Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate is another title in the Monster Hunter series by developer Capcom. Developed for the Nintendo 3DS and Switch platforms, Generations Ultimate was announced in 2015 but didn’t hit the shelves until 2016 in a series of releases. Since the developer’s switch from the PlayStation platforms, there has also been a significant switch in the design and difficulty configuration of the game.

The game is one of the many spin-offs of the Monster Hunter series, where players undertake the quest of hunting down large and dangerous creatures. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate is an objectively better version of Generations, and the game comes with special attacks, new combat styles, and other installments to elevate the gameplay.

The Gameplay Remains True To The Original Series

The game is hinged on your ability to determine the type of armor and weapons that will work best for the quest. You have 14 weapon types at your disposal, and they all have intrinsic attributes. There are a whopping 93 monsters to battle, including new signature monsters. This is 20 more monsters than in the original Generations release. There are many new monsters like the Elder Dragon Valtrex, while others are making a return from previous games. The Deviant Monsters make a comeback and have mutated and evolved into stronger, more powerful forms. The number of monsters you have to fight racks up the gaming time to over 100 hours.

Two new Hunter Styles have been added, including the Valor and Alchemy styles and a refined Palico class called the ‘Beast.’ Picking a style is almost as important as picking a weapon. You can choose the Guild Style and play as a counter-attack master with an Adept Style, or you can opt for the Alchemy Style, which is weird but effective. You get to conjure useful items from a barrel as needed. You can also go for the Aerial Style, which turns your dodge into a jump that allows you to mount the monster and deliver a fatal blow from above.

The game is situated in four villages, where you go on quests and communicate with non-player characters. The core gameplay is quite simple and addictive. Three games return from previous installations of the game and a new one, Bherna, where all the action begins. Many beloved game components and characters also return, such as the Caravanner from Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. You can say that this Generation Ultimate edition was designed as an homage to the preceding games, which longtime fans will love. Come to think of it, Capcom seems to love making Ultimate versions of everything.

The New And Exciting G-Rank 

The highlight of this gaming experience is arguably the grueling G-Rank quests. This stage features the newest quests that were not in the previous Generation versions, and you will need the help of one or two more hunters. Monsters on this level greatly test your skill level and are incredibly difficult to kill. You get to battle Valstrax, who is one ridiculously powerful monster. He shoots missiles from his wings and turns into a jet engine as he charges into you.

Despite the multiplayer feature, the game does not support in-game voice chats or the Nintendo mobile voice app, which is a huge miss. This forces you to use third-party voice chat apps to get a truly exciting experience. You can use a set of modifiable messages to inform teammates of your actions. Despite these, the multiplayer works seamlessly with little or no lags or connection issues.  

Somewhat Outdated Graphics

When you play the Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, you can tell that the graphics have been upgraded along with the control scheme. However, it does not maintain the visual flair and elegance of the Monster Hunter World.

The monsters look dated, and you will experience certain glitches, but it still gives a pulse-racing experience. You battle with fire-breathing Rathalos, and the wooly, snowy Gammoths are a magnificent sight. Still, it is difficult to navigate the maps and menu when you have seen better worlds in the previous series. 

Weapons Chest Comes With A Wide Variety

The 14 weapons at your disposal range from swords, hammers, and bows to guns and lances. They seem to be geared towards a certain Hunter Style. They come with different moves and abilities, which all come in handy on the battlefield. Your armor defends you from the physical and elemental damages from the dragons. You also get to craft new weapons, armor, or upgraded weapons out of the slain monsters and other materials you can gather from the village stores. The distinct nature and adaptability of the weapons add to the charm of the gameplay. 

Understanding the nuance that comes with weapons choice is important because you get to battle many monsters. Although you can mix and match, knowing when to drop moves or arts to use will affect your gaining experience. It may be wise to use a hammer that can inflict heavy damage on a giant, hard-shelled monster rather than a sword. The sword or bow gun will come in handy when fighting off quicker and smaller beasts. Weapons improve the warrior’s performance as they come with a set number of skill points. When used in the right conditions, they grant you passive buffs, like higher max health, quicker weapons sharpening, fire resistance, and slower stamina drain. 

For a game with over 93 different monsters and a lot of content, the progression system still forces you to tread the same areas repeatedly while fighting the same monsters. Advancing through the ranks of the game requires you to complete key quests without hints as to which quests help you advance. You can either play every single quest, which I believe the developers planned, or check online for the important ones, which many people did.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a case can be made that this game is a huge improvement in the series, making it one of the best. With the long list of upgrades and addition, the game earns the ‘Ultimate’ attached to its name. It is bursting with content and goes for $59.99. I highly recommend it to lovers of this genre.