Yo-kai Watch: Wibble Wobble

Yo-kai Watch: Wibble Wobble
Official artwork
Developer(s)NHN PlayArt Corporation
Publisher(s)Level-5
SeriesYo-kai Watch
Platform(s)iOS
Android
Release
  • JP: October 21, 2015
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player

Yo-kai Watch: Wibble Wobble[a] is a mobile puzzle spin-off title to the Yo-kai Watch video game series. It was released in Japan on October 21st, 2015, and then was released worldwide in March 2016 and 2017. As announced on April 2, 2018, the international versions of the game were permanently shut down on May 31, 2018.[3][4]

Gameplay

A screenshot of the player fighting Komasan (left) and Komajiro (right) on the first special stage of the game.

Yo-kai Watch: Wibble Wobble is a puzzle game and sees the player matching 2 or more matching Wib Wobs (Yo-kai) to make bigger Wib Wobs, which, when popped (clicked), deal damage, with the damage depending on the size of the Wib Wob.[5] Every Yo-kai has a Soultimate meter that increases every time a Wib Wob of that Yo-kai is popped. When the Soultimate meter is full, the Yo-kai can perform a "Soultimate move", which will aid the player in battle in some way.[5]

The game would also often hold events that would feature unique characters, locations, and or items.[6]

Development

The Japanese release of the game was first announced on April 7, 2015[7] at a product presentation held at the Tokyo Dome City Hall.[8] The game was later delayed from summer 2015 to October 2015.[9] The English release of the game was first announced later on March 11, 2016, by the game's publisher, Level-5, via a trailer on the official Yo-kai Watch YouTube channel.[10]

Reception

Yo-kai Watch: Wibble Wobble received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, receiving a 61/100 score on review aggregator Metacritic.[11]

In a review for TouchArcade, Chris Carter criticized the game's story, difficulty, and the Spirit feature, a feature that makes the player need to wait before they play levels (which can be bypassed by spending in-game money), however, he praised how the game "captures the essence" of the original TV-show and how the game rewards skill.[13] Gamezebo's Rob Rich praised how the game's characters were "adorable", the amount of Yo-kai to unlock, and how progression "never stops", but criticized the gameplay for being confusing and also noted that the game's difficulty increases early in the game, making grinding necessary.[12]

Sales

On March 11, 2016, the Japanese release of the game, Yo-kai Watch: Puni Puni, was the 28th top-grossing app for iOS in Japan.[10] In December 2016, the English releases of the game surpassed 1 million downloads.[4] In March 22, 2017, the game had achieved over 10 million downloads worldwide.[14] As of January 2019, the Japanese release of Wibble Wobble had surpassed 14 million downloads since its launch in October 2015.[15]

Notes

  1. ^ Released in Japan as Yōkai Wotchi Puni-puni (Japanese: 妖怪ウォッチ ぷにぷに)
  2. ^ Based on 6 reviews.[11]

References

  1. ^ Whritenour, Jacob (March 24, 2016). "Yo-Kai Watch Wibble Wobble is Available Now". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  2. ^ "LEVEL-5's YO-KAI WATCH™ Wibble Wobble Now Available on Android & iOS". Gamasutra. March 30, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  3. ^ Frank, Allegra (April 3, 2018). "The best Yo-kai Watch game is shutting down for good". Polygon. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Ressler, Karen (April 18, 2018). "Yo-Kai Watch Wibble Wobble Mobile Game Ends Service Outside Japan". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Purewal, Sarah (April 26, 2017). "Yo-Kai Watch Wibble Wobble brings the animated show to life through colorful puzzles". Macworld. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  6. ^ "「妖怪ウォッチ ぷにぷに」，イベント「転生妖怪あらわる～花さか丸～」が開催". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). May 7, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  7. ^ Sato (April 7, 2015). "Yo-kai Watch Gets A Tsum Tsum-Like Smartphone Game, Too". Siliconera. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  8. ^ "スマホ用パズルゲーム「妖怪ウォッチ ぷにぷに」が2015年夏に配信。事前登録受付が本日スタート予定". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). April 7, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  9. ^ "「妖怪ウォッチ ぷにぷに」の配信が10月，「ファンタジーライフ2」の配信が2016年に延期". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). September 1, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  10. ^ a b Grubb, Jeff (March 11, 2016). "New Yo-Kai Watch puzzle game hits March 24 for iOS and Android". VentureBeat. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  11. ^ a b c "YO-KAI WATCH Wibble Wobble iOS". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  12. ^ a b Rich, Rob (March 24, 2016). "Yo-Kai Watch Wibble Wobble Review: Jelly!". Gamezebo. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  13. ^ a b Carter, Chris (April 25, 2016). "'Yo-Kai Watch Wibble Wobble' Review – Tap, Combine, and Pop". TouchArcade. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  14. ^ Cowley, Ric (March 22, 2017). "Level-5 gears up for Yo-Kai Watch Wibble Wobble's European launch after hitting 10 million downloads". PocketGamer.biz. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  15. ^ Sato (January 4, 2019). "Yo-kai Watch: Puni Puni Hits 14 Million Downloads". Siliconera. Retrieved August 22, 2020.