Recently, Nintendo and Capcom revealed that Monster Hunter XX would be coming to the Nintendo Switch. At this weekend's Monster Hunter event in Japan, we got our first look at the gameplay.
Monster Hunter
For those unfamiliar with the franchise, Monster Hunter is, as the name implies, a game about hunting monsters. Known for its challenging and varied combat, in-depth crafting system, and grind, Monster Hunter has become a cult hit.
Though the franchise has never reached the heights of the Resident Evil or Street Fighter series, it has a very strong following, counting more than 33 million units in cumulative sales as of September 2015.
The series has obviously done well enough for Capcom to justify several sequels.
'Monster Hunter XX'
The first thing to note about Monster Hunter XX Nintendo Switch Ver. - the game's working title - is that it is not a new game but a port of a game that was originally released for the Nintendo 3DS. This is sadly made clear by the game's graphics. They don't look awful or anything, but they are only slightly better than the original version's graphics.
Of course, graphics aren't everything, and in a series like Monster Hunter, gameplay is king. The 3DS version of the game, Monster Hunter Generations, offered hundreds of hours of content so this one should keep players engaged for a long time.
Multiplayer
One of the defining features of the Monster Hunter franchise is the multiplayer aspect. The game is perfectly playable by yourself, but it works best when you and three friends team up to take down some giant monstrosity that you couldn't have conquered on your own.
In this regard, the fact that Monster Hunter XX is a port rather than a new title is a good thing, because Capcom has announced that Switch and 3DS players will be able to play with one another. In that same vein, Capcom also announced that save data would be transferable from the 3DS to the Switch so veterans of the original game won't be forced to start over from scratch.
Pricing And Release Date
Capcom has announced that Monster Hunter XX for the Nintendo Switch will be released in Japan on Aug. 25. A U.S. release has yet to be announced, but it is likely that we'll hear something about it at E3.
No word on the price too, but standard Switch titles are priced at $60.
