Monster Hunter

Summary

Monster Hunter is an online action-hunting game developed by CAPCOM for the PlayStation 2. It was released on March 11, 2004 in Japan and September 21, 2004 in North America. The game is a fantasy-based hunting simulator that features a wide variety of dangerous monsters. Much like real hunting, defeating or capturing these creatures demands careful strategy, skill, and effective resource management. Although it was initially seen as a commercial disappointment, Monster Hunter eventually became one of CAPCOM's most successful franchises. While it includes an offline mode, Monster Hunter was mainly designed for online play. The official servers were closed on December 31, 2007 in North America and Europe, and July 1, 2011 in Japan. As a result, playing online through official CAPCOM servers is no longer possible. However, a small but dedicated community continues to play on private servers.

Storyline

The player takes on the role of a customizable self-insert hunter. The journey begins in the small hunting village of Kokoto, governed by a leader known as the Hero of Kokoto. As the player helps the villagers and completes a variety of Quests, they steadily gain strength and skill, progressing through the game’s offline story. This leads to a climactic battle against the monster Monoblos, traditionally recognized as the offline final boss. In the online mode, the player travels to an unnamed town in the game, though it is referred to as "Minegarde Town" in the Hunter's Encyclopedia lorebook. Here, the player joins forces with other hunters to grow stronger, until the sudden arrival of the massive dragon "Lao-Shan Lung" sends the town into chaos. The player then bands together with other hunters to either defeat or drive back Lao-Shan Lung, preventing it from destroying any villages in the West Schrade Kingdom. After this, the player unlocks a new tier of Quests—later known in future Monster Hunter titles as "High Rank," though it has no official name in the original. The player then experiences what is called the "Wyvern Blood's Call," leading to the arrival of the Black Dragon "Fatalis," the online final boss. After defeating this malevolent creature, the town and kingdom are saved, and the player is hailed as a hero.

Screenshots

Release dates by platform

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