Monster Hunter Generations (3DS) – anyone can join the hunt

The latest Monster Hunter comes to 3DS, with new co-op options, creatures, and a great way for newbies to learn the ropes.

We have been very slow to come around to the charms of Monster Hunter. The series is over 12 years old now, and when it started out it seemed just a clunky attempt to recreate Phantasy Star Online on the PlayStation 2. Along with most Western gamers, it took a long time for our opinion of the game to change beyond that – even when it became the killer app for the PSP in Japan. But with each iteration the game has gradually become more refined and more welcoming, and last year’s Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate was the first one we began to actively recommend to everyone. This is the second.



Technically, Monster Hunter 4 was never released in the West, as Capcom instead skipped ahead to the enhanced edition – which was released here as Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. This game is known as Monster Hunter X in Japan, and is also not a mainline sequel. It’s actually difficult to categorise, but standalone expansion is probably the most accurate description. Although from Capcom’s point of view it’s intended as a celebration of the series so far, and a chance to bring back various fan favourite monsters from previous entries.

For those not familiar with Monster Hunter it’s a third person action role-player that does exactly what it says on the tin. We’ve previously described it as Sub Quest: The Game, and although storytelling has become more important in recent years the emphasis is still on picking up a quest in a village (there are four in Generations) and going off to hunt whatever monster you’ve been assigned. Ideally you’ll do this with three friends via offline or online co-op, with each bringing a different set of weapons and equipment to the fight.


Long term fans may be disappointed to find that Generations does not introduce any new weapon types, but there are lots of changes based around new combat abilities and special moves (think Dark Souls III’s new weapon skills).

You can also now play as the cat-like Felynes, which is a great way for new players to get to grips with the game. Felynes can’t use items but that means they can gather resources on their own, and they have unlimited stamina. So even a complete novice can join in with a fairly high level group and still be useful, although if you stick with a Felyne character their upgrade path becomes surprisingly complex.

There is a lot to learn in Generations, with the game’s tedious tutorials failing to do much more than tell you to read the in-game manual. But Monster Hunter can also seem frustratingly unhelpful even beyond that, with monsters having no health bar – despite some battles going on for 15 minutes or more – and few clues as to how to tackle them.

It’s not that the Monster Hunter games are especially hard but, like Dark Souls, they expect you to work out how to beat them, not be told by bright flashing arrows and garrulous non-player characters.

Monster Hunter Generations (3DS) – fighting with friends

One of the biggest problems many Western gamers have with the games though is the combat, which is extremely slow and measured. And so pretty much exactly the opposite of what you’d normally expect from Capcom. It’s essentially the opposite of button-mashing, where every move and attacks is expected to be deliberate, and ideally based on a learnt familiarity with the monster and the various tells that proceed its own attacks.



The new combat abilities do help to make things more dynamic though, with the Hunter Arts introducing a range of more traditional fighting game style special moves, from auto-combos to emergency health and stamina refills. These work off a power meter that builds up as you deal normal damage, and how many you have access to depends on which of the new Hunting Styles you choose.

The Guild style is basically the standard Monster Hunter experience, but Striker is designed to use as many Hunter Arts as possible and charges them up more quickly, Aerial gives you the ability to jump, and Adept is for expert players who get a damage bonus when pulling off a perfect guard or dodge.

Generations still has all the faults of Ultimate, including no online chat and a continued disconnect between single-player and multiplayer – where even though they’re the same quests you only get to see the story content and other villages when playing on your own. Over the years Monster Hunter has slowly stripped away a series of similarly odd design decisions, and hopefully this one is next.

But with the 3DS seemingly on its last legs it’s going to be very interesting to see what happens to Monster Hunter in the future. Its success in Japan was solely down to it being a portable game, and yet it’s entirely unsuited to smartphone controls. But if, as rumoured, the NX has a portable component and the game remains a Nintendo exclusive…


It’s fun to speculate what might happen in the future, but for now this is the best Monster Hunter game so far and one of the best co-op experiences ever on a portable. So if you’ve been waiting for the ideal opportunity to try the series out, your hunt is over.

Monster Hunter Generations In Short: The best Monster Hunter yet, with some useful improvements in terms of combat variety and accessibility for new players – even if it still falls short of the series’ full potential. Pros: The Hunter Styles and Arts work well, and playing as a Felyne is a really useful additional. A great co-op experience and hundreds of hours’ worth of content. Cons: All the usual series quibbles, with unhelpful new tutorials and a lack of story content in multiplayer mode. Clunky camera if you don’t have a New 3DS. Score: 8/10

Formats: 3DS

Price: £39.99

Publisher: Capcom

Developer: Capcom

Release Date: 15th July 2016

Age Rating: 12

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