Pokemon With Ghosts? What Exactly is Yo-Kai Watch?

Nintendo has announced that Yo-Kai Watch, an RPG developed by Level-5, will finally be making its way to U.S. shores in 2016.

But what is it exactly? Yo-Kai Watch is a monster collecting RPG that has become an immensely popular game series in Japan. To put it simply, it is Pokemon, but with ghost-like creatures called Yo-Kai.

Yo-Kai Watch puts you in control of either a young boy or girl living in a small town, who is given a special watch that allows you to find, collect, summon, and battle Yo-Kai. You then fight and befriend Yo-Kai in order to help town citizens who are being haunted by mischievous and evil Yo-Kai.

Nintendo’s announcement of Yo-Kai Watch’s upcoming localization finally marks the series’ debut in the U.S. Initially released in Japan back in 2013, Yo-Kai Watch has since become a critically acclaimed series spanning a number of games.