A Pokemon-like sport that has been in growth for greater than 20 years is coming quickly to Nintendo Swap, giving followers of the monster-catching RPG style an opportunity to gather a bunch of supernatural beings from Japanese folklore. Pokemon is without doubt one of the most profitable media franchises on the planet, and whereas its reputation has spawned a number of related video games, one deliberate for early 2026 has numerous historical past behind it.
With the discharge of Pokemon Legends: Z-A in October and common updates to a lot of its cell video games, 2025 was a terrific 12 months for the Pokemon franchise. And with plans for Pokemon‘s 30th anniversary, 2026 seems to be to be much more intense, with a lately launched official animation stating that this 12 months would be the franchise’s greatest one but. Nonetheless, there’s quite a bit left to be revealed, and followers of the style could have an opportunity to choose up an analogous sport for Nintendo Swap whereas they wait.
Pokemon fan video games permit artistic sport makers to design customized adventures, usually that includes fakemon, new areas, new storylines, and new sport modes.
Pokemon-Like Yokai Sport Releases for Swap in Early 2026
The event group behind Navinosuke: The Yo-Kai Buster has confirmed that it is going to be releasing completely for Nintendo Swap in early 2026. That includes a sport world primarily based on an alternate model of historic Japan, gamers will have interaction in battles in opposition to many alternative yokai as they journey all through the land to place a cease to incidents brought on by the beings’ presence. Offered in a evenly animated 2D pixel art style that is harking back to the times of the Sport Boy Advance, which it was initially being developed for, the group at Kohachi Studio started work on this sport about 20 years in the past. Nonetheless, it was by no means launched and has ended up laying dormant till now.
Very similar to the forged of Pokemon from the Gen 1 games, Kohachi Studio guarantees there shall be about 150 totally different YO-KAI to battle in opposition to, although it appears not all are of a pleasant disposition, and a few might not be capable to be added to gamers’ rosters. The sport will comply with the adventures of a personality named Navinosuke, who, not like typical Pokemon trainers, is definitely a cheerful and cute mechanical onmyoji. Constructed by a company referred to as The Instutute with the aim of ending the menace brought on by numerous spirits, Navinosuke has a particular means that enables him to seal YO-KAI, which can function the premise for creating highly effective groups.
Solely a handful of YO-KAI have been revealed to this point, however a lot of them shall be immediately recognizable to followers of games inspired by Japanese folklore. These embody disruptive mountain-dwelling spirit Kurama Tengu, large skeleton-like being Gashadokuro, and Senko, who seems as a fox spirit within the type of a younger lady. There are a variety of different familiar-looking spirits who’ve been given their very own distinctive twist by the sport, from the catlike Nekomata to the enormous sparrow creature Okurizume. Every YO-KAI could have its personal set of stats, in addition to six totally different distinctive expertise that it may possibly make use of.
Along with all these YO-KAI, the sport will characteristic greater than 200 totally different characters for gamers to satisfy and work together with. One, the Restoration Heart Girl, wears a nurse’s uniform and offers therapeutic providers for YO-KAI in an apparent tip of the hat to Pokemon Center workers like Nurse Joy. A few different characters have been teased as effectively, together with a fortress lord who desires to placed on a magnificence pageant and a supply ninja who’s anticipating a duel in opposition to his biggest rival.
