[Basukesu]

DEPLOYMENT BACKDROP

Well about a year ago Capcom released the first Warm Hearted Airu Village as a hold over till MHP3rd came out and also as a Monster Hunter Lite to lure the segment of the Japanese gaming market that finds MonHun grotesque and difficult. It was fairly successful here in Japan and in vintage Capcom fasshion the follow up was released this year on 8.10.2011. Not content with certain feedback regarding the game Capcom has made a few revisions to its delivery strategy as well as release timing. First the game is immediately available for download via JP PSN and second it is being released closer to the release of MHP3rd HD. This is to address the fact that the first in the Village series did little to hold over MonHan funs till the first MHP3rd came out as most gamers cleared this game easily in under 96 hours of game time.

GAME SUMMERY

Exactly like its predecessor you are back as the village gopher of sorts, trying to make the village even more Poka Poka (warm hearted) this means you will run around gathering items, earning guild points to expand the guild and even overall just making your village even grander than in the original. There are new Airus to recruit, and befriend and you even get to import 2 from your MHP3rd save file. New monsters join the roster and new locations like the classic Yuki Yama (Snowy Mountains) have been added to the quest locales.

SCORED SECTIONS

PRESENTATION

Almost 100% exactly like it is predecessor FROMSOFTWARE has again made another over the top super cute format that worked so well for the first game here in Japan. The same style is used to render the new monsters added to the roster and new Airus added to the village. The colors are bright the game is friendly and easily approachable. It certainly has a child-like appeal that worked well the last time around. That said, it is also one of the game's biggest flaws, as there are no graphical improvements the game looks a bit tired and a bit too been-there-done-that. if you hated it the first time around this time you will probably hate it again, if on the other hand you like it, then this is more village madness to sink your teeth into.

OVERALL 6 out of 10

GAMEPLAY

Again like its non-G counterpart you must gather items and each play segment is broken down into days. If you have a save file from the previous village game you can pick up with all the goodies you earned and all the bonuses you got the first time around including the extended day timer. If this your first romp you can opt to play from the content from the previous game or jump straight into the G content the choice is yours. Quests are gathering events that also present some different gameplay mechanics. Here you side scroll through a map and issue patapon like commands to attack, gather, dodge and perform the various tasks required of you for each quest. Like it older brother you do not really "kill" anything just capture big monster or take things from them. The village's well-being is in your hands again so you have to befriend everyone, influence its culture and earn points to pimp out your guild hall.
Again if you liked the first village game this will appeal to you if not skip it. It is not a great leap forward in the series, and game enhancements, are few and far between and mostly boil down to new NPCs added to the game that you can trade with to get different items from or new workers to tend to the new and larger gathering areas in town.

OVERALL 6 of 10

SOUND

Some new MHP3rd sounds make an appearance but the soundtrack stays as poppy and subdued as the first game's. It is well put together and fits the game well. Not an aural magnus opus by any mean but certainly befitting of the theme.

OVERALL 9 of 10

GRAPHICS

Not even a hop forward in the series it retains 100% of the look of the original game. Appealing and cute sure, but it feels more like they took the engine, made some new zones and put everyone back on top of it. The boiler plate feel to the design and presentation means it is meant to lure back those gamers that liked the series in the first place and not necessarily entice new buyers.

OVERALL 5 out of 10

THE BOTTOM LINE

I liked the first village game and this one is proving to be a fun romp for me, but that being said I must be objective here and recommend a total PASS on this game this time around. The gameplay is not super enhanced and it is clearly not designed to lure new consumers into the franchise. Similarly if you had your fill of the village the first time around then this time won't be any better. If you loved it then this pick up would be fun, as you can start from scratch, start from your previous save file or start straight from the G content. As the game is available via download in JP PSN it is slightly cheaper than a UMD copy and can be had immediately. If you are curious about the first game, you might as well get this game as it includes the first game in the series. Also the game is 100% Japanese and has kanji at about the middle school level. So if you do intend to purchase do take care that you have some working knowledge of Japanese.

SCORE: 6 out of 10 (Tolerable but better left untouched for most)



For a starter guide on mechanics and overall gameplay elements please refer to the guide in this forum.

If you have questions about the game feel free to PM me.

If I get enough requests I will post a guide for the G entries but for now this review is all I will post.


Happy Hunting!