Monster Hunter Generations Review

I know it’s a simple gathering quest that I’ve taken on, but there seems to be something lurking nearby…

I’m mining and gathering resources, always careful as I’m entering a new section of the map. I’m searching all around for unique mushrooms, my current quest item, and while doing so I’m picking off packs of small monsters that cross my path. As I move into an unexplored section of the world, suddenly the music is picking up tempo, and my Palico companion is going into attack mode. I’m face to face with a huge and horrendous monster, easily 4x taller than me and almost longer than the strip of land that has become our arena. Gathering mushrooms can wait, I wanna take this beast down.

Nearly nothing about this Monster Hunter has changed from its predecessors, and yet EVERYTHING is different. Monster Hunter Generations builds a world where villages from the previous games are accessible, and there are familiar faces to be found for players of the previous games. The items and the monsters are nearly identical to previous games, and yet this MH is one of the best out there. The reason? They’ve completely revamped the combat system into something fresh and fun. With 14 different weapon types, no matter what your fighting style there will be a weapon that fits the way you want to play. On top of that, there are now styles and arts you can choose to further enhance your combat style and techniques. Personally I’ve dived into the Dual Blades Aerial Style, and I can’t tell you in human words how fun it is to fight things.

The actual content is going to be very familiar to anyone who has played Monster Hunter from the past 10 years or so. Monster Hunter Generations is basically the greatest hits album of the MH series; taking all the best maps, villages, and monsters from previous games and mashing them into one game. That being said, if you haven’t played a Monster Hunter title before, I have two things to say to you. One, if you want to get on the MH bandwagon and see what these games are all about, this game is the one to do it. Monster Hunter titles have always had a large learning curve and frustrating and complicated systems when you are first thrust into them, and this one makes that transition a bit easier. With Monster Hunter Generations, a lot of the frustration is simplified, and the combat is much more accessible and fun. If you enjoy grinding, gathering, upgrade systems, and slaying epic monsters, now is the time to join in.

Generations gives you tried and true quests to complete, usually a gathering quest, a slaying quest, or a capture quest. You start off in the campaign with a basic level of beginner quests, and after completing a number of them, are able to take on an urgent quest, which when completed, gives you a new tier of quests at a higher difficulty. The better your difficulty rank, the tougher the monsters you’ll face, and the better your rewards will be. Multiplayer works in the same way, with your Hunter Rank determining the level of difficulty of quests you can take on. Matchmaking runs pretty smoothly, and it’s pretty easy to find a group of likeminded hunters ready to take on some big baddies. All your monster spoils and loots can be taken to the Smithy to make crafted weapons and armor, which are going to be way better than what’s available to purchase. Then those weapons and armor pieces can be upgraded – and weapons can even be transformed into new forms (as long as you have the materials and funds to do so). The weapon upgrade system has had an overhaul as well, and now there are different levels to your current weapon, and different level tiers will unlock the options for the next bigger and badder weapon. Like other MH games, there are Palicos (little cats) you are able to hire to be a part of your squad, going into battle with you or to be sent off to gather materials or fight monsters while you’re off hunting. You can now even switch to a Prowler, a Palico of your choice from your team that replaces your main character to go on quests that you control. It comes in really handy when going off to gather materials for crafting, since the Prowler has infinite bug nets, pick axes, etc. Honestly there is so much content to the game, I’m surprised it’s only $39.99. You get a lot of bang for your buck.

There is something spectacular and fun about joining in with a group of people and taking down something unbelievably huge. Pair that with having to grind for gear and upgrades and you’ve got a game that’s pretty fun to play, although admittedly, sometimes frustrating. I’ve loved the MH series for quite some time now, and I would be lying if I told you I couldn’t pick this game up anytime and just enjoy it. For the most part, it’s exciting, and the changes they’ve made to the combat really make it feel like a whole new game. Also YOU CAN GATHER JUST BY HOLDING A. NO MORE CLICKING AND CLICKING AND CLICKING. Seriously life changing. It’s definitely one of my favorite titles available for 3DS out right now, but may not be right for everyone. If you’re curious, I would definitely give it a shot.