This preview brought to you by the early access demo of Monster Hunter Generations, which was kindly provided by Jeffrey Wilkes.
Fans of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate will feel right at home with Monster Hunter Generations, but that’s not to say the game doesn’t add a boatload of new features and gameplay to the hunting experience we know and love. The early access demo of Generations features three monsters of varying difficulty, two of which are new to this game: the Great Maccao (beginner difficulty) and the Malfestio (intermediate difficulty). The third and final monster is the Nargacuga, which may be familiar to those who played Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.
To rewind a little bit, though, the demo opens with a sweeping cinematic that introduces you to the game’s four flagship monsters in typical monster vs. monster battles that are earth-shattering, to say the least. The fourth and final of these monsters, however, the intimidating Glavenus, is challenged by an intrepid group of hunters, whose bold attempt shows that this guy is not going to go down easily.
Although none of the flagship monsters are huntable in the demo, I’m pleased as punch by their designs and apparent ferocity. The intro video dedicates ample time to each monster, making it lengthy overall, but highly impressive.
The gameplay portion of the demo doesn’t disappoint either. The Great Maccao may closely resemble the overused Great Jaggi at first, but its movement and attack patterns set it well apart from the pack, plus its design is unique and colorful. The demo has you battling it in the Jurassic Frontier, an area new to the series.
The Malfestio, on the other hand, is found in the arena setting for the demo. But it’s no less exotic than the Great Maccao; in fact, it struck me as one of the most unique and interesting monsters I’ve ever faced. It’s a blue, owl-like creature with special attacks that may cause sleep or confusion, the latter of which is a new status condition that inverts the player’s movement controls. A good thwack from a teammate dispels this, thankfully.
Probably due to my having faced it in previous games, the Nargacuga didn’t prove as much of a threat as I expected. I’m glad to see it return from 3 Ultimate, though, along with one of its preferred habitats, the Misty Peaks.
Generations’ largest new contribution to the series is hunting styles. There are four of these, and they essentially work the same no matter which of the 14 weapon types you choose. Here’s how they work:
- Guild Style This style can basically be described as “classic”, but it does allow you to equip up to two hunter “arts”. Arts are activated by touchscreen buttons once they’ve been charged (by landing hits on monsters), and they manifest as special attacks or power-ups unique to each weapon type.
- Striker Style Strikers enjoy the benefit of being able to equip up to three hunter arts, which also charge faster with this style. Practiced hunters may, however, notice that their favorite weapon types have lost some of their usual functionality thanks to the added power of arts.
- Aerial Style True to its name, this style gives users a myriad of options for leaping into the air, which obviously opens up a lot of mounting opportunities (and renders the insect glaive nearly useless). Although aerial style only allows for one hunter art to be equipped, it makes up for it by letting hunters use the dodge maneuver to vault off of pretty much anything, from teammates to the monsters themselves. As with striker style, weapons also suffer from missing functions.
- Adept Style Again, the name says it all. Adept style only shows its true power after a lot of practice; it allows only one hunter art, but last-second dodges or blocks offer the skilled (or lucky) hunter a chance to counterattack with devastating blows. I personally had a difficult time making this work for me, but veteran hunters may find mastering this style a worthy challenge.
With the promise of new monsters, maps, play styles, and more, Monster Hunter Generations is sure to be a no-brainer for longtime fans of the series. The demo will be available for the general public June 30, so newcomers interested in trying their hand at hunting can give the game a try then. The hunt will truly begin, however, on July 15 when the full version is finally released in North America!