Developer Jotoyo is working on Monster Fantasy, an action-RPG that aims to combine the intense combat of the Monster Hunter series with the community-building and relaxed pace of Animal Crossing. An early build of the game, showcased at a BiliBili Game First Look event in Shanghai, demonstrated this hybrid approach, allowing players to choose between challenging monster hunts and leisurely activities like bug catching and interacting with villagers. The game is set in a kingdom called Eldoras, featuring a vibrant art style that juxtaposes chibi-character designs with detailed environments ranging from rolling hills to volcanic regions.
Players can select from four distinct character classes: warrior, swordsman, archer, and mage, with a potential fifth class planned. These classes are determined by equipped weapons, allowing for on-the-fly switching of combat styles. For instance, equipping a staff transforms a warrior into a mage, changing the available movesets. The warrior class offers defensive options like blocking and perfect guards for retaliatory strikes, while the swordsman focuses on dodging and rapid attacks, with successful dodges creating temporary doppelgangers to aid in combat.
The mage class provides significant mobility, allowing players to hover in the air. This class can cast spells by combining four elemental types—fire, water, earth, and wind—mapped to controller face buttons. These combinations can produce offensive attacks such as ice shards or tornado blasts, or defensive abilities like conjuring a protective crystal wall. A fully charged elemental combination can unleash a sustained energy beam.
The early build featured three boss encounters: a large squirrel, a rhino beetle with armored plates, and a griffin. While the squirrel was easily defeated, the beetle and griffin offered more challenging, drawn-out battles. A notable mechanic against the beetle involved destroying its armor plates to expose vulnerable flesh. Upon defeating monsters, players can capture them to use as mounts, harvest crafting ingredients for weapons and armor, and engage in a quicktime event-based forging system. The full game is slated to include over 50 monster types.
Returning to the village hub shifts the game's atmosphere from action-oriented to relaxed, with a soundtrack featuring flute and acoustic guitar. The village serves as a central area for various activities, including interacting with NPCs, visiting a tavern, and accessing a quest bulletin board. In the final release, players will have the ability to customize the village layout, gather resources for expansion, and invite NPCs to live in the settlement. Villagers are intended to have unique personalities and hobbies, and the developers are exploring romance options between the player and NPCs.
Monster Fantasy emphasizes player freedom. Those who prefer combat can hunt monsters, while peaceful players can focus on activities like fishing, mining, and farming. Players can also delegate hunting tasks to villagers, though there is a risk of them not returning. NPCs can also be recruited to join hunts alongside the player or up to three other friends in a four-player co-op mode.
Currently, Monster Fantasy does not have a confirmed release date, with a potential release not expected before mid-2027 given the early state of development. A public beta test for the PC version is planned for the coming weeks, which will include a full English translation and a tutorial. The developers intend to incorporate player feedback to shape the game's design and features, including the monster that will appear on the cover art, highlighting a focus on community engagement both within the game and among its player base.