second game where the players have to link Bony Spirits, Fleshy Souls, or Psychic Specters to the said game.
 * 9) There are funny moments in the game such as Nate using Blazion, Cupistol, or Cheeksqueak to impress Katie, only to get infuriated at him and Jibanyan blames Whisper for doing it so.
 * 10) This is the first time to encounter the Momotaro Hunter characters during their side-quest in Chapter 1 or Moon Rabbit Crew Chapter 1.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) While great, the Ghostbusters references are quite overused to the point where it's very repetitive and that the player would get annoyed.
 * 2) * Various references were censored in the worldwide realese to avoid copyright. Whismellowman getting his name changed to Whisped Cream as well as his design is the most notable example of this.
 * 3) Hinozall is overpowered for a Big Boss fight, including super and ultra modes, because he can use Blockbuster beam to shoot down players or Power nap to heal quickly, however, the latter must be countered when his assistants try to shoot his barrier using their laser guns.
 * 4) *His awakened form is the worst offender, as he can use his laser to deal even more damage and heals very quickly. Not to mention that he is a variant of his original self.
 * 5) If you want to fight Swirlious Omai or Red Paws, they have to join two more players for a battle, which is disappointing for a game that cannot battle with COM Yo-Kais.
 * 6) Some of the Ultra Big Boss fights are overpowered, the worst offenders being Mass Mutterer, Kat Kraydel, Robonyan 28, Hinoza.l (along with his awakened form), and Zazel.
 * 7) There are boss challenges that are impossible to beat, with the worst offenders being Dog Escape Season 10 and Hinozall 48 (featuring 48 Hinozalls in one battle due to how painfully long it was).
 * 8) Some of the trophies are hard to collect such as collecting all Yo-Kais, which is required to trade either both of them, enter the VIP Room (which is required with both games), etc.

Reception
Yo-Kai Watch Blasters received mixed to positive reviews from critics, but positive reception from gamers and even fans alike. On Metacritic, both received "mixed or average" reviews on Metacritic holding metascores of 67/100, while user scores were 7.5/10 and 7.6/10  , indicating "generallly favorable reviews." Nintendo Life gave both versions of the game an 8/10. On OpenCritic, the game has 67/100 based on 14 reviews.