Games like Monster Hunter – Best Alternatives in 2018

What is Monster Hunter?

Monster Hunter is a franchise of games that was first published and released by Capcom in 2004. Throughout the years the game has made several improvements but the core gameplay has always been the same. You play as a hunter in a fantasy environment and venture out into the world to both capture and kill various types of monsters. While it is an RPG, it’s not like traditional RPGs where the player is able to choose classes and level up. Instead, the player is able to choose from a wide variety of weapons to cater to their needs. These weapons vary from giant swords that are powerful but slow, and small daggers that are weaker but faster. The farther you get into the game, the more powerful your weapon will become.

There are also other things you can do outside of hunting monsters, such as doing odd jobs like fishing or insect hunting for small rewards. And the best part being that a lot of these things can be done online with friends.

If you’re looking to get into the series, you can’t go wrong with Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate. It’s one of the most popular Nintendo 3DS games and based on reviews and my own personal experience, it’s a great time sinker. There are also other titles available on both the PlayStation 2 and the Nintendo Wii.

Top Five Games like Monster Hunter – 2018 List

#5 – Gods Eater: Burst (PlayStation Portable)

Gods Eater: Burst is an action role-playing game that was both developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment and was released in 2010 in Japan and the following year for American audiences. The game takes place a few decades in the future, where the world is being overrun by deadly creatures known as Aragami. They have been terrorizing the world for some time, so much so that a new military agency known as Fenrir Far East Branch has been tasked with defeating them. This branch takes on the Aragami using specialized weapons, giving them the nickname “God Eaters”.

You join this branch as the main character, which you are able to customize completely. After deciding upon which name you want to be known as, you are then assigned to change their hair, skin color, voice and face to how you see fit. Originally your character is unemployed but you decide to join the Fenrir Far East Branch under a man named Lindow, the leader of the first unit. Throughout the game you defeat these monsters and by doing so, you improve your overall skills. One of these skills includes a form called “Burst Mode” in which you devour an Aragami and temporarily gain their powers.

While the game seems rather basic, the story eventually begins to unfold and over time you realize that not everyone claims to be who they say they are.

Gods Eater has gone on to sell rather well in the United States but not as much as it has in Japan. A remake of the game was planned and released in Japan in 2015. Currently it is being translated for American audiences and is set to release later on this year. If you want to learn more about God Eater I’d recommend waiting until the remake, which is titled Gods Eater: Resurrection. The game will be featured on the PlayStation 4 as well as the PlayStation Vita.

#4 – Bloodborne (PlayStation 4)

If you’re a huge fan of the Dark Souls or Demon’s Souls games then you are really going to enjoy Bloodborne. While it is not directly related to the game in any way, it was made by the same company which made the Souls franchise and has taken key elements from those games and applied it to Bloodborne. The first incarnation of the game began back in 2012 under the codename Project Beast when a representative from Sony approached Hidetaka Miyazaki, lead director of FromSoftware. He exclaimed that Sony wanted a new IP that is similar to Dark Souls but exclusive for the PlayStation 4. Miyazaki agreed and got to work. Bloodborne is a very gothic game and takes inspiration from the Victorian Era in England, as well as being inspired by the horror fiction novels of H.P. Lovecraft.

The game begins with the player being able to fully customize their character, known as “The Hunter”. While the game starts off in first-person mode, it eventually changes to that of third-person perspective mode and retains that mode throughout the remainder of the game. Your Hunter lives in the world of Yharnam which has been completely overtaken by a plague which turns its citizens into disgusting creatures. Equipped with one melee and one ranged weapon, your Hunter is tasked with visiting other areas around the world in hopes of finding a remedy called Paleblood, all the while killing the creatures around Yharnam in hopes of stopping the source of the plague.

Gameplay is very similar to Monster Hunter in that you’re essentially hunting monsters in third-person perspective. Along the way you are able to acquire new weapons and level your character up using Blood Echoes. Not only are Blood Echoes used as experience points but they double as currency. Littered around Yharnam are various lanterns which the player may use to enter The Hunter’s Dream, which is a sanctuary of sorts and is the only safe location in the entire game. The downside to entering The Hunter’s Dream is that all enemies will respawn when you enter it, so be careful.

Bloodborne was finally released last March, 2015. The game received a tremendous amount of high praise so if you’re looking for a more difficult version of Monster Hunter, give this game a shot.

#3 – Soul Sacrifice (PlayStation Vita)

Just like the title suggests, Soul Sacrifice is all about saving or sacrificing. When the game begins, the player becomes enslaved by a powerful, but evil sorcerer who goes by the name Magusar. This sorcerer is set and ready to execute you, when a mysterious talking book named Librom comes out of nowhere and rescues you. The book itself is filled with stories of Magusar’s many encounters with powerful monsters. By entering this book you are able to experience these battles, thus gaining the knowledge it takes to defeat Magusar once and for all.

Combat is central to the game and is just like in Monster Hunter, is displayed in third-person perspective. Because the character is reliving moments of Magusar’s life, you essentially are a sorcerer yourself.  You are given party members who accompany you through battle and using upon their death you can choose to revive them (which take half your life) or sacrifice them, which deals map-wide damage to all enemies on screen. You are also able to sacrifice parts of your own body to create devastating attacks to enemies. These sacrifices remain permanent and cause the player to gain a status effect, depending on which body part was sacrificed. Because of its permanent nature, these attacks are limited although you are able to restore yourself thanks in large part to Librom.

If you connect to PlayStation Network while playing Soul Sacrifice you are able to do certain missions, called Avalon Quests with your online or real-life friends. Your friends join your party in which if they are killed you can choose to save or sacrifice them. If you do happen to sacrifice them they receive bonus points and enter a spectator mode, where they are still able to aid you in battle.

Reception for Soul Sacrifice was strong and throughout the year of 2013 it became one of the most downloaded games for the PlayStation Vita, topping more than 300,000 copies sold. A sequel is also in the works but not much in known at this point.

#2 – Dragomon Hunter (PC)

Dragomon Hunter is an anime-styled massively multiple online role playing game (MMORPG) that was released via Aeria Games official website and on Steam in December 2015. Because of its anime style, characters and monsters are very chibi and cute like. Players are able to play the game using one of four classes:

Cleric – Clerics are the healers of the game. Using a mighty hammer you are able to unlock several different light and prayer skills.

Mage – Mages are the magic users that are able to wield powerful staves or hunting horns to harness their abilities. Magic attacks range between arcane abilities to sonic abilities, depending on which weapon you choose.

Mercenary – Mercenaries are like tanks. They wield ferocious great swords or battle axes and storm to the front lines of battle to take on swarms of Dragomon. You are also able to learn several skills to help aid you in battle and make you stronger.

Scout – Scouts are the swift classes in the game. While they have access to dual blades for close quarter combat they also have rifles which can shoot down enemies from a distance.

After choosing your class you enter the world of Wyveria and become a Dragomon Hunter. Dragomon are a type of creature which inhabit this estranged world. They possess incredible powers and fallen Dragomon have been known to drop a rare crystal called Dragocite. These crystals are used for economical purposes so the more Dragocite you have, the more currency you are in control of. Battles are done in third-person perspective with the player easily being able to run up to a Dragomon and start fighting. Similar to Monster Hunter, the player is able to capture Dragomon. Capturing Dragomon is more interesting in Dragomon Hunter as you are able to fully tame your beast and ride it around.

#1 – Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth (PlayStation 4 / PlayStation Vita)

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth is very similar to Monster Hunter in many ways and is my personal favorite game so far this year. The player begins by choosing to be a male or female and enter the world of EDEN, which is a world made purely out of digital data. After witnessing what is allegedly a ghost, you are taken on a mission to escape the area you’re in. You come into contact with creatures known as Digimon who are being attacked by something called an Eater. You meet up with your friends to help save the two Digimon and wind up being attacked by the Eater. One small touch by an Eater can completely mess up your DNA so your body is sent through the ringer and you end up essentially becoming a digital ghost yourself. Because of this, you are granted specific powers which enable you to traverse between the real world and the digital world without problem. You end up meeting a detective who needs your powers to help save other people. You agree and join her agency as a cyber sleuth.

The game then continues on with the player going on missions for the detective agency and along the way you are able to enter digital fields where you meet enemy Digimon. While fighting in Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth is slightly different than it is in Monster Hunter, (with the player having partner monsters doing all the fighting) it is still done in third-person perspective. When you fight enemy Digimon you are able to scan their encoded digital DNA and after enough battles you can bring the Digimon back to life via your computer and raise it as your own.

There are over 200 unique Digimon at your disposal, so long as you meet the requirements to evolve them. It really is a great game that only recently came out but since then has become one of the top most downloaded PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita games. There is also another Digimon game that was released in Japan called Digimon World: Next Order which I’m really hoping gets an English release.

That’s it for the top five games like Monster Hunter. I really hope you enjoyed the list and if you’re looking for similar games, hopefully you found one that suits your needs.

What’s your favorite 2017 Monster Hunter alternative? Let me know in the comments below!