Monster Hunter Generations
By Marc Saltzman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Tough, deep adventure is monstrously fun for adventure fans.

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Monster Hunter Generations
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Based on 2 parent reviews
Interactive, engaging, and family friendly! Great game!
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Great game, but a little violent...
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What’s It About?
MONSTER HUNTER GENERATIONS fuses action with role-playing game (RPG) mechanics and has you band together with other characters to take down fantastic beasts using a variety of weapons and tactics. New to the game are Hunting Styles and Hunter Arts, which deliver a unique and customizable play style. At the start of the game, you'll join the Wycademy, a group that specializes in studying monsters, and work your way up to becoming a powerful hunter tasked with defending each of the game's four villages threatened by a new malevolent force known collectively as the Fated Four. The game has hundreds of quests in the solo adventure, cooperative (co-op) quests via local or online multiplayer (with up to three other hunters), and a ton of weapons and equipment.
Is It Any Good?
Almost as good as last year's game (which was really good), this adventure succeeds at delivering what made the franchise so popular to begin with. It features a ton of exploration, intense battles, and compelling RPG upgrades and quests, but the developers have also added a lot more content to keep things fresh. Some of this content gets repetitive, mind you, but overall Monster Hunter Generations is an A-grade game for the Nintendo 3DS. Come for the exploration, stay for the monsters. The combat system hasn't been changed much over the years, and that's just fine. There are a few new attack moves and combos, but the battles against these mostly giant monster are inherently rewarding. There isn't a lot of help this time around, so players will have to take their time, upgrade weapons and armor (by looting from the dead or buying from the store), combine items wherever possible, and play with people to learn from their strategies. Speaking of multiplayer, keep in mind that the main game is a single-player offline experience only, but there's a multiplayer hub to join a few others locally or online.
As with the games that came before, players will enjoy the richly detailed worlds, with impressive graphics (especially for a Nintendo 3DS title), an excellent soundtrack, and a ton of story-based quests. Some might be difficult to follow and others may feel repetitive, but it's easy to fall for this game's wonderfully crafted atmosphere, multiple locations, and characters. It's not all about hacking and slashing, then moving on to do it again a few minutes later. As previously mentioned, there are some new features this year, including Hunter Arts and Hunting Styles, both of which help to customize the experience. Fighting enemies builds up the few Hunter Arts meters, which give cool combos when the meter is filled, such as a stamina boost or special attack combo. The new Hunting Styles feature includes Guild Style, Aerial Style (attack from above), Striker Style, and Adept Style (which helps with nimble strikes and new counterattacks). Plus, feline companions called Prowlers have been in these games for years, but now they're playable. Monster Hunter Generations is a blast. Despite some repetitive monsters and quests and a steep learning curve -- especially for beginners -- this game is one of the year's best for the Nintendo 3DS platform.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in games such as Monster Hunter Generations. Would this game be just as much fun without the combat and light gore? Does the violence matter because you're fighting fantasy creatures instead of realistic beasts or people?
Talk about teamwork. What are the benefits to working with others? Are there specific moments when you'd do better going alone?
Game Details
- Platform: Nintendo 3DS
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Capcom
- Release date: July 14, 2016
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Dinosaurs, Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Bugs, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires, Wild Animals
- ESRB rating: T for Blood, Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Last updated: August 20, 2022
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