Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (XX) will be released on August 28 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. Our author Leya was able to test the full version in advance. She was reminded again why Monster Hunter can be both frustrating and satisfying at the same time.
Monster Hunter World is one of the games that I closely monitor here at Mein-MMO and I enjoyed playing for countless hours. I haven’t played all parts of the franchise, but I’m rooted in the series. I particularly enjoyed Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate back in the day, which I loved playing on my Nintendo 3DS from bed.
I didn’t play Monster Hunter Generations quite as intensely, but that was mainly due to a lack of time. I was even more excited when a review key for the full version of Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate landed in my inbox. Finally, I could dedicate myself to this title properly.
Thanks to World, I forgot the wonderfully motivating frustration of missteps
Monster Hunter World forgives my mistakes faster: The very first hunt for a large monster, the Great Maccao, immediately reminded me how brutal Monster Hunter can be. It’s a mix of ostrich, kangaroo, and lizard. This colorful creature kicks with its hind legs, which can knock you out cold if you’re not careful.
In Monster Hunter World, I have a Palico with me from the very beginning, who heals me. I can also move while drinking a potion or cancel my action. I completely forgot over all the time with Monster Hunter World how much of a difference it makes when you no longer have this.
The ambition and anger grow in me: This very brutality in Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate makes me eager to take revenge on the monsters. That moment when I sip my healing potion and have to stand still, because that’s how it was in the older parts. That moment when I see the monster preparing for its charge.
That damn moment when I have to stand still and watch as I either get hit unconscious or at least take a hard blow in the next seconds. That frustration I then feel deep inside me is my drive to want to improve.
These strong emotions were mostly absent for me in World, even though I still consider it a brilliant game.
I will come back, my friend: Those who want to get better at Monster Hunter need to refine their equipment. Because you are what you wear and can do. I would have liked to give you a deeper insight, but the kangaroo-bird quickly took me down during my first playthrough. I need to farm some small stuff first to at least improve my equipment a bit.
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate offers so much, but is cumbersome
More than 80 large monsters, 23 maps, G-Rank, hunting styles, even becoming a cat: Before I even started the actual hunt, I could spend a long time dealing with hunting styles and Palicos.
In Generations Ultimate, you can have two Palico companions with different skills. I can recruit them myself and give them abilities. Just the cat recruitment alone took quite some time. It’s even possible to become a Palico and go hunting with it.
With the hunting styles, you specialize in a particular combat style. Each style gives you various dodging actions, special attacks, and different hunting techniques. A lot of time can also go into experimenting and thinking here.
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate gets my gray cells working again because I’m mentally occupied with the play style of my choice.
Returning to the old UI and its cumbersome nature is difficult: I like that I can really immerse myself in the game. However, it’s not that easy for me to go back from World to the old UI. Because it’s still much less clear and more complicated here than in World. It also irritates me to be confronted with loading screens again between the different zones on the maps.
But that’s just a matter of getting used to, which I’m happy to accept.
I am also reminded of how impressive World actually is
Everything seems a bit silly now: The monsters in Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate are super unusual and quirky. It’s fun to fight against them, and they have some tricky mechanics in store. However, when I compare this AI to the one in World, I realize that it does seem a bit silly.
In Monster Hunter World, the living ecosystem and the majestic monsters are a real centerpiece. They sometimes seem so alive and smart that it can be painful to hunt them. With the eccentric and more comic-like monsters in Generations Ultimate, I don’t hesitate to smash them to pulp. This does make me feel a bit more impressed by Monster Hunter World again.
World is a perfect entry point for beginners: Those who have just started with Monster Hunter World have just the right title. Because even if some things may seem cumbersome here, Generations Ultimate had to remind me that it can also be “worse.”
But this reminder of the “old” Monster Hunter feel is as frustrating as it is wonderful.
If you like, you can at least currently download a demo version of Monster Hunter Generations:
