As promised I gave the demo of Monster Hunter Stories a try. And let me tell you, it is every bit as nice as I had anticipated, maybe even better then I hoped for. Picture Monster Hunter combined with Pokémon, and you will get the picture. The visuals are colorful, the gameplay is smooth. Some things are instantly recognizable from the other Monster Hunter games. Typically Monster Hunter! This means that a very cute Palico felyne joins you, that you will gather items that are much the same as any MH game. That the armor and weapons you get are familiar. But this time, it’s all represented in a very different art-style.
A little bit more about the demo. First of all, you get to choose whether you are a boy or a girl. There’s not much more in the way of customization. Maybe because it’s just a demo, not sure though. You get you special stone, the Connection Stone from the village holey man. In a ceremony you are able to hatch the first egg by using this Connection Stone and you can finally greet your first monster: a Velossodrone. You are tasked to go into two dungeons to slay monsters, and to do some all-important gathering. And best of all, you will find more eggs for you to hatch and add to your team.
Getting a feel for the game
Starting out, you get a choice of a couple of weapons and armors, and you can even call upon two other monsters aside from your Velossodrone. Each monster has its own specialty in fighting. One of the monsters for instance has a sort of bell, that allows you to see where enemies are on the map. Of course, it wouldn’t be much of a demo if you were weak like a duckling. You’re already level 10 without having to do anything for it. After completing the two random dungeons you go back to hatch your eggs, and see what special monster appears. I’m not sure yet how many monsters you can bring with you though, I think the full game will tell us that.
Fighting is of the kind that I love: turn based. Time to think hard about the choice you make, what move to use for you and for your companion monster. You fight separately from each other, but some moves require for you to mount your monster. The bottom screen of the 3DS shows the Connection Stone, and when that’s filled up the enemy had better take cover. An extra special move follows, with a great cut scène too.
Release it in English please!
Honestly, I fervently hope this game will come West too. In fact, I’m counting on it. I think it is playable in Japanese with only a limited knowledge of the language too. It’s just that Capcom has a pretty good record of bringing us MH games in English. I’m going to wait it out for now. One thing is certain though: unlike in Pokémon, it would be hard to collect cute monsters here. What an ugly brutes, from what I’ve seen so far!
Oh boy, it sounds absolutely fantastic! Thanks for the impressions. I also hope it comes to there parts.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! It’s great that you were able to play the demo. It seems like a pretty good fit for you!
You’re welcome. Yes, I totally agree, pretty great for my taste in gaming!.
I have a feeling it will get a English release. The amiibos for it are super cute too! It is nice to see an RPG form of Monster Hunter.
I have the same good feeling about a Western release. Best not make it too soon though, with all the good games we’ve already got coming!