Spoilers ahead: I am going to give a synopsis of the plot alongside my observations and opinions.
Summary:
In the backwater village of Timben, aspiring Monster Hunter Aiden (the Ace Cadet from Monster Hunter 4) assists with minor problems around the settlement - Bnahabra damaging roofs or predators attacking livestock, such as the previous night when a pack of Velociprey made off with several Gargwa chicks. Following the Velociprey trail into the woods, Aiden finds himself face-to-face with the much larger Velocidrome. Velocidrome/prey are often the first monsters new players hunt in the games, so it was a nice little reference to see this monster introduced as part of Aiden's first encounter with a dangerous animal. All of the monsters were spot-on with the games - look, sound, movement. I especially liked the bird-like movement of the Velocidrome (a bird wyvern), turning its whole head like a bird to glance at Aiden and then down at the arrow he botched.
The trail of destruction left by the Elder Dragon Lunastra is easily spotted from a high vantage point. At most Timben would have 3 days to evacuate, but the primary route out of the valley - Everwood, is blocked by the Elder Dragon, and the alternative route in the Western Ridge would take 2 weeks to cross. Julius insists that it is better to loose a few than it is to loose everyone, and that he must leave to warn the other villages in Lunastra's path. However, Aiden manages to sway Julius into staying by using the "Cycle of Balance" - the four tenants of the Guild, to convince him Lunastra is a force that will destroy both nature and the community, upsetting the natural balance. I don't think the Guild's four tenants and their representation on the Guild logo are widely known by players, so it was interesting to see them referenced.
"Care for nature and it will deliver prosperity. Build from prosperity to craft a thriving community. Live harmoniously in that community and teach it to always care for nature." - The Hunter's Guild tenants
With the nearest Guild outpost too far away to contact, an SOS flare is sent out. In the meantime, the two make contact with Mae, an insect glaive Hunter collecting data on Nerscylla (spider monsters). It was refreshing to see Nerscylla accurately represented after having just come off of the abysmal Monster Hunter (2020) film that reduced the creature to nothing more than a generic horror movie spider. The three Hunters - Julius, Aiden, and Mae are then joined by a gunner named Nadia, who saw the SOS signal. The group free a trapped caravanner from webbing, who reveals the location of a smithy where they could improve their gear. The smithy - Ravi, is reluctant to help, believing human lives are insignificant against a creature so ancient its lifespan defies human understanding. After some convincing, the former Hunter/poacher turned smithy joins the fight by commencing work on a Dragonator - a massive, immovable weapon with a high damage output.
The four man team set out to gather materials for the Dragonator, starting with Congalala parts. However, their Congalala trap fails because Aiden cut corners, and with a Deviljho on the horizon, the team is forced to retreat. Aiden ignores orders in an attempt to fix the trap he bungled, putting everyone in direct conflict with the Deviljho. A turf war between the escaped Congalala and Deviljho ensues, ending with both creature's deaths. There are a tone of game references during this sequence. The Deviljho is referred to by its fan name of "pickle" and the Congalala's parashroom is used to craft Para S bullets. The scene with Mae's kinsect bug Paisly trying to carry her paralyzed body out of harms way was adorable. Rest in peace tiny hero.
Reminded of how he got his own mentor killed, Julius rescinds his offer to help Timben. One pep talk with Nadia later however, and Julius does a 180, returning to the original plan of confronting Lunastra. The whole thing is sudden and kinda forced. I assume they had to condense a lot of character development near the end to meet the 58 minute run time. Another 30 minutes to flesh out the cast of characters would have been ideal, especially considering they kill 2 of them and it hardly leaves an impact. I felt more for Mae's kinsect bug than I did for the Hunters they lost.
The fight against Lunastra wasn't as grand as I had hoped; the Elder Dragon is defeated by the Hunter team using a dam, shown briefly in the film's opening scene, to fight back its flames. We never learn if Lunastra survived the flood or changed course after that. Regardless, Aiden is hailed as a hero despite having flooded the village, causing about as much damage as Lunastra and potentially drowning several villagers. The decision to fight Lunastra also got two hunters killed. Surely, evacuating the village like the hunters originally wanted to would have resulted in less death and destruction.
There were at least a good number of game references during the fight - monster parts are broken, there is environmental damage, and without earplugs Aiden is knocked down by Lunastra's roar. The whole experience leaves on impact on Aiden, who decides to leave Timben behind to join Julius and Nadia on their way to report in at the Hunter's Guild. The story then concludes years later, as an older Aiden regales his fellow hunters with tales during the fifth fleet's long voyage to the New World.
Final Thoughts
First posted to videogamegeek.com
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