Loved Demon’s Souls? Try Monster Hunter! (Part 1)

Part 1: Souls and Inspirations

It seems that Demon’s Souls captivated peoples’ minds at the end of 2009. It was the surprise dark horse of the year, dragging many into the depths of Boletaria and it’s surrounding demon infested environments. I personally have beaten the game and am in the process of finishing up my second play through. It’s a challenging title that knocks you to the ground, waiting for you to get back up again for another beating.

Or so the saying goes…

I don’t believe Demon’s Souls is as challenging as it was made out to be. While there isn’t a auto-check point in the game, there is always a shortcut that opens up either at the middle or near the end of the level. And while losing all your souls, the currency in the game, after a second death might seem harsh, you’ll learn that you gain the most souls upon defeating bosses, as well as a permanent checkpoint, promptly allowing you to return to the hub where you can spend all your souls before venturing into a new area.

Anyways, I’m not actually here to advocate people to try Demon’s Souls. And even though I enjoyed Demon’s Souls quite a bit, I can’t shake that feeling off the top of the head that I wasn’t satisfied enough.

What was it about the game that bothered me? I enjoyed traveling down those dark and lonely corridors, battling blood thirsty bosses, barely vanquishing them with a hair of health. Every encounter was an event, every step was an accomplishment. So what was missing?

Nothing actually. It wasn’t the game itself that had failed me in anyway. It was the enormity of what came before it that effected me, the one game that inspired Demon’s Souls design, and also inspired me to play Demon’s Souls in the first place.

While Demon’s Souls gained popular acclaim among many enthusiast sites, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite hasn’t really gotten much attention throughout the year. Sure there were passing mentions of it to explain the Japanese trend of Adhoc games on the PSP, but nobody went in depth as to why this franchise could have made such a big impact in the first place.

All Adhoc related social implications aside, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite deserves a closer look as to why it was able to change the direction of the PSP and spread it’s influences into other platforms.

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Go to Part 2: Loot and Monsters

Go to Part 3: Environments and Music

Go to Part 4: Problems and Tri