Monster Rancher 2

Unleash the monster within...

 I really liked this game back in the first Sony Playstation era. I remembered many summer vacations just grinding hours away making my pet monster stronger to try and reach the highest rank in battle.

 I never could though... I was hopeless. There were mechanics in this game that were buried deep in nuance that my 12 year old brain couldn't figure out. I didn't have access to the internet yet back then so I couldn't ask anyone for help and all my friends who played the same game were using gameshark cheats which I couldn't afford either.

 Turns out the game can be quite misleading when it comes to it's introductions or tutorials. I was made to believe that once you receive your monster you begin training them right away and join tournaments so they can earn you some money and get the highest rank. 

 But my monster kept dying out on me before I could make it to the highest rank. I believed I gave them enough rest and food because they were able to perform adequately but there was a hidden parameter that wasn't shown as clearly.

 It was their stress and fatigue levels. They recover from stress and fatigue if given the proper but apparently having the stress and fatigue dip lowers the monster's total lifespan. I'm not even sure if their weight and discipline levels have any effect on total lifespan as well.

 I got really frustrated with the flow of the game because they introduce and encourage you to have your monster go on battles and expeditions which are really tiring for your young monster and forces them to stress out or gain huge levels of fatigue.

 Thankfully some patient players out there were able to post some correct methods in raising your monster in this game. I was able to get myself a Dragon to reach the end part of the game. 

 But speaking of the bigger part of the game, what I loved the most in Monster Rancher 2 more than any of the other versions were the number of unlockable monsters. These secret monsters really gave the game more depth which sadly lacks from the newer incarnations.

 I was eagerly waiting to collect all the stars from feeding my monster cup jellies so I can get the prize and create a Ducken. I took every expedition seriously so I could find the items to make Durahan, Henger and Dragon. It was the thing that immersed me into playing the game for hours on end. 

 Anyone out there have fond memories playing this game? Let me know in the comment section. Til next time, Enjoy your games!