Monster Hunter Generations (Nintendo 3DS) Review

The Monster Hunter franchise is astounding. It has built up a gargantuan fan-base all over the world and has racked up massive sales figures every time a new iteration has been released. It is no exaggeration to say that it almost single-handedly kept the PSP alive far beyond any expectations. With its huge popularity, and considerable catalogue of games, there was a ton of fan favourite content to choose from and include in this new title.

Monster Hunter has always been rather light on its story elements, instead focusing on the gameplay, and with Generations it's even more evident. The adventure begins in the new Beruna Village where there are the usual quest givers, shops, and crafters, but don't expect a narrative here. After a little time taking on very basic quests, like gathering mushrooms and taking on the quite unintimidating little monsters, other villages open up to explore. These unlockable villages will be quite familiar to fans of the series. There is Kokoto Village from Monster Hunter and Monster Hunter Freedom. Pokke Village from Monster Hunter Freedom 2 and Monster Hunter Freedom Unite and, finally, Yukomo Village from Monster Hunter Portable Third. It's not just the villages, either, as familiar faces from previous entries make an appearance from time to time.

The villages are actually quite disappointing, though, with the only differences being cosmetic and some fresh side-quests. Capcom missed an opportunity to include more Easter eggs and nods to the past here. The main quests can be completed in any village, including some fantastic new gargantuan beasties to take on. There are more Thunder Wyverns, the largest Mammoth monster to date, a gigantic terrifying Owl and, finally, an Elder Dragon covered in the bones of its kills. There are some amazing designs in each of these new creatures and the combat against each are full of interesting and fun mechanics, making for some great encounters.

Once this final colossus has been slain, the credits roll, but this isn't the end; in fact, as with most Monster Hunter titles, this is where the majority of the lifespan of Generations comes from. Grouping up with other players online or heading off solo to hunt the biggest and baddest Monsters in battles that are long and complex, to get some Monster parts to craft more monsters to hunt to get parts… It doesn't sound like much fun, and to many it won't be. This is quite the niche title, after all, and the mechanics take some getting used to and can be a quick turn off for many. To long-term fans of the series out there, however, it is intrinsically addictive and a real joy - that preparation and planning to go into a kill, the long fight that gives a supreme feeling of accomplishment…

The major change to the mechanics comes in the addition of four hunter styles, which completely alter the fighting approach of the hunter. "Guild" style will feel the most familiar to seasoned veterans; a strong all round style. "Striker" feels simpler, with fewer variations to the combat, playing like a basic version of Guild. "Aerial" is centred around taking the combat into the air, giving the hunter the ability to leap off enemies and rain down stylish and dramatic attacks. "Adept" is for those with lightning reflexes - relying on landing devastating counterattacks after perfectly timed blocks or dodges. Preparation and experience are key with these styles; the guild and striker are basic all-rounders that can be used in most situations, but Aerial and Bushido styles are both very specialist. They can be devastating when used in the right situation, but certain enemies are built to take them apart.

What makes these new styles even better is that they also alter up the combat for each weapon. There are fourteen different weapons to experiment with and they all feel very individual to each other. Even better, the same weapon feels different with each style, making it worth playing with every weapon and style combo to find the perfect fit. With each of these weapons come the new Hunter Arts, a diverse list of special abilities that can be unlocked over the course of the adventure. Most are big damage dealing attacks, some huge AOE slashes, some rapid attacks in succession. It's not just damage dealing, though, as there are also support, defensive, and healing abilities. The amount of these arts that can be equipped is dependent on the current style. The specialist aerial and bushido styles can only equip a single art at a time, while guild style gives access to two arts and striker gives access to three. It's another aspect to take into account when choosing what style to roll out with.

There's another very different way to play in Generations, too. Instead of just using the series' mainstay of Felynes as NPCs, cooks, and Palicoes, Generations introduces Prowler Mode. Felynes can go on quests just like hunters and, in fact, have some exclusive quests to take on, too. They aren't quite as powerful as regular hunters, but make up with it in a number of ways. Prowlers can gather at a much faster rate than hunters, can revive themselves twice in a quest before being carted off, and have their own unique skill-sets: able to dig underground to evade attacks, clamber onto the side of larger monsters, and even use numerous different boomerangs in combat.