Last month, Chinese developer JOTOYO gave us a first look at the early build of Monster Fantasy, their upcoming RPG which blends hunting gameplay with cozy life sim elements. And for those who weren’t able to attend the hands-on event, the devs prepared a trailer, offering a sneak peek at the gameplay.
Upon reveal, the content of the trailer, and especially its hunting sequences, drew numerous comparisons to the Monster Hunter franchise, with some calling the resemblance a bit too close for comfort. Aside from the concept of fighting large monsters itself, which is the most obvious point, some users also pointed out the long sword and bow weapon actions as rather familiar-looking. These reactions prompted the developers to address the matter in a recent FAQ column on Steam.
While the developers at JOTOYO admit that Monster Hunter has been a huge inspiration for their game, they explain that Monster Fantasy is aiming to place a much greater emphasis on the interaction between a variety of gameplay systems and the new experience created through them. According to them, hunting large monsters is “only one part” of the gameplay, which is a different overall experience from what the Monster Hunter series offers.
Apparently, the developers’ goal with Monster Fantasy is to present a fictional world which players can get immersed and enjoy living in “beyond hunting and combat.” This idea is further reinforced by what JOTOYO told us in our last month’s interview: It will be entirely possible to beat the game without actually engaging in the hunting gameplay, and players who aren’t too combat savvy can dedicate their time to maintaining their village and interacting with the NPCs.
That being said, the developers explain that the content shown so far is still from an early stage in development, and that they are already working on adjusting and improving the designs based on the recent feedback. While there’s probably still a long way to go until we get a proper release, the devs promised that these changes will be reflected in future playtests, and that, going forward, they would be sharing more new footage and content “so that everyone can better understand the unique features of Monster Fantasy.”
Monster Fantasy is currently in development for PC (Steam).
