I’ve been playing a lot of Monster Hunter Rise since it was released. An unhealthy amount. It’s easily my new favorite in the series, serving as a great jump for new players and a place for veterans to hone their skills. But while I enjoyed hanging out with the new Wirebug and going with my dog colleague Palamute, Rise makes me uncomfortable from time to time. Rise’s monsters are easily some of the most creative and inspired beasts of all games, which makes it all the more annoying when you lead them through their skins and make them wing hats.
I understand what Monster Hunter is, after all it’s in the name. I wish there were more ways to interact with the animals in the series than to kill them directly. That made me think, wouldn’t a “Monster Hunter Snap” game be great?
This hypothetical spin-off Monster Hunter would, of course, follow Pokémon Snap’s approach to the Pokémon universe. Pokémon Snap was a natural evolution of the series, giving players a way to spend time with Pokémon without having to make them fight. This has always been something my partner pointed out to me as he watched me play Pokémon: “I like this Pokémon, why do you have to fight it?”; “I just wish I didn’t have to fight all the time, I think otherwise I would like Pokémon” – it is clear that there is a lot of space for Pokémon games that exist without the need to bend in battle as the main objective. The unveiling of Pokémon Legends: Arceus earlier this year is yet another indicator of this change, offering more exploration and free play, as well as regular battles.
The Monster Hunter series has already begun to take steps towards a more empathetic view of the monsters that live in its world. Monster Hunter Stories allows you to hatch monster eggs and make friends with monsters, being more like the Pokémon series in the treatment of monsters. It still involves fighting, but from a much friendlier angle than the usual winding, kill and cut the loop presented in the basic series. Monsters like Rathalos, Mizutsune and Tigrex have become icons over the years, with distinct personalities that make them feel like real animals.
Imagine that you have the task to shoot two monsters while fighting, you need to set up your photos to get great pictures, also keeping a safe distance
The stories offer players a new way to interact with these creatures, forging connections and adding a rotation to the way the series usually sees its monsters. The least known The Monster Hunter Diary it also took a new direction, with an emphasis on village management and Animal Crossing-style interactions with Felyne characters.
Taking on the friendly monster ethos of Stories could really work in a Monster Hunter Snap game. Capturing photos is already part of Rise, there are even missions that specifically ask you to shoot monsters in certain ways, such as capturing a Bombadgy while gas expires and rolls. Monster Hunter monsters already exhibit unique behaviors and follow strict routines, preparing the stage for players to enter and photograph. Imagine that you have the task to shoot two monsters while fighting, you need to set up your photos to get great pictures, also keeping a safe distance. The new Wirebug is perfect for a photography game, as it allows you to easily reach cliff tops and hidden areas. You can bet there would be a cat leading the photo hut where you develop your photos.
You could be a researcher tasked with writing the first volume of Hunters Notes, completing it as you photograph each monster as it unfolds. This would be a way to have a progression related to something other than sets of armor and weapons. For the most part, I just want an excuse to spend more time admiring the beautiful places I usually go through as quickly as possible. These locations are often full of strange and interesting flora, as well as smaller creatures hiding behind the scenes. I would like to get the whole planet Earth and slowly document each area, maybe visit locations from a variety of Monster Hunter games. The many games in the Monster Hunter series are rarely related, which means that the general universe can sometimes feel a little indefinite. What better way to establish this world than by letting players explore it in their spare time, document the differences between regions, and learn new things along the way?
More than anything, I would like non-combat spin-offs to become more of the norm. It makes sense that as games become more complex, with better visual fidelity and AI, that the ways we interact with them should become even more complex. This is something that genres, such as military shooters, have had to contend with recently, offering deeper explanations. Why you do the things that are required of you. Nintendo has always been better at this than most, and given that Monster Hunter has much of its history tangled with platform support, it would be interesting to see the series expand to appeal to a more diverse set of players. The switch has sold extremely well and has excellent gyroscopic controls that could really shine here. I would bet that an MH Snap game would be a much easier sale than the often intimidating main games.
The last two main Monster Hunter games have seen both amazing sales, finally bringing the series to the Western mass audience. It’s clear that Monster Hunter is currently a very hot property (hey, you’ve seen the movie, right) and I hope this success will allow Capcom to be a little bolder with potential spin-offs. With New Pokémon Snap on the way, it will be interesting to see how well it sells and if this could be another sign for developers like Capcom that there is a craving for these types of games.
After so many Monster Hunter games, it’s definitely time to build a little world with a few smaller, weirder titles. The stories are a great start, as is the new entry into Rise through shared compatibility. Honestly, I will take every opportunity to jump back into the Monster Hunter universe, but please, Capcom, consider making Monster Hunter Snap.