Monster Hunter Tri

Lore & Background

Players take on the role of a hunter from the Guild, assigned to help Moga Village, a small fishing community threatened by monsters from a nearby deserted island. The player completes free hunts and time-limited quests to collect materials, slay or capture monsters, and improve the village, gaining access to a farming area, fishing fleet, companions, and a trader. The game features ten weapon classes, including melee weapons like swords and hammers, and ranged weapons like bows and bowguns, each with unique play styles. The player's character has 1 base defense, increased by crafted armor, and can equip armor sets that impart attack and defensive bonuses, with slots for gem decorations to boost statistics.

Reader's Guide

Monster Hunter Tri was a critical and commercial success, notable for introducing underwater environments and combat, a first for the series. Director Kaname Fujioka later stated that underwater sections required significant programming effort, leading to their exclusion from future games, though he expressed interest in revisiting the concept. The game was the first in the franchise to include native VoIP capability via Wii Speak support. Online play was provided free of charge, with separate servers for America and Europe, but these servers were shut down on April 30, 2013. An enhanced port, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, was released for Nintendo 3DS in Japan in December 2011 and in North America and Europe in March 2013. The game's legacy includes its influence on later titles and its role in expanding the series' audience on Nintendo platforms.

Did You Know?

• A demo of Monster Hunter Tri was included with Japanese copies of Monster Hunter G.
• A special bundle released on August 1, 2009, included the game with a black Wii console and a Classic Controller Pro.
• Online servers for the North American and European Wii versions were shut down on April 30, 2013.