History VideoGame / MonsterHunter4

''Monster Hunter 4'' is the fourth game in the mainline series of the ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' series. It was released on September 2013 for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, and kickstarted the fourth generation of the series.

* ShiftingSandLand: A rare downplay of the trope in the series. None of the six standard hunting areas in the game takes place within (or close to) the Great Desert, despite the latter's proximity with Val Habar (the horizon of Ancestral Steppe eventually interesects with it, but that part isn't playable), and only some parts of the Everwood are sandy enough to roleplay as desert-based caves. Thus, the only appearance of the setting is when you're in the Great Desert itself (in BossOnlyLevel form) to hunt Dah'ren Mohran. ''4 Ultimate'' brings back the desert from the first game to amend this, but it's only available in High and G ranks.

* SidequestSidestory: Sequential quests became common from this game onwards, thanks to the games being more story-minded than previous installments in the series. In ''4'' and ''4 Ultimate'', as you play certain single-player quests, you'll learn about optional developments or events related to the quests' clients; however, you won't get to see how their stories go until you raise your Hunter Rank (for high-rank quests) or hunting license (for G Rank ones) so you can unlock the subsequent quests. For example, there's a coward Palico in Cheeko Sands who is afraid of monsters, so he'll ask you to deal with various monsters via quests. His last quest in Low Rank is about hunting a Iodrome and a Gore Magala; when you reach HR 4 (the first tier in High Rank), he'll ask you to deal with a Nerscylla; when you reach HR 5, he'll ask you to take down a Najarala; finally, when you reach HR 7 (nothing happens when you unlock HR 6), he'll reveal that his lack of courage is the result of the death of his human companion due to an Akantor, so his last quest has you slay that monster (which is as powerful as an Elder Dragon). Completing this final quest will give the Palico newborn courage and will make him eligible to be one of your recruited Palicoes.[[note]]Interestingly, completing this string of quests eventually unlocks a G1-tier quest involving the Argosy Captain, of ''Monster Hunter 3'' and ''3 Ultimate'' fame; but his problem is entirely unrelated to the Palico's[[/note]] This ''modus operandi'' also applies for many other quest chains, and a few of them don't even require raising your rank during multiplayer quests, only advancing through single-player quests.

* ArbitraryMissionRestriction: Quests that arbitrarily (e.g. with no explanation in the quest descrption) are par for the course, but one notable example comes in an Episodic Quest line where the client really wants a bunch of Fulgurbugs. For no apparent reason, instead of just letting you deliver Fulgurbugs to the client if you have them already (from previous Zinogre hunts), the game makes you engage a quest with nothing in your item pouch and use the nets provided in the supply chest instead.

* ArbitraryMissionRestriction: Quests that arbitrarily (e.g. with no explanation in the quest descrption) are par for the course, but one notable example comes in an Episodic Quest line where the client really wants a bunch of Fulgurbugs. For no apparent reason, instead of just letting you deliver 10 Fulgurbugs if you have them already (from previous Zinogre hunts), the game makes you engage a quest with nothing in your item pouch and use the nets provided in the supply chest instead.

After its prominence in the previous generation, underwater combat has been removed; in its place, the game ramps up the mobility of hunters, with tall structures and ledges allowing for Hunters to utilize their environment to perform jumping and other dynamic movement options in addition to a new mechanic: Mounting, in which you can attack a monster's back after knocking it down with a powerful aerial strike and even successfully topple it with enough damage. Also added are two new weapon types: The Insect Glaive, emphasizing agility and aerial combat and with a special "Kinsect" that takes extracts from monsters that can boost your stats with the Glaive, as well as the Charge Blade that can switch between an axe form and sword and shield form and employs special fillings for additional effects in combat. The game also puts a higher emphasis on story and character development. The game also introduces 4 new monster types: [[AmphibianAssault Amphibians]], [[GiantSpider Temnocerans]], [[SnakesAreSinister Snake Wyverns]] and [[TheSpook ???]].

** The monsters Cephadrome, Daimyo Hermitaur and its Plum subspecies, Monoblos and its White subspecies, Rusted Kushala Daora, Ukanlos, Chameleos, and White Fatalis.

* SidequestSidestory: Sequential quests became common from this game onwards, thanks to the games being more story-minded than previous installments in the series. In ''4'' and ''4 Ultimate'', as you play certain single-player quests, you'll learn about optional developments or events related to the quests' clients; however, you won't get to see how their stories go until you raise your Hunter Rank (for high-rank quests) or hunting license (for G Rank ones) so you can unlock the subsequent quests. For example, there's a coward Palico in Cheeko Sands who is afraid of monsters, so he'll ask you to deal with various monsters via quests. His last quest in Low Rank is about hunting a Iodrome and a Gore Magala; when you reach HR 4 (the first tier in High Rank), he'll ask you to deal with a Nerscylla; when you reach HR 5, he'll ask you to take down a Najarala; finally, when you reach HR 7 (nothing happens when you unlock HR 6), he'll reveal that his lack of courage is the result of the death of his human companion due to an Akantor, so his last quest has you slay that monster (which is as powerful as an Elder Dragon). Completing this final quest will give the Palico newborn courage and will make him eligible to be one of your recruited Palicoes.[[note]]Interestingly, completing this string of quests eventually unlocks a G1-tier quest involving the Argosy Captain, of ''Monster Hunter 3'' and ''3 Ultimate'' fame; but his problem is entirely unrelated to the Palico's[[/note]] This ''modus operandi'' also applies for many other quests, and a few of them don't even require playing multiplayer quests to raise your rank.

* {{Superboss}}: The endgame multiplayer quests of the original version consists mostly of souped-up versions of monsters you've previously fought, such as Akantor or Dalamadur, though it also adds the debuting Molten Tigrex (HR 50) and series classic Fatalis (HR 70). The expansion ''4 Ultimate'' repeats the trend for G Rank via the Aged Texts, having buffed familiar monsters while also adding Shah Dalamadur and Raging Brachydios. ''4 Ultimate'' also has the quests where you fight Apex versions of monsters, each of which is unlocked through a specific condition.[[note]]For the Apex Tidal Najarala, Gravios, Diablos, Tigrex and Zinogre, you have to hunt a specified combined total of specimens of the species and related subspecies in question. For the Apex Seregios and Rajang, you have to decipher the third and sixth Aged Texts respectively. For Apex Deviljho, you have to clear any of the previous Apex monster quests and accept the Deviljho Arena challenge in the Assembly[[/note]]

In October 2014, the game received an UpdatedRerelease, ''Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate'' (known as ''Monster Hunter 4G'' in Japan), which expanded on the contents of the previous game with returning monsters and subspecies, G-Rank, as well as the return of the [[VideoGame/MonsterHunter2004 first generation's]] Old Desert now revamped, redesigned and renamed into the Dunes. Another returning area is the Polar Field, a BossOnlyLevel from ''Monster Hunter Portable 3rd'' where Ukanlos can be found. Mobility is further increased with the addition of hunters being able to knock others into the air with heavy weapons allowing for aerial strikes. The game's flagship is the Seregios, a flying wyvern that can inflict a new type of ailment (Bleeding, which requires eating meat or crouching slowly to be dealt with). Also added is a High Rank offline campaign where the Caravan travels to [[VideoGame/MonsterHunter2Dos Dundorma City]] to deal with the forthcoming threat of the Rusted Kushala Daora and other Elder Dragons while seeking to fix the town's damaged defenses and exploring the past of the Ace Commander/Julius and his now retired master. Also introduced are a new deadly type of monster known as the [[DubNameChange Extreme/Apex]] monsters, an advanced state of the Frenzy Virus that makes monsters stronger and bigger and with tough enough skin that only with the help of the newly introduced Wystones you'll be able to fight them off effectively. Also increased is the Palico level cap, as well as the previous cap of the Everwood's Guild Quests (this one thanks to the presence of G Rank).

* AmphibianAssault: Among the dangerous creatures in the series are a group classified as Amphibians, introduced in this game. They include Tetsucabra, a giant frog with large tusks that can carry boulders; Zamtrios, an even bigger frog mixed with a shark that can cover itself in spiky ice armor or inflate itself into a giant ball to crush enemies; and Tetranadon, a {{kappa}}-like frog that can toss boulders and fight like a sumo wrestler.

* AmphibianAssault: The game introduces the amphibian class, composed of large amphibian monsters such as the Tetsucabra, Zamite and [[KingMook Zamtrios]].

** The monsters Chameleos, Crimson Fatalis, White Fatalis.

** The starter area is the Ancestral Steppe, a fall-themed GreenHillZone filled with various ruins that you can climb and where you fight your first large monsters.

** Later unlocked is the Sunken Hollow, an underground ecosystem filled with dark caves and rather grim sights such as various corpses of Gypceros webbed up by Nerscyllas hanging around or lying on the ground.
** Following this is the Everwood, a vast [[TheLostWoods forest area]] seen in a few missions but mainly in Expeditions, while outwardly mild in appearance it has an unstable layout that changes in every quest/expedition and follows a linear path.

** Then comes the Volcanic Hollow, an underground volcano that is the original form of the Sunken Hollow and is filled with various enviromental hazards such as geysers, magma flows that will drain your health if you stand too close, a generally hot atmosphere that will also drain your health and keeps the creepy imagery of the Sunken Hollow.
** The last regular area unlocked is the Heaven's Mount, a sky-high system of mountains filled with multiple cliffs and unstable rocky structures. While it lacks enviromental hazards it does have a high-risk terrain feel with all of its unstable structures in the background and foreground.

* MadBomber: Berserk Tetsucabra, a subspecies of Tetsucabra introduced in this expansion. Whereas the regular species unearths rocks (or snowballs, when fought in the Frozen Seaway) and throws them at the player or crushes them near them to inflict damage, the subspecies uses its body's drastically high internal temperature to ingite the rocks they're scooping from the ground. These rocks will explode after only a few seconds, and this is how Berserk Tetsucabra will attack during the whole hunting fight except when it's trying to GroundPound the hunter with either a large amphibian jump or a suplex-like side pound (these moves are borrowed from the main species). For extra difficulty, this is one of the ''first'' monsters introduced in the game's G Rank, when the player is still starting to play in this HarderThanHard phase.

[[folder:Tropes exclusive to ''Monster Hunter 4'']]

[[/folder]]

* BreakingOldTrends: This is the first game in the franchise which only its UpdatedRereleased was exported to the West.

In Octuber 2014, the game received an UpdatedRerelease, ''Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate'' (known as ''Monster Hunter 4G'' in Japan), which expanded on the contents of the previous game with returning monsters and subspecies, G-Rank, as well as the return of the [[VideoGame/MonsterHunter2004 first generation's]] Old Desert now revamped, redesigned and renamed into the Dunes. Another returning area is the Polar Field, a BossOnlyLevel from ''Monster Hunter Portable 3rd'' where Ukanlos can be found. Mobility is further increased with the addition of hunters being able to knock others into the air with heavy weapons allowing for aerial strikes. The game's flagship is the Seregios, a flying wyvern that can inflict a new type of ailment (Bleeding, which requires eating meat or crouching slowly to be dealt with). Also added is a High Rank offline campaign where the Caravan travels to [[VideoGame/MonsterHunter2Dos Dundorma City]] to deal with the forthcoming threat of the Rusted Kushala Daora and other Elder Dragons while seeking to fix the town's damaged defenses and exploring the past of the Ace Commander/Julius and his now retired master. Also introduced are a new deadly type of monster known as the [[DubNameChange Extreme/Apex]] monsters, an advanced state of the Frenzy Virus that makes monsters stronger and bigger and with tough enough skin that only with the help of the newly introduced Wystones you'll be able to fight them off effectively. Also increased is the Palico level cap, as well as the previous cap of the Everwood's Guild Quests (this one thanks to the presence of G Rank).

''Monster Hunter 4'' is the fourth game in the mainline series of the ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' series. Underwater combat has been removed and in its place the game ramps up the mobility of hunters, with tall structures and ledges allowing for Hunters to utilize their environment to perform jumping and other dynamic movement options in addition to a new mechanic: Mountin, in which you can attack a monster's back after knocking it down with a powerful aerial strike and even successfully topple it with enough damage. Also added are two new weapon types: The Insect Glaive, emphasizing agility and aerial combat and with a special "Kinsect" that takes extracts from monsters that can boost your stats with the Glaive, as well as the Charge Blade that can switch between an axe form and sword and shield form and employs special fillings for additional effects in combat. The game also puts a higher emphasis on story and character development. The game also introduces 4 new monster types: [[AmphibianAssault Amphibians]], [[GiantSpider Temnocerans]], [[SnakesAreSinister Snake Wyverns]] and [[TheSpook ???]].

In 2014 it received an UpdatedRerelease, ''Monster Hunter 4 G/Ultimate'', which expanded on the contents of the previous
game with returning monsters and subspecies, G-Rank, as well as the return of the first generation's Old Desert now revamped, redesigned and renamed into the Dunes. Mobility is further increased with the addition of hunters being able to knock others into the air with heavy weapons allowing for aerial strikes. The game's flagship is the Seregios, a flying wyvern. Also added is a High Rank offline campaign where the Caravan travels to [[VideoGame/MonsterHunter2Dos Dundorma City]] to deal with the forthcoming threat of the Rusted Kushala Daora and other Elder Dragons while seeking to fix the town's damaged defenses and exploring the past of the Ace Commander/Julius and his now retired master. Also introduced are a new deadly type of monster known as the [[DubNameChange Extreme/Apex]] monsters, an advanced state of the Frenzy Virus that makes monsters stronger and bigger and with tough enough skin that only with the help of the newly introduced Wystones you'll be able to fight them off effectively. Also increased is the Palico level cap.

** A lot of first and second generation monsters that sat out during the third generation come back, such as the Dromes (except Giadrome), Yian Kut-Ku, Gypceros, Gravios, Congalala, Kushala Daora, Teostra, etc. Along with their weapons and armor, of course.

* MascotMook: The Seregios is the monster in the cover of the Japanese version (It gets replaced by Gore Magala for the international release but is still treated as the mascot). It's also the central antagonist for the first half of the High Rank Offline Campaign