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Monster Rancher EVO

For the first several iterations of the series, Monster Rancher was not necessarily an RPG. It was more of a “niche” game that generally fit into the monster breeding/fighting genre. That’s because the original Monster Rancher concentrated on its unique way of introducing new monsters to the game which the player/breeder could raise and control. That method was a unique system of inserting any CD into the PSone drive, reading the code off it, and generating a monster from a vast database, based off that code.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t a trick; if you put in Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run,” you’d get the same monster every time, but if you put in Billy Joel’s “Innocent Man,” an entirely different monster would be generated. Given that the whiz kids at Tecmo coded certain rare, special monsters to specific PSone and music hits – for example, Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear Solid, Tomb Raider and so forth – the game had tons of kitsch value. It was a unique concept that captured a solid core audience, even after it became clear there were maybe only about 40 general monster types and all the others were just variations on those types.

In the sequels that have followed, Tecmo has expanded the number of monster types but the core game play has generally stayed roughly the same. While previous efforts have offered attempts to add some RPG elements, the dungeons and storylines offered were minimal efforts that rarely strayed from the game’s core winning formula, which was to train and breed monsters and fight them in tournaments. Even Monster Rancher 4 did little to really change the game’s formula for success.

Monster Rancher EVO, the latest chapter in the series from Tecmo, finally changes all that. Gone is the paper-thin, “you’re a kid who wants to be a world-famous monster breeder,” storyline. In its place, Tecmo has delivered a full-blown RPG that takes place in a familiar Monster Rancher concept but finally delivers a full-blown, character-driven RPG world. Instead of some lone rancher, living for the next tournament and trying to win trophies, you play the game as Julio, a kid who joins the circus, where he breeds and raises monsters. But instead of living for massive tournaments, the goal of circus life is to put on shows.

Julio is surrounded by fellow breeders and other circus helpers. The circus travels from town-to-town, putting on shows and occasionally getting involved in critical affairs about town. For example, in the first town, there’s rumor of a devil haunting the local woods, destroying their fields at night. You are offered the opportunity, by the mayor, to win a one-round monster breeder fighting tournament, in order to earn the right to go after this woodland devil. Then you have the forest “dungeon” to solve. Of course, this is all scheduled in balance with continuing to put on shows for the townsfolk. Once you solve the mystery of the woodland devil, your time in that town winds down and you move on to the next.

Now, Monster Rancher EVO isn’t going to fool anyone into thinking it’s Final Fantasy XII, but that being said, it’s still quite a solid RPG, finally setting the Monster Rancher series on par or perhaps even just edging out Nintendo’s Pokemon RPG series in terms of delivering a respectable, solid RPG experience. If Pokemon’s creed is “gotta catch ‘em all,” Monster Rancher’s motto is “gotta breed ‘em all.” There’s still plenty of fun to be had breeding monsters in Monster Rancher, but the life you live with your monsters is far more fleshed out as part of a long, ongoing story. Of course, for those who prefer a more basic Monster Rancher experience, there’s still a VS. mode, although it’s not as fleshed out as old-school Monster Rancher titles.

Graphically, the game is looking better than ever, expanding on the game’s original look to deliver a fully-realized 3D universe for gamers to explore as they raise their monsters. Complete with a watercolor-hued opening cinema, the game possesses a distinct, beautiful look that has been designed for gamers who love eye candy. There’s no voice acting to be found, but the score is pleasant enough, and I guess you can’t expect everything.

The battle system has also undergone radical surgery. While previous Monster Rancher titles barely made use of the analog sticks, Monster Rancher EVO delivers a complete redo. Circus performances call to mind Parappa the Rapper by requiring Julio as the trainer to play an accordion, a system that calls to mind rhythm/rapping games; do well and your monster’s performance will be inspired and boost his stats more, as well as pleasing the audience, which means more pay. Mess up and the monster will be less inspired. Mess up enough and he may make a mistake.

Even in battles, Monster Rancher EVO is different, delivering a strategic-action RPG battle system that bears little resemblance to the Monster Ranchers of old. Sure, it still relies on a GUTS system, but in terms of how actions are selected and how you interact with the controller, it’s almost a complete rewrite. This keeps the battles fresher and actually reduces the “numb fingertips” that long sessions with the old Monster Rancher titles usually resulted in, due to repeated button-presses of the D-pad. Thank God that’s gone!

Finally delivering a truly integrated gaming experience, Monster Rancher EVO has grown far beyond its basic PSone roots. The change is so radical that some longtime fans might not react well to the new game, complaining that too much story has been added and the traditional game play elements are too buried underneath the game’s new RPG concept. However, don’t pay attention to those folks; for every Monster Rancher hardcore gamer who’s a bit put off, EVO now delivers the series from a “niche title” category into a more mainstream gaming audience. It’s a refreshing change of direction for the series, and the biggest makeover I’ve ever seen a series undergo without jumping up to a next-generation platform. Well done!

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Posted by Craig "American Idle" Hansen on May 24th, 2006 and is filed under PS2 Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.

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