Monster Hunter: How It All Began (Topic)

Monster Hunter is a series of Action-RPG games with cult status in Japan, moderate success in Western countries and virtually unknown to USA gamers.

In light of the recent press release of Monster Hunter: World, which sold a whopping 5,000,000 copies in its first three days of release, we decided to share how the series started and what its main features are.

Capcom Pilot

Japanese publisher and game developer Capcom, specializing in the release of single-game projects, began developing several games at once in the early 2000s, which were supposed to attract an audience who loves multiplayer games. One such project was the original Monster Hunter, which was released exclusively on the PlayStation 2. Of course, the game still retained a singleplayer, but a significant portion of the content could only be opened in multiplayer mode.

Capcom's approach to online was somewhat innovative because special events (special events within the game) were regularly organized for the players, which were a good reason to return to the game and, with a group of friends, arrange a safari on the next monster. Despite the strong focus of developers on online, for a long time Japanese players did not show enthusiasm for it, and Capcom even had to organize special clubs where gamers played Monster Hunter together in co-op.

Players in Western countries did not show proper interest in multiplayer or in the game itself. The project was criticized for outdated graphics, a lot of bugs and a high level of complexity. Another problem is the unstable connection to the servers, which prevented many players from enjoying the multiplayer mode and accessing the most valuable loot in the game.

Despite all the shortcomings, the first part was able to sell an impressive number of copies for a new Japanese project - more than one million, which guaranteed the release of the continuation of the game. In total, for 2018, the series includes 6 main projects (of which only 4 are numbered) and 8 more spin-offs.

What is the reason for the popularity of Monster Hunter?

The series received a huge number of fans due to its unusual gameplay, which has little in common with conventional role-playing games, but rather closer to a tactical slasher.

Yes, you heard right, tactical, because the whole concept of the game is based on the hunt for dangerous monsters that can easily deal with the player in a few seconds.

A simple call can only defeat ordinary opponents, but large monsters require an individual approach.

If you want to learn more about what other well-known Hardcore Action-RPGs are, then we have prepared an article for you

Sometimes you had to spend an hour to kill one boss and die several times until you thoroughly learn the habits of the monster. In some cases, with critical damage, the monster could run away, which opened up the opportunity for players to trap the beast and put it to sleep.

Hunting & Crafting

Hunting was still the main, but not the only way to have fun in the game. In the world of Monster Hunter, you could collect valuable plants and complete various tasks for which you could get valuable loot for crafting. As for the crafting system, here the developers allowed players not only to create items according to recipes, but also to mix various ingredients on their own to get unique equipment.

Gameplay

The gameplay base has hardly changed since the first part, released in 2004, but only acquired additional elements.

Monster Hunter 2, which released 2 years later, added mini-games, a time-of-day change, and the ability to modify armor and weapons with gems. The third part allowed you to fight opponents under water. In 4 parts vertical gameplay was added, and in Monster Hunter: Generations it became possible to choose a style of fighting.

Monster Hunter: World is the culmination of the series and includes all the features of the previously released parts and offers several important innovations, such as a grappling hook, a living ecosystem and a completely seamless open world.

In the following articles, we will take a closer look at the new Monster Hunter World and other interesting features of the universe. So keep a close eye on the posts

The Topic of Article: Monster Hunter: How It All Began.
Author: Jake Pinkman