A Pokémon-like series dubbed as "Yo-Kai Watch" has turned out to be a smash hit. Level-5 recently announced on its official website that the franchise has now sold over 10 million copies all over the world. That's a significant increase from the seven million units it shipped earlier this year.

Level-5 did not reveal exact sales figures by game. However, Gematsu pointed out that "Yo-Kai Watch Busters: Red Cat Team & White Dog Squad" has sold 1.7 million units since its release back in July.

"Yo-Kai Watch" is a monster-collecting role-playing game that's strikingly similar to Pokémon but with ghost-like creatures known as Yo-Kai. Players take on the role of a small boy or girl living in a small town, who has the ability to see and interact with Yo-Kai.

Gameplay starts to get blatantly familiar from there as players search, collect and battle Yo-Kai. In a nutshell, players recruit good-willed monsters to defend townsfolk from being haunted by not-so-friendly spirits.

The game's sequel, "Yo-Kai Watch 2: Gonzo & Honke," was launched in 2014 as two separate editions. The third entry arrived in the US last month for Nintendo 3DS.

"The writing is delightful, combat is unique and entertaining, and even though the map leaves much to be desired it's fun to follow along with the story looking for the paranormal," said game reviewer Alexa Corriea of GameSpot. "Although navigating the world can be tedious and frustrating, the allure of building a diverse team of exotic Yo-kai pushes your exploration forward."

IGN critiqued that "Yo-Kai Watch" has obvious flaws in its battle mechanics which, more often than not, creates a passive experience for players. However, this could easily be offset by the game's immersive world. Its low complexity isn't a detriment since it allows players to easily progress to the next compelling chapter.

"My favorite thing about Yo-Kai Watch is the sense of adventure and imagination it encouraged in me. I didn't mind breezing through basic quests, because it meant getting to explore," explained Kallie Plagge. "A lot of quests, story included, require you to fetch items, and I found that really tiresome after the first few times. Still, I adored exploring and talking to the funny, charming NPCs."

The "Yo-Kai Watch" series is a cultural phenomenon in Japan. It has sold over seven million copies from its first two entries alone. Retail sales from toys and other merchandises has reached more than $1 billion. Due to its popularity, the series has spawned two manga adaptations and an animated series which began airing in January 2014. The second season premiered earlier this year in July.