The first RPG title of “Monster Hunter”, “Monster Hunter Stories”, will be released for Nintendo Switch/PS4/PC (Steam) on June 14, 2024.
This title was originally released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2016, and has since been ported to smartphones. A sequel, Monster Hunter Stories 2, will be released in 2021.
The main features of the remaster that will be released this time are the recording of Japanese and English voices, and the “museum” function where you can view setting materials. Since I was able to play the Nintendo Switch version of this game ahead of time, I would like to introduce the appeal of “Monster Hunter Stories'' along with its additional features.
◆The story of “riders” who live with monsters is retold with Japanese voice!
Speaking of the “Monster Hunter'' series, the objective is to become a “hunter'' and hunt monsters, but in the “Monster Hunter Stories'' series, the main character is a “rider'' who fights with monsters as companions (Otomon).
Riders are those who live with monsters, and Hunters are those who hunt monsters. Two originally incompatible beings gradually come to terms with each other, leading to a cooperative relationship that will decide the fate of the world. Up until now in Monster Hunter, the player has always been in the hunter's shoes, so a story in which the main character is a rider who is in the opposite position is a bit shocking.
The story, which can be said to be the antithesis of Monster Hunter, is vividly depicted through the characters' expressive facial expressions, animation, and cutscenes. At the time of the original work, each character's performance in “Monster Hunter” was filled with emotion and fully colored each scene, but this time all scenes have been rerecorded with Japanese voices. .
I originally really liked the atmosphere of the “Monster Hunter” language in the original work, and I was wondering if it would be in Japanese, but when I started playing it, it felt like it had been there from the beginning. I did. Since the voice actors are the same as in the original work, it feels as if the Japanese supplemented in my memory is being played back as is, and there is no sense of discomfort at all. All the characters are very cute and attractive.
The battle system is a turn-based battle similar to an RPG, with two people, Otomon and Rider, fighting. This game's attacks are characterized by a three-way attack: “power attack” ← “speed attack” ← “technique attack”. Each enemy monster and Otomon have different moves, so you'll have to switch between your Otomon skillfully and win the three-way rock-paper-scissors game.
When you win a three-way game, the “bond gauge” will accumulate. The bond gauge is used to use Rider and Otomon's skills, and once the gauge is filled to the maximum, you can also “ride” on Otomon.
If you win Rock, Paper, Scissors with the Otomon's hand matching the Rider's hand, a “double action” will be activated. Not only does it deal a lot of damage one-sidedly, it also increases the bond gauge, so you'll want to actively aim for it. When the battle goes well, the feeling of Otomon and Rider working in sync with each other feels great, and I think it's the most enjoyable element of the battles in this game.
When you ride an Otomon, you can unleash powerful “bonding techniques” that vary from Otomon to Otomon. The power of the bond technique will increase if you continue to win three corners while riding, but if you continue to lose, the ride will be canceled, so there is a strategy as to when to use the bond technique.
All of the bonding skills are unique to the monster, and range from cool to slightly comical, with animations that are unique to the toon-like graphics that you won't find in the main Monster Hunter series. The graphics and resolution have been improved with the remaster, so you can enjoy the special bonding techniques even more.
A “Museum'' mode has also been newly included, where you can enjoy the setting materials and BGM of “Monster Hunter Stories.'' In addition to a large number of rough illustrations of characters, design proposals, and beautiful concept art for each field, some materials also include comments from development staff.
While it incorporates the atmosphere and worldview of Monster Hunter's equipment, it also uses more anime-like art than the main series, giving it a fresh feel unique to Stories.
In the BGM viewing mode, all songs have comments from the staff. You can enjoy the songs of this work along with the thoughts of the staff while remembering the adventure. Overall, the music is designed to evoke the excitement of an RPG rather than an action game, which is probably what makes it different from the main series.
At the time of the original work, Monster Hunter Stories had excellent, unified art and animation, but in this remaster, the graphics have also been finely tuned.
Comparing the iPad version, which has the same textures and models as the 3DS version, and the Nintendo Switch version, we can see that not only the textures have been made higher resolution, but the models and lighting have also been adjusted. The UI has also been carefully adjusted for HD devices, and I felt that it was a very thorough remaster.
◆Development staff interview
The Inside Editorial Department conducted an email interview with the development staff of this work. I'll let you know how it goes.
-Once again, what was the purpose of releasing Monster Hunter Stories for current consoles?
Development staff:One of the major factors is that Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, which was released in 2021, was supported by many players around the world.
Due to the end of digital sales and network services for Nintendo 3DS, it will be difficult to play the entire series, so we decided to port it to the current console.
In order for you to enjoy the series, and for players who have played it once to pick it up again, we have created a new museum that includes full English and Japanese voices, development materials, and BGM. Masu.
–Compared to the smartphone version released after the 3DS version of Monster Hunter Stories, this remastered version has higher resolution textures and feels much richer. Where did you put particular effort into remastering?
Development staff:Although it is based on the graphic materials of the smartphone version, many of the materials have been made even higher resolution.
In particular, monsters are often visible to players, so they are on a par with Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin.
–The cutscenes in Monster Hunter Stories were originally fully voiced in Monster Hunter, and although it was a fictional language, the characters' emotions were carefully expressed. The highlight of this remastered version is the addition of Japanese and English voices, but what was the purpose behind re-recording the voices now?
Development staff:During the development of the original version, there was a desire to have full voice acting in Japanese (at that time it was only available in Japan), but due to various problems, this was not possible.
“Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin” implemented voice acting, and I believe that the reason it gained support from people around the world was due to the sense of immersion in the scenario through voice acting.
Based on those experiences, when porting the games to current consoles, we hope that players will be able to immerse themselves in the scenarios in the same way through both games.
–There is a baby monster that can only be seen when hatching an “Otomon” from an egg. Are all the models prepared individually for that moment, or are the baby monsters automatically created? Is there a system that will do that?
Development staff:Actually…I made it just for the hatching scene. Please give me more attention and love!
–When I played Monster Hunter Stories for the first time in a while, I realized once again that it has an atmosphere that is suitable for all ages. Starting with Stories 2, the atmosphere has become a little more aimed at adults, but how will the series' target audience change in the future?
Development staff:I cannot comment on the future development of the series, but I hope that a wider range of players will play than the action version of Monster Hunter, and that they will use this as an opportunity to learn about and love the large world of Monster Hunter. '', so while “2'' has a slightly more adult-oriented atmosphere, the fundamentals remain the same and we want a wide range of players to play the game.
— In “Monster Hunter Stories 2,” in addition to Naviru, who has been around since the first game, Ena has also been added as a partner character. I love the animation where the three of them sometimes turn around and smile at each other when they're riding a monster, but why did they choose to increase the number of partner characters to two?
Development staff:The only “partner” character is Naviru (one?). In the scenario, we will be going on an adventure together, so I wanted to somehow have Ena and I go on a tandem ride.
Otomon come in a variety of shapes, so the position of the saddle is made with great care. In the early stages of development, the structure was such that only the main character could ride it (Nabile is attached to the main character's model), but we wanted to make it tandem, and through trial and error we were able to successfully achieve it.
Although it is a simple expression, it was developed with a lot of passion, so I'm glad that people are paying attention to this aspect.
――The “Stories'' series, unlike the main “Monster Hunter'' series, uses toon-like art, but is this a commitment to differentiation?
Development staff:This may overlap with the answers to other questions, but I hope that the anime-style graphics will appeal to a wide range of people.
–Please give a message to users who are playing Monster Hunter Stories for the first time and fans who are thinking of playing it again.
Development staff:The “Monster Hunter Stories'' series is an RPG series that was created so that even people who are not good at action games can enjoy the world of “Monster Hunter,'' and its stories are highly praised in a wide range of regions.
The content can be enjoyed by a wide range of users, including those who like RPGs (especially command battle RPGs) and those who like training elements.
The two works in the series are created so that you can enjoy them no matter which way you play them, but “Monster Hunter Stories'' takes place four years before “Monster Hunter Stories 2 ~Wings of Ruin~'', so the worlds are connected and the same characters are also included. will appear.
I hope you will enjoy playing through the two works, paying close attention to the characters who grow throughout the series.
Of course, Monster Hunter players can also enjoy it to the fullest, so please give it a try!
This time, “Monster Hunter Stories” brings the charm of the original work to 120% for HD devices. Why not take this opportunity to pick up the first installment of this series, which opens up a new appeal for the Monster Hunter IP?
“Monster Hunter Stories” is scheduled to be released on June 14, 2024 for Nintendo Switch/PS4/PC (Steam). The PS4 version of Monster Hunter Stories 2 will also be released on the same day.
