Pokemon and Monster Hunter had a child and... well...

How this franchise has changed! If you've ever played the first Monster Hunter, you would remember how straightforward it was. There was not much in terms of story. You were just a hunter tasked with kicking some monsters' behind. It was also quite "mature" in mood and character.

Capcom introduced Monster Hunter Stories back in the 3DS era in an attempt to popularize the saga among kids. You're no longer a badass hunter now. You're a cutesy "Rider" who steals collects monsters' eggs to hatch and "befriend" them. Yeah, you may say it's yet another Pokemon clone at this point.

If you wish to witness this change in mood for yourself, just google images of "Monster Hunter" and you'll see just how the overall aesthetics of past titles were. Heck, even the title design went from very ominous fonts with a winged demon at the top to flashy Megaman-style letters.

Now, it must be pointed out that this is actually a spin-off title in the series. It's not meant to be "canon" if that makes sense. But it does feel like a totally different game from anything remotely resembling Monster Hunter. Even the combat system changed from action-oriented to turn-based. I'm confident this change was done in an attempt to please the more family-friendly crowd, but fans of the old titles may feel grossly offended by these changes, as the combat in the mainline series was one of its most relevant selling points.

All this rant is not my way of saying that this game is bad or anything. The game, when taken apart from its bigger context, is amazing, and this Android/iOS port promises not to disappoint. Textures and character models look much better this time around than on the original 3DS launch. Though you'll probably find better graphics on other games such as Genshin Impact, this game still oozes elegance.

There are, occasionally, glitches and pop-ins you're bound to find throughout your playthrough, as well as a generous number of monsters materializing instantly in front of you! Despite these drawbacks, you should not feel discouraged to try this game out, as these bugs are neither game-breaking nor often.

As for the story, as I said before, this is an anomaly. a Monster Hunter game is not usually one I would play for the story. 

Capcom decided to insert a plot here about some blight that threats the land and what-not. Trust me, I tried to feel invested in the story but, unfortunately, I wasn't fully bought. I wasn't exactly expecting R. R. Martin-level stuff, but a bit more fleshing-out wouldn't have hurt, I guess. Characters in the game behave in a heavy anime-like fashion and they don't get enough screen time for me to really care about them.

The soundtrack was, nonetheless, very nice and beautifully crafted. The victory music that plays after each battle is breathtakingly epic and is probably the best victory theme I've ever heard in gaming, even challenging to take Final Fantasy's throne. I believe that the music makes up for what the story itself lacks, which is a shame because I could see the potential this game had in that department.