Capcom’sMonster Hunterseries has been the apex predator of the over-the-top, big swords and bigger beasts gaming experience for almost two decades now. During that time they’ve released 17 videogames, two anime series, four manga volumes, a card game, and a feature-length movie. This impressive lineup will be joined by a board game in the next few years, but another company may beat Capcom to the punch.
Primal: The Awakeningis a co-operative deck-building board game from Reggie Games. The game is currently being funded on Kickstarter, and has raised almost $2.5 million in just over a month. NoMonster Hunterfan taking a look atPrimal: The Awakening’s Kickstarter page could fail to see the strong influence that Capcom’s series has had on the game. Everything from the oversized weapons to the monster parts-based crafting system shows an appreciation of theMonster Hunterstyle. However, it’s the monsters themselves that are the most intriguing.
The Similarities To Monster Hunter
At first glance, thebeasts ofPrimal: The Awakeningseem to have been lifted almost directly from aMonster Huntertitle. However, while there are some creatures that bear striking similarities, there are many more that stray from the establishedMonster Hunterstyle. Starting with the monsters that are most similar means starting withPrimal: The Awakening’s signature beast, The Awakened.
A monstrous dragon-type bristling with overgrown horns and spikes, the Awakened is perhaps one of the least imaginative ofPrimal’s monsters. It bears a close resemblance toMonster Hunter: World’s Nergigante, also a creature that’s crucial to the plot of its game.
Another ofPrimal’s monsters that seems to be directly influenced byMonster Hunteris the Hurom. Based on its art and figure design, the Hurom is a lithe creature covered in sharp scales, which seems to have electrical powers. Although any of its other characteristics are not known, this design sounds like a cross betweenMonster Hunter’s Tobi-Kadachi and Odoragonmonsters, both swift predators with a dog-like appearance.
The Differences From Monster Hunter
AlthoughtheMonster Hunterseriesis full of imaginative and unique monsters, there are a few design choices that it’s tried to steer away from. For example, there are very few Insect-type monsters in the series, with the only real examples being found in the Fourth Generation.Primal: The Awakeningclearly doesn’t have the same prejudice, as it plans to launch with the beetle-like Ozew, followed by the colorful Pazis in the first expansion.
Another creature design thatPrimal: The Awakeningseems ready to embrace is the Snake-type monster, with the venomous Reikal coming in a later expansion. In contrast, theMonster Huntergameshave never featured a creature without some kind of limbs to help propel it. Even the beasts in Generation 4’s Snake Wyvern category are equipped with small legs.
A Fresh Take
It may be easy to labelPrimal: The Awakeningas a deliberate attempt to fillMonster Hunter’s niche in the board game market before Capcom can do it itself. However, there’s no denying that Reggie Games are taking advantage of the wider design opportunities in the tabletop arena. While theMonster Huntervideogameshave always been bound by what could be modelled and animated, no such restrictions exist for a board game.
This is almost certainly whyPrimal: The Awakening, despite its clearMonster Hunterinfluence, is moving into new directions with its monster design. What remains to be seen is whether the officialMonster Hunterboard gamewill take a similar route. If not, it would need to rely on the nostalgia built up through 16 years ofMonster Huntergames to bring fans into the new medium.
