I finally beat the game in single-player mode. The final boss is quite fitting. It is not difficult by any means but the fight is lengthy and feels especially grand. It also takes place completely underwater to underscore once more Monster Hunter Tri’s swimming mechanic. While the final boss doesn’t receive nearly as much foreshadowing as the Lagiacrus, I think it is still a fitting and a memorable fight nonetheless. I was especially impressed by the music that plays during the battle. It has the same Japanese chorus as the opening theme from Ghost in the Shell. A very stylish, unique and epic theme:
So now the game is over, I won’t bother you with it anymore and move on to other games? Not quite. I still want to dive a little bit into Multi-player mode. Especially now that Yu-Chung also got the game (and the Time).
But in the meantime, the game was also malicious enough to leave a nice little present for the ambitious player that I am: post-game content. After the last mission, 7 additional missions appear. They are not tied to any story so there is less pressure to take them on. They are all tough challenges for the dedicated players. 6 of the missions involve hunting two monsters in the same quest. This mission type is surprisingly challenging. First, fighting two monsters at the same time is impossible. So you need to use various items to attract and repel monsters so you fight them separately. Then, if the monsters are of a different type it can be difficult to chose the right equipment. For example, in one mission I need to fight the Lagiacrus and the Rathalos at the same time. For the Lagiacrus I would normally take a lance and thunder-resistant armor. But for the Rathalos, I need a Great-sword and fire-resistant armor. And finally, this is the first time where the time REALLY becomes an issue. The monsters in Monster Hunter Tri can take a lot of time to slay. The 50 minute quest limit is really putting a lot of pressure on you.
The 7th mission is about fighting the final boss once more but he is a bit more challenging this time. I will save that for the end. So far I’m trying to get though the other 6 missions and they are a tough cookie. Monster Hunter Tri really has a way to bring out the gamer rage in me like I was a teenager again. The mission where I needed to slay two Diablos at once left a visible dent in my IKEA gaming chair. Luckily I regained my professional emerged victorious in the end.
Let’s see how long I will be able to keep this up. I have spent a lot of time with the game and it’s starting to get stale for me. There are so many nice games out there waiting. Maybe it’s time to move on soon…
