In order to rise above the status of lunch, you need bring to bear one of a massive variety of weapons. All of the options available to you are finely balanced to deal just enough damage, while affording you some small benefits. There isn’t a best weapon, and that’s the way it should be. Every uphill climb you face can be overcome with any weapon. If you’re a stubborn sod, then you’ll be picking one weapon and sticking to it throughout. Those who want to constantly change up their gameplay will have plenty available to them.
Alongside the staple Switch Axe and Heavy Bowguns come a pair of tools every hunter needs to look at. Springing from the trap first is the Charge Blade. It’s a little unassuming at a glance but with time, the weapon becomes a finely crafted device for your quest. It begins as a sword and shield which can be changed into a powerful axe when fully charged, reinforcing the greater focus the relationship between risk and reward in the franchise. Stay hidden behind the shield for too long, and your sword will be useless. Spin up the axe too early, and it’ll be about as potent as a wet sock.
The one which will interest most is the Insect Glaive. In the opening hours of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, this weapon looks to be nothing more than an unassuming stick. With proper use though, it is a jack of all trades weapon. An Insect Glaive comes with its very own Kinsect, a sort of pet which can be commanded to attack an enemy monster and return with a boon for its master. Most importantly though, the Insect Glaive artistically shows off another feature which is new to Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and yet a well known aspect of another Capcom title.
No we aren’t talking about Ryu’s Hadouken here. We are actually talking about the fine art of rodeo, a feature which first entered the grasp of Capcom through Dragon’s Dogma.
While not as deep or advanced as the previous iteration in Capcom’s library, it is nonetheless a new feature that many of the old guard will be left wondering how they ever played Monster Hunter without it. Through leaping off from a higher point, a task made much easier by the increased amount of verticality in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate when compared to other entries, or bouncing with the Insect Glaive, hunters can grab onto a monster’s back and stab at them to cause damage. When this happens, the monster tries to throw its unwanted rider. While there’s plenty going on visually, all that really matters is a small bar at the bottom. Hold R to grip tightly when the face is red, and hammer X when it’s green. A simple and yet ingenious way to stave off the staleness of repetitive combat.
Not that Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate‘s combat ever actually gets repetitive. Far from it in fact. Fights against monsters generally last between 10 to 15 minutes, spanning multiple different phases and locations for each battle. As they move from location to location, you have to modify your strategy to make use of the environment without giving your enemy the advantage. Luring a Seltas into charging you in flight with its horn can leave it stuck on the wall, open to a furious flurry of frenzied strikes. Finding yourself backed up into a corner with an infected Tigrex often leads to certain death as the monster viciously rips you apart. It’s a constant and exciting battle of wits between you and your quarry, and that’s even without thinking about the smaller creatures in your vicinity.
In these times of combat you’ll also have to make sure there’s opportunity to replenish health or sharpen weapons. That’s where the helpful Palico’s come in. These feline friends appear early on and are, quite frankly, useful as a tissue-paper umbrella. They do next to no damage to large monsters and they’re about as unpredictable as a Yak on LSD. Where they are useful however is in their ability to be another target. Monsters will single them out along with yourself, giving you the opportunity to reposition or rearm with a little less of the beasts eyeing you up with fava beans and a nice chianti. Palicos are recruited throughout the game and actually play a fairly important role in some of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate‘s newer features.
Before we get there though, we should go over another Monster Hunter feature that defines the franchise; crafting. Taking down monsters is all well and good, but you’ll be expecting something in return for your hard work. That’s where the crafting comes into play. You kill creatures to obtain better components, before using them to cobble together some new gear and go on to fight more powerful monsters. The sheer amount of different equipment sets and weapons on offer will boggle the minds of those not already used to the franchise, but Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate actually makes this process of creation even easier than older entries.
In past iterations of the series you’d often find yourself battling against a specific monster well over ten times to try and obtain the specific component you wanted. In Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, you can usually create a full set of armor along with a gorgeously designed weapon after only a few fights. Removing particular elements of large monsters or damaging special areas seems to be a little easier in this latest entry. Through this, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate‘s never-ending quest for better loot strikes the perfect balance between reward and the investment of time.
