'Monster Fantasy' is a new title that attempts to blend the charming characters and life-simulation content reminiscent of 'Animal Crossing' with the intense, high-stakes combat characteristic of 'Monster Hunter' into a single world.

According to the developer, Perfect World Games, the title captures the fun of enjoying diverse life content—such as hunting, gathering, and logging—alongside cute, rounded characters, while seamlessly transitioning into a full-fledged action game with satisfying, weighty combat whenever a large monster appears.

Perfect World Games unveiled the first playable demo of 'Monster Fantasy' at the Bilibili First Look event in Shanghai. This demo focused on validating the core combat system rather than the life-simulation content. Having played it with a controller on-site, it was clear that the developers put significant effort into emulating the action feel of the 'Monster Hunter' series.

'Is that the game?' Combat that strives to capture the essence of the 'Monster Hunter' style

Upon starting the game and entering the village, the graphics and overall feel are different, yet the charming characters evoke a sense of familiarity. Walking around the village, I spotted a familiar structure in the training area: the 'wooden monster' used to practice combos, just like in the 'Monster Hunter' series. Striking it with my weapon, the damage numbers and the sense of impact felt very familiar. It was clear what 'Monster Fantasy' had used as its reference.

The demo version featured four classes: the Warrior (sword and shield), the Warrior (dual blades), the Archer, and the Mage. As someone who has played 'Monster Hunter,' the controls for the Warrior, dual-blade Warrior, and Archer felt intuitive. The Warrior evoked a one-handed sword user, the dual-blade user felt like a Long Sword wielder, and the Archer was exactly as expected; the unique characteristics of each class were clear. While the controls weren't identical, they were easy to adapt to.

However, not everything was the same. Each class had its own distinct features. The Warrior, for instance, had a 'one-hit' mechanic. By charging up skills under specific conditions, players could deal massive, single-hit damage. The satisfying feedback made the Warrior class quite appealing. The dual-blade class featured a transformation skill that could be activated under certain conditions, increasing base stats and allowing for faster, more powerful damage against monsters.

The most unique, difficult, and versatile 'Mage' class

Of the four job experiences, the 'Mage' class was by far the most fun. Since it wasn't a class available in 'Monster Hunter,' it immediately caught my eye. When I asked the developer about the background behind creating the 'Mage' class, they explained that because the game is set in a medieval fantasy world, the inclusion of a mage felt natural.

The Mage had a very unique control scheme. First, players use a special key to summon one of four elements. Depending on the quantity and combination of summoned elements, the resulting magic has different effects. When casting, the Mage can take to the air, offering better mobility than any other class. However, its health is extremely low, often leading to death if even grazed by a monster. It is a trade-off where survival is sacrificed for firepower and mobility, and mastering this precarious balancing act is the true fun of the Mage.

However, because the health pool is so small, the Mage's weaknesses become painfully apparent when monster attacks feel unfair. While its versatility makes it indispensable in party play, I couldn't help but feel that I might use up all the team's shared lives by myself while the rest of the party hunted the monster.

Part-breaking system implemented, plus 'pet taming' is possible

The demo featured three bosses: the Griffin, the Kangaroo-Bear, and the Beetle-Turtle. The core of the boss battles is part-breaking. The producer emphasized that this is not just a visual effect but a functional physics system. Before and after the outer shell is broken, the hit-zone and elemental damage calculations change completely, and the broken part suffers a significant drop in defense. He also explained that some bosses have a pattern where they burrow underground after their shell is broken to absorb rocks and regenerate their armor.

When I hammered away at the Beetle-Turtle, I could clearly see the cracks forming on its rock-like shell. There was also a 'Rage Mode' where the boss becomes enraged. However, the satisfaction of dealing more damage to broken parts wasn't immediately apparent during gameplay. Since the system is firmly in place, if the rewards for breaking parts become more distinct, the pleasure of the combat will be further enhanced.

Boss battles don't end with elimination. According to the producer, large bosses can be captured and kept as pets; raising them from infancy to adulthood allows them to become mounts or assist in combat. While the demo focused on combat and didn't allow for deep pet-raising, the idea that the boss you just defeated could become your companion for the next hunt provided a clear purpose for 'taming.'

Having spent about 30 minutes with 'Monster Fantasy' at the Bilibili First Look event, it was clearly an early build that showed both definite strengths and areas that need work. As the life-simulation system emphasized by the developers is still in its initial reveal phase, many parts were not yet deeply implemented. Issues such as dialogue windows popping up unexpectedly during intense combat due to NPCs placed throughout the fields, or the fact that gathering and logging—which are meant to be core pillars alongside hunting—have yet to show their full appeal, were noticeable.

Nevertheless, these shortcomings do not feel like fatal flaws because this is an early build that has just taken its first steps, and there is plenty of time before the official launch. As the development team is actively collecting user feedback on-site and prioritizing the refinement of details, there is a high possibility that the final version will be much more polished. I look forward to seeing whether Perfect World Games can successfully fuse the charming, character-focused life content and the weighty, 'Monster Hunter'-style hunting action into one massive, cohesive world.