Monster Hunter Generations

Monster Hunter Generations has all the best-of. This is an effective collection, which condenses twelve years of high-end boss battles into a great action-oriented RPG. Admittedly, it doesn't add a lot of new ideas to the existing formula or fix long-known issues with its poorly functional and dated menus, but its long list of optimizations and its ever-so captivating combat system do. of this opus a beautiful achievement in which you can spend (another) good hundred hours.

The rewarding and never-ending cycle that runs the heart of Monster Hunter games comes down to chasing hordes of wild prey and other huge beasts over and over again, until you muster enough resources to turn some parts of their bodies into deformities. sumptuous weapons and armor. Repetition is dangerous, but be aware that each battle can unfold in a multitude of different ways, conditioned by your approach. Therefore, preparation is an important first step. You can also get a clear advantage by using a trapped pit that hinders the movement of the monster before triggering the explosion of barrels which causes significant damage. Obtaining the different outfits and equipment proves to be very motivating and constantly pushes you to hunt "big game", since these rewards also take the form of visual trophies to highlight your achievements.

The real new features introduced by Generations, responding to the sweet names of Styles and Hunting Arts, add a welcome layer of customization that fleshes out the clashes by letting you choose one of four available fighting styles. You can therefore favor a rather balanced character like Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, choose one that quickly loads its special movement gauge, set your sights on a fighter who likes air attacks to be more mobile, or succumb to the charms of a character. specialist in dodging and devastating counter-attacks. Hunting Styles transform mastery of a new weapon into true engagement, and offer you a unique way to adapt your fighting style to the enemy you are hunting.

The Hunting Arts, on the other hand, add unexpected depth to the combat system. These special attacks take the form of almost Street Fighter-esque moves, ranging from quick evasion to devastating charge. While these possibilities seem like a one-way ticket to victory at first glance, you risk being swept away or countered by the monster, leaving you vulnerable at the same time. The key to success is therefore to wait for the right moment before activating these impressive attacks and thus bite the dust on a staggering enemy.

And you will badly need these Hunting Arts and Styles to come to grips with the intimidating bestiary offered by Generations. Whether you're battling the colorful Great Maccao with fierce jump attacks, the sleek Nargacuga with its bewildering array of furious sweeps, or the massive Glavenus, a brutal Wyvern with a body as strong as a stone and a towering tail too Sharp as a razor blade, each monster has the personality and aggression that has characterized the franchise for more than a decade now. Regardless of the opponent, this is a catchy fight that always ends in a knockout, causing me to raise my arms in victory.

Unfortunately, that's about all when it comes to what's new. Generations does not introduce new weapons, but it rebalances the existing 14 to adapt to the new style possibilities offered. Similarly, the plot and presentation of Generations remain confined to the background, which is certainly a disappointment, but this lack of nuance allows at least the merit of accelerating the pace of the campaign.

As a new hunter, you will quickly unlock new types of quests as well as access to the four villages that act as a hub and offer wonderfully crafted art direction that brings some of the mythical locations of the old Monster Hunter back to 3DS. The only boring part concerns the quests that charge you to collect different rather mundane resources. This game is meant to be a Monster Hunter, not a Mushroom Hunter, and I can't count the number of times I've been sent out to pick ten mushrooms anymore. Playing Gatherer makes sense for a handful of situations, like scavenging resources to craft new gear, but the rest of the time those highly forgettable tasks pale in comparison to the possibility of battling the most massive creatures haunting this world.

While the plot remains slim, Generations manages to portray a colorful region filled with villagers exposing the joys and sorrows of their daily lives. However, it is our fellow Felynes (or Miaroudeurs) who regularly steal the show through a plethora of "chat-rmants" puns and the possibility of using them to gather resources. You can even go further by taking direct control of your "cat-rismatic" companion to collect items in the field without risking losing precious inventory resources. Miaroudeurs fights turn out to be fairly straightforward, but be aware that a handful of these ferocious felines have decent combos and attacks that are helpful to take down the monsters inhabiting the surrounding area.

Multiplayer hunting remains the highlight of the Generations experience, and is arguably the mode you'll spend most of your time in after completing the 25-hour campaign. The four-player lobby is easier to learn thanks to a completely redesigned hub, so you can integrate an online multiplayer game or create a local game and start a new hunt. There is also a lot to do, from special quests placing various beasts on a single map to high-level quests pitting you against the most powerful creatures Generations has to offer.

The fantastic and towering battles that Generations offers require a lot of preparation, which is probably the slowest part of this action-oriented RPG. By amassing tons of primary resources, you can create many potions allowing you, for example, to maintain your endurance level, increase your attack power or even improve your resistance. Small problem: combining these resources is a real chore. The inventory interface may have stood the test of time over the past decade, but its operation today appears dated and neglected, despite the updates to the arts on offer. I felt like I was wasting too much time browsing through the different menu tabs in two separate locations, looking for gear, arts, or craft items. This is a familiar feeling, but also a major flaw that the next Monster Hunter game will have to correct in order to be more effective.

Monster Hunter Generations, already released in Japan as Monster Hunter X, follows exactly the same script, with a real "greatest hits" of content and characters taken from the last episodes of the series, however combined with many new features, both on the front of the fights, both on that of the actual game options. If you are a fan of the series, do not expect a generational leap equal to that of the recent Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, but know that tens (or hundreds) of hours of hunting await you in one of the richest and most satisfying worlds of the series. The soup is always the same, in the final analysis, but it is an excellent soup, made delicious by some savory addition of gameplay spices.

As fans of the series, the most appropriate novelty is the four fighting styles. The guild style, the most similar to the classic one of Monster Hunter, the offensive one, simpler and with more space for the arts (which we will discuss shortly), the aerial one, acrobatic and spectacular, and the shadow one, the most difficult to use, focused on last second dodges and devastating counter-moves. Each of the four styles radically changes the game experience, changing both the level of difficulty and the tactical reasoning to do to kill monsters.

The beauty is that this additional level of customization overlaps the already existing weapon system, which maintains all the thickness and strengths of the series. For those who missed the previous episodes: each category of weapon has radically different characteristics, with a learning curve and dedicated combos, but also with particular limits and weak points. Becoming a master with a weapon takes time, but it is perhaps one of the greatest satisfactions that video games of this type have ever given me. Also noteworthy is the fact that the variety of weapons marries perfectly with the four styles: everything is balanced, well designed, but above all replayable to nausea.

The other interesting novelty are the hunting arts, special moves whose execution is linked to a bar that loads when attacking monsters. Some are universal, like absolute dodging, while others are related to specific weapons. With a bit of cunning and some research on the Internet (starting from Capcom's excellent introductory guide, also available in Italian), beginners will be able to use the system to soften the difficulty curve and more easily overcome the early stages. The Cacciamiao mode is also dedicated to beginners, which for the first time allows you to directly control the classic feline companions of the series: in the role of the Felyne it will be easier to learn the habits and movements of the monsters, enjoying the experience without some of the hunters' worries .

The veterans of the series, however, already know what they can expect: a fascinating world, with an incredible amount of content and missions and an air of "greatest hits", with villages and appearances from the last episodes. The rhythm is the same (which unfortunately includes the slowness of the initial stages, which to tell the truth weighs me more and more, episode after episode), the challenge is the same, the wonder as well. The fighting styles are enough to refresh the experience, without upsetting it, and they prove to be the perfect excuse to plunge again into Monster Hunter's well.

If you are part of the team that tried an old episode and did not fall in love, I recommend you try this Generations, with a demo, a friend's 3DS or a robbery in your trusted store. I can't promise you that this time the spark will come out, but I am convinced that Generations has more possibilities than usual to break through your heart. If, on the other hand, you have enjoyed the past episodes, we are not talking about a spark, but a fire. Get the game and a fire extinguisher, and I'll see you in 95 hours.

MODUS OPERANDI
I played Monster Hunter Generations with a code received from Nintendo. After a somewhat uphill start, mainly due to the abundance of real-world commitments, I got caught again by Monster Hunter. Despite having played a lot, as always I am far from "finishing" the game. I look forward to a moment of tranquility to be able to dedicate the other hundred hours it deserves to Generations.