Well i caved in even though i have both cart versions ordered i got the digital version to keep me going as the wait was unbearable.
So far played nearly 4 hours & it's pretty much blown me away, they have added so soooo much since the first game. Im not going to cover all the stuff again that was standard in the first game just this new stuff. There are 2 versions of the game im currently playing the ganso version, the story from what i have made out so far is 2 youkai visit Keita one evening while he is asleep & do something to make his youkai watch vanish from existance this also seems to erase his memory aout ever having owned the watch. It sets the game up nicely as a mini tutorial in case you never played the first game, eventually he gets his watch back & it has some strange power to restore his memory when he comes in contact with places or youkai he once knew.
The quest system has been tweaked it still shows you where to go & what objective is next but now there are also key quests these are the ones that advance the story & will have a lock on them you will need to clear all of them for the main story to advance. The way the game quests happen are different in each version of the game so i'll only be able to spot them once i play the other one as well. There are 2 new features in the town the first are the hidden doors called samagure gates they can only be revealed with the youkai watch, if you find one & go in you will be taken to a random room in a mysterious dimension you then have to battle a set number of times with the youkai wandering about. If you defeat the required number you will get a gate ball these can be used in a special door in the museum store room, beware when you leave the samagure gate you will be randomly placed in the town where you entered is not where you will come out hehe. The other hidden feature is the nazo no tatfuda a signpost with a riddle on it gives you 3 clues to guess the name of the youkai, you can keep retrying if you get it wrong. The first one i come across was himojii if you guess correct it unlocks a mystery youkai circle, if you have the mentioned youkai in your posession it can be placed in the circle & causes effects in the immediate area. For example when i took the quest at the conveni the manager said no customers were visiting, Himojii's power is to make people hungry so with Himojii placed in the circle outside the conveni anyone passing would feel the urge to stop in & buy something & thats kind of how those things work.
Oni time has been changed as well it still comes when you least expect it & the thrill of been chased through town by a massive ogre with a 1 hit knock out is fun as ever, this time though there seem to be no red chests in the oni dimension, instead are orbs the more you collect the more time you get at the new oni gashapon machine when you exit the dimension from the door hidden somwhere in the area, the capsules seem to hold some rare items like the chests used to, also energy drinks are dotted around the area during oni time which is just as well as when you are spotted you will have to literally run flat out to escape as that thing i fast as hell.
The menu has been drastically updated there are so many new features & options, your menu is now called the youkai pad (lol geddit) and as you play new apps appear on the bottom. There are now trophies you can unlock for meeting certain game requirements a bit like achievements, there's an app for showing the weather in the main 3 areas of the country that the game is set in, im sure there is a reason for the weather but need to find out what. There is the battle app that lets you battle online you can now battle randomly via the net, battle a friend via the net, or a local wifi battle. Also the side minigame called youkai watch busters is accessed from the app i haven't dabbled too much but im pleased it's for 1-4 players so not just multiplay only. There is now also an option to trade medals online with people on your friend list making it a lot easier to get a full set now. There are a lot more app spaces to fill but not got those yet.
Currently reached the pont in the story where you go see your grandmother in the countryside, you get a little hand drawn set of instructions & 2000 yen from your mum & then left to find your own way. If you go into the inventory & look at the note it lists which line to get & which train station you need to get off at. Granny lives quite far out of the way as you have to change train lines at one point to catch the countryside line then get a bus from the station to get to the village, the village that your grandmother lives in is called Kemamoto. The train station is pretty cool every 10 seconds or so a train will come & you have to check the arrival ticker at the top of the screen to see if your destination is on that train line if not you wait until you see a train with the station stop listed that you need. Once on the train you can sit back & relax as Jibanyan & Wisper make idle conversation with you as you admire the wonderful scenery through the window as you go between lines & stations the scenery in the background changes & it's so detailed, waves crash on the beach & cars are driving on the roads in the distance. The entire game world has been lovingly crafted it really screams Japanese in the designs of everything it is so packed with everyday Japanese culture, it's the same feel exploring as it is playing attack of the friday monsters or any of the boku no natsuyasumi games. The camera can be rotated & everything in the enviroments is animated from the tiniest blade of grass to the trees swaying, in Kemamoto it's especially beautuful it's set on the side of a hill with paddy fields all over & traditional Japanese wooden country houses and fields full of swaying sunflowers im just about to start exploring this small countryside haven.
Makes me wonder how they would go about translating as it's very Japanese, at one point when you first get to your grandmothers house you have to goto the little shrine in the living room and make an offering to the memory of your dead grandfather, it's a Japanese religous custom & part of the story too. Im curious if they would dare leave it fully intact if it ever got a translation.
Well that's it so far i can't wait to see what amazing things this game holds for me, seems famitsu liked it as well as it scored 9,9,9,9 personally i'd have been giving 10's hehe. So far it improves over everything in the first game & that was extremely good to start with.
Found a video of the first 30 mins if anyone wants to see, spoilers obv
So far played nearly 4 hours & it's pretty much blown me away, they have added so soooo much since the first game. Im not going to cover all the stuff again that was standard in the first game just this new stuff. There are 2 versions of the game im currently playing the ganso version, the story from what i have made out so far is 2 youkai visit Keita one evening while he is asleep & do something to make his youkai watch vanish from existance this also seems to erase his memory aout ever having owned the watch. It sets the game up nicely as a mini tutorial in case you never played the first game, eventually he gets his watch back & it has some strange power to restore his memory when he comes in contact with places or youkai he once knew.
The quest system has been tweaked it still shows you where to go & what objective is next but now there are also key quests these are the ones that advance the story & will have a lock on them you will need to clear all of them for the main story to advance. The way the game quests happen are different in each version of the game so i'll only be able to spot them once i play the other one as well. There are 2 new features in the town the first are the hidden doors called samagure gates they can only be revealed with the youkai watch, if you find one & go in you will be taken to a random room in a mysterious dimension you then have to battle a set number of times with the youkai wandering about. If you defeat the required number you will get a gate ball these can be used in a special door in the museum store room, beware when you leave the samagure gate you will be randomly placed in the town where you entered is not where you will come out hehe. The other hidden feature is the nazo no tatfuda a signpost with a riddle on it gives you 3 clues to guess the name of the youkai, you can keep retrying if you get it wrong. The first one i come across was himojii if you guess correct it unlocks a mystery youkai circle, if you have the mentioned youkai in your posession it can be placed in the circle & causes effects in the immediate area. For example when i took the quest at the conveni the manager said no customers were visiting, Himojii's power is to make people hungry so with Himojii placed in the circle outside the conveni anyone passing would feel the urge to stop in & buy something & thats kind of how those things work.
Oni time has been changed as well it still comes when you least expect it & the thrill of been chased through town by a massive ogre with a 1 hit knock out is fun as ever, this time though there seem to be no red chests in the oni dimension, instead are orbs the more you collect the more time you get at the new oni gashapon machine when you exit the dimension from the door hidden somwhere in the area, the capsules seem to hold some rare items like the chests used to, also energy drinks are dotted around the area during oni time which is just as well as when you are spotted you will have to literally run flat out to escape as that thing i fast as hell.
The menu has been drastically updated there are so many new features & options, your menu is now called the youkai pad (lol geddit) and as you play new apps appear on the bottom. There are now trophies you can unlock for meeting certain game requirements a bit like achievements, there's an app for showing the weather in the main 3 areas of the country that the game is set in, im sure there is a reason for the weather but need to find out what. There is the battle app that lets you battle online you can now battle randomly via the net, battle a friend via the net, or a local wifi battle. Also the side minigame called youkai watch busters is accessed from the app i haven't dabbled too much but im pleased it's for 1-4 players so not just multiplay only. There is now also an option to trade medals online with people on your friend list making it a lot easier to get a full set now. There are a lot more app spaces to fill but not got those yet.
Currently reached the pont in the story where you go see your grandmother in the countryside, you get a little hand drawn set of instructions & 2000 yen from your mum & then left to find your own way. If you go into the inventory & look at the note it lists which line to get & which train station you need to get off at. Granny lives quite far out of the way as you have to change train lines at one point to catch the countryside line then get a bus from the station to get to the village, the village that your grandmother lives in is called Kemamoto. The train station is pretty cool every 10 seconds or so a train will come & you have to check the arrival ticker at the top of the screen to see if your destination is on that train line if not you wait until you see a train with the station stop listed that you need. Once on the train you can sit back & relax as Jibanyan & Wisper make idle conversation with you as you admire the wonderful scenery through the window as you go between lines & stations the scenery in the background changes & it's so detailed, waves crash on the beach & cars are driving on the roads in the distance. The entire game world has been lovingly crafted it really screams Japanese in the designs of everything it is so packed with everyday Japanese culture, it's the same feel exploring as it is playing attack of the friday monsters or any of the boku no natsuyasumi games. The camera can be rotated & everything in the enviroments is animated from the tiniest blade of grass to the trees swaying, in Kemamoto it's especially beautuful it's set on the side of a hill with paddy fields all over & traditional Japanese wooden country houses and fields full of swaying sunflowers im just about to start exploring this small countryside haven.
Makes me wonder how they would go about translating as it's very Japanese, at one point when you first get to your grandmothers house you have to goto the little shrine in the living room and make an offering to the memory of your dead grandfather, it's a Japanese religous custom & part of the story too. Im curious if they would dare leave it fully intact if it ever got a translation.
Well that's it so far i can't wait to see what amazing things this game holds for me, seems famitsu liked it as well as it scored 9,9,9,9 personally i'd have been giving 10's hehe. So far it improves over everything in the first game & that was extremely good to start with.
Found a video of the first 30 mins if anyone wants to see, spoilers obv
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