Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Review

by Harry Sheridan

September 13, 2015

Nintendo 3DS

 

While I had been aware of the Monster Hunter series for a while, it wasn’t until very recently that I got into the series, with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate being my introduction. For several months, my friend continuously told me that I should get MH4U and about how great it was, but I tried out the demo and didn’t find the game to my liking. Then one day, on a whim, I decided to buy the game. And I haven’t looked back since.

 

Presentation

-The Environments-

Honestly, I was very impressed with MH4U’s visuals. While it obviously isn’t the prettiest game around, it does so many things right. It was so exciting exploring the diverse range of areas in this game, such as the Primal Forest, Frozen Seaway and Volcanic Hollow, and getting to see what new types of monsters dwelled there. Each of these areas brought something new to the table, visually, which really helped to keep the game feeling fresh.

-The Monsters-

When it comes to the game’s visuals, nothing stood out more than this game’s cast of Monsters. With a whopping 98 different Monsters to fight, MH4U sure brought a lot to the table. While there are a few “Subspecies”, which act as stronger variations of other Monsters, I was amazed at the wide range of creatures designs and even more amazed at the designs themselves. Design-wise, I don’t think it’d be too much of a stretch to call Monster Hunter “Pokemon’s Younger, Fiercer Brother”, since the large cast of fantastic creatures often reminded me of that series’ own massive Monster gallery. In addition to the Monsters’ designs, their actual animations were also quite the visual treat, as the Monsters often felt very dynamic and alive as they moved about in their environments.

-The Soundtrack-

Monster Hunters 4U has a great soundtrack, which is good because you’re going to be hearing A LOT of it. When it comes to long games like this, it’s important to have good music. You don’t want to have to listen to the same, boring/bad songs as you fight certain monsters over and over and over again trying to gather specific materials. Luckily, the Monster Hunter team, specifically Miwako Chinone, Marika Suzuki, and Reo Uratani (the game’s composers), understand that and gave us an awesome soundtrack fit for the hunt.

 

Gameplay

Playing MH4U, I was pleasantly surprised to see how different it was compared to what I was expecting. There are plenty of games out there that have you fight giant monsters (Shadow of the Colossus, God of War, and Asura’s Wrath all come to mind) but none quite like Monster Hunter. MH4U’s fight are relatively slower and more technical. You have to learn each monster’s strengths, weaknesses, behaviors, etc. if you want to beat them, which I think is a very welcome change compared to the much more hack-and-slash gameplay that typically comes with a giant boss fight. My only negative thought when it comes to the gameplay is the lack of complete control over the game’s camera, however, being able to snap the camera to the monster using the “L” button makes up for it (plus, I imagine that this is a non-problem for New 3DS owners, since that system has a C-Stick).

-Weapons + Armor-

Unlike most RPGs, Monster Hunter forgoes the level system and instead has you rely on your armor and weapons to increase your stats and gain new abilities. While I was skeptical of this system at first, I soon learned to love it. The game has 14 Weapon classes (Long Sword, Hammer, Bowgun, etc.) and 5 types of Armor (Head, Hands, Waist, Chest, Feet), each with tons of different variants that can be crafted to give you any of a massive range of boosts and abilities. Since each of the Weapon classes offers a different gameplay type and experience, I found it very fun to experiment with different classes, trying to decide which ones I liked the best.

-The Grind-

Probably the most divisive part of MH’s gameplay is the fact that it employs the use of grinding as a means of progressing through the game. For example, if you want to make a specific sword, you’ll need a few specific materials, which you randomly receive from either carving a monster or as a reward for completing a quest. This means that in order to make the gear you want, you’ll have to fight the same monster over and over until it eventually yields the materials you need. Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of grinding in games, since it typically feels more like a gameplay element that exists simply to lengthen a game, rather than to enhance it; however, in the case of MH4U, I was genuinely surprised to find that I didn't mind the grinding at all (in fact, I’ve really enjoyed it). Because of MH4U’s action-oriented gameplay and portability, grinding never really feels like a chore, as it might in other games. Since I always feel directly involved in what’s going on in the game (as opposed to, say, turn-based rpgs, where you simply select an action instead of actually doing it), fighting against a monster I’ve fought numerous times can be just as fun as fighting brand something new. That, coupled with the fact that I can simply pick up the game and play while I’m waiting for my laundry to dry or in between classes, means that grinding has become something I’ve never seen it as before: fun.

 

Overall

It’s always fun discovering a new game series, especially when it's one that really clicks with you. I didn’t really know what to expect when I picked up MH4U, but now I have 50+ hours invested (I’ve barely even scratched the surface) and I’m absolutely loving it. While Monster Hunter certainly isn’t for everyone, it’s one of those games where once you’re in, you’re really in. It all boils down to the fact that Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is a game that’s pretty, engaging, tough, and (most importantly) fun. If that’s not the workings of a great game, then I don’t know what is.

Rating: Excellent/10

+Fun, engaging combat

+Huge variety in Monsters and environments

+Deep crafting system

+/- Lots of grinding