Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

Overview

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 player's character is a fledgling Hunter, on the way to the port town of Val Habar via sandship as to become part of the Hunters's Guild. The ship is attacked by a giant Dah'ren Mohran, a sand dwelling Elder Dragon, and the Hunter is able to protect the ship long enough before the Guild's Ace Hunters arrive to drive the beast away. Safely in town, one of the ship's passengers, the Caravaneer, introduces himself to the Hunter, and describes his Capital Caravan, consisting of him, a blacksmith simply known as The Man, and a guild stewardess.

Monster Hunter 4, like previous titles in the series, was primarily developed for a Japanese audience; though previous games had been localized for release in English-speaking markets, no localized version had broken over one million units sold.

Monster Hunter 4 sold more than 1.8 million copies in its first two days on the market. By the end of 2013, it had sold 3.9 million copies in Japan, more than double any other game in the region except for Pokémon X and Y. As of March 31, 2014, the game has sold 4.1 million copies. The enhanced Monster Hunter 4G was a launch title for the New Nintendo 3DS revision in Japan. Released on October 11, 2014, the game sold 1.6 million copies in its first two days alone. As of November 2014, the game has sold 2.2 million copies.

Official trailer

Trailer. Watch on YouTube

Gameplay

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate - 3DS Gameplay, Asteria RPGs. Watch on YouTube

Screenshots

Game details

Genres

Role-playing (RPG), Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure

Developer

Capcom

Publisher

Capcom

Series

Monster Hunter

Platforms

Nintendo 3DS

Age rating

ESRB T

Modes

Single player

Yes

Local multiplayer

Yes

Online multiplayer

Yes

Co op

Yes

Age ratings

ESRB

T

PEGI

12

CERO

C

Release dates

Editions

Check out the store

DLC

Capcom released a free starter pack after launch with items and Super Mario themed equipment, and in March 2015 a second set with new quests and Legend of Zelda themed equipment.

Playable today

Playable offline todayPartly

Solo and local co-op hunts still play; online co-op is gone.

Online

Plays offlinePartly

Reception

Aggregates

Outlet	Platform	Score	Scale
Metacritic	3DS	86	100

Critics

Outlet	Score	Scale
IGN	9	10
GameSpot	9	10
Game Informer	8.75	10
Destructoid	9	10
Famitsu	36	40
GamesRadar	4.5	5
Nintendo Life	9	10
Polygon	8.5	10
USgamer	4.5	5

Staff and cast

Staff

Role	Name
Developer	Capcom
Publisher	Capcom
Director	Kaname Fujioka
Producer	Hironobu Takeshita
Composers	Marika Suzuki, Miwako Chinone, Reo Uratani

Notes for collectors

• The western release of Monster Hunter 4G, launched alongside the New Nintendo 3DS.
• The first handheld Monster Hunter with fully built-in online play.
• Quests and Guild Quest trading still work with friends locally.
• Online co-op ended when 3DS online services closed on 8 April 2024.
• A Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate New Nintendo 3DS XL launched with it in North America.

Credits

Publisher

Capcom

Developer

Capcom

Released

2015-02-13

Age rating

ESRB T

Region

US

Time to beat

about 80.2 hours