Monster Hunter 4

Monster Hunter 4 is an action role-playing game developed and published by Capcom. It is the fourth game in the Monster Hunter series and the second to be released on the Nintendo 3DS. Originally released in Japan on September 14, 2013. On January 26, 2014, an enhanced edition titled Monster Hunter 4G was announced for release in Japan on October 11, 2014, and allowed players to utilize Monster Hunter 4 save files. This version was released in North America and Europe as Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate on February 13, 2015. 

As with the other games in the series, Monster Hunter 4 has the player take the role of a new Hunter that undertakes quests and challenges to hunt dangerous creatures that inhabit various locales. As they proceed through these quests, they will gain various items, in-game money, and other rewards that are used to craft new weapons, armor, additional gear, and health, restoration, and temporary buffing items that can be taken into later quests.

The player’s character does not intrinsically improve over the course of the game, but their abilities are set by the weapon and armor they carry into the quests, which improve as the player takes on more challenging quests. The game allows the player to use any of the fourteen basic weapon types in the game, each having unique battle approaches that the player must master, and can switch between these weapons before departing on quests. When on a quest, the player is taken to a remote location made up of several smaller areas, where both passive and aggressive creatures roam.

The player can explore through these areas, taking the time to accumulate materials such as ores, bugs, and plant parts used to make gear and potions, or by slaying creatures throughout the areas. Some quests allow the player to explore the area as long as they want to accumulate goods, while other quests have the player attempt to slay a number of smaller creatures. The bulk of the quests in the game requiring hunting one or more of the larger monsters that can inhabit the areas, and ending the quest by killing or trapping the creature.

These quests are limited by time, as well as the resources available to player. The character can fall in battle due to loss of health twice, causing the player to continue the quest from the starting area, but after falling a third time, the quest is considered failed, as is running out of time. The player can also quit out of any quest at any time, foregoing any rewards for it, but also retaining the items used.