Oh Rancher! Hold on to your “disc stones!” Koei Tecmo’s Monster Rancher is coming back! (Please allow me to “squee!”)The beloved franchise is making a reappearance, and can I just say, the excitement is real. Monster Rancher 1 & 2 will be remastered in a bundle for Nintendo Switch, PC on Steam, and for iOS as an app.
Often compared to the Pokémon games, although there are really very few similarities, the Monster Rancher series are life sims RPGs with 14 titles to its credit, released originally for the PlayStation. This year marks the franchise’s 25th anniversary.
For those unfamiliar with the games, Monster Rancher is set in a world that is broken into pieces. The player assumes the role of a monster breeder, who unlocks “disc stones” containing various monsters, some common, others quite rare. Each breeder has their own ranch where their monsters can roam, train and prepare for tournaments.
Tournaments take place in colosseums, or sometimes right on the ranch, against other breeders’ monsters. Selected monsters take commands from their keepers during battle. However, depending on the level of trust and the temperament of the monster, they may choose to not follow orders. Monsters will eventually grow old and “retire” (or if you have a phoenix- die), leaving the breeder with the chance to use the monster’s DNA for a unique summoning.
Tiger, I summon you!
Speaking of summons, part of made Monster Rancher different, was the ability to get new and rare “disc stones” from physical CDs, and later in Monster Rancher 3, 4 and EVO, from DVDs. Those of us who remember playing, will fondly recall the mad scramble to see what our favorite music CD might contain. (My Shania Twain had a unique Pixie!) Special CDs, called pandora discs, could contain multiple monsters. This system was later upgraded to voice recognition, drawing and other forms of summonings on the DS and online platforms.
Monster Rancher 1&2 DX will have a database for players to search through, finding “their desired CD and generat[ing] a monster from its data.” It will also include features that previously were absent from western releases, such as more save slots (thank goodness) and Monster Hall of Fame slots, and completely new goodies for us to explore.
Release date is set for December 9, 2021. Who knows, maybe we’ll get a new anime out of it too?
Alright, we want to hear from you! What was your ultimate summons? Fondest memories, or least favorite monsters? Any favorites you really want to see return? (I’m really hoping for a new Nya.)
Via, techraptor.net.
