Released in Japan as Monster Hunter G, Capcom’s action-adventure game was not quite an RPG and not quite a normal hunting game of the Cabela kind. It’s a fantasy game set in a world where monsters that resemble dinosaurs as well as mythical dragons fill the landscape and where humans struggle for survival while seeking fame and fortune as hunters. Monster Hunter Freedom is a port of Monster Hunter and Monster Hunter G for Sony’s handheld. Grab your blowgun; it’s time to go hunting.

You start the game by creating your avatar, be it male or female, and set them loose in the world of Minegarde where the lush land is fertile and filled with a variety of species both lizard-like and insect-like. While the character creation isn’t as deep as the Tiger Woods PGA Tour games, the game does allow you to dress up your character in different ways often using items you encounter out in the field so no two characters can ever be the same. You wake up in your bed in the pleasantly tranquil town you call home when you decide to become a hunter. Hunters in this world as regarded as gatherers of items and meat, and bringing these back to your town means you earn money. It’s also a deadly occupation where things can get ugly quite fast.

After having received the blessings from the village elder, you are given a few coins to purchase necessary items from shops in the small village. You’ll find that you start out with the necessary tools to take on the simple quests such as your trusty knife as well as the massive blades. You can also purchase armor of various classes but the interesting thing about Monster Hunter is that you can also use items found in the field or literally pulled out of the carcass of a monster. You can cut out bones you can then sharpen and finally shaped to form new blades or pieces of armor.

The quests in the game start off easy enough and become more complex and longer the higher up you climb in the hunter career ladder. Early quests start you off gathering items for the village including fetching certain plants, slaying a monster and then cooking slabs of meat you cut from it as well as plucking tasty fish from the great lakes in the area. Like fishing, cooking meat is a separate mini-game that has you placing meat on a spit and pull said meat out before the upbeat little tune finishes playing. Later you have to travel deeper into the territories, oftentimes exploring dungeon-like caverns or climbing up a rock’s highest peak to grab a wyvern egg. There are even missions with multiple objects and these are the longest missions you will tackle in this game.

Hunting in the game is not an easy task whether you’re using a blade or a blowgun. Some monsters, especially the carnivorous ones, will be the monsters that will seek you out while other monsters you will have to rush and cut to ribbons before they defend themselves. Combat, as it was on the PS2 version, is just a tad awkward thanks to the troublesome camera you have to swing around for a better view. While there’s no button to target a monster, you’ll be able to swing at an enemy or shoot them with ease. There are even moments where you must think like a hunter in order to catch the bigger game. For example, you can kill an herbivore, cut slabs of meat from the carcass, and then lay a slab of meat for a meat-eating monster to find. While the monster is busy biting into the slab of meat you laid on the ground, you can jump in and slice the meat-eater while it’s occupied.

At the end of each quest, you will be asked to deliver the item you were asked to fetch and you will be paid with currency as well as extra objects, such as more grasshoppers to use as bait when you go fishing or more ammo for your blowgun. Money can be used, of course, to buy better armor or whetstones to use to sharpen your blade (blades become dull with much use). You can also use your wages to hire cooks to fix you up interesting meals from ingredients you picked up in the field. These walking cat creatures each have their own specialty dishes that revive your energy and health.

Ultimately, what is great about this game is also what is wrong with it. The lengthier later quests are so long that you’ll want wish for checkpoints at reasonable intervals. Secondly, the game’s flawed yet much-appreciated online component is missing completely in this PSP version. In its place, however, is a four-player mode as well as a “treasure hunter” two-player co-op mode using an Ad Hoc connection. The multiplayer allows other gamers to bring their customized characters into the game complete with a gathering hall that allows them to purchase equipment to join you in completing quests.

The game’s visual style comes directly from the PS2 game and that is quite an impressive feat considering there’s a lot to see in this game. The sharp graphical details make for a wonderfully lush environment with gorgeous backgrounds and monsters that are even more attractive. The character models look nicely detailed as well and while there’s some annoying clipping the battles look amazing on the PSP screen.

As for the game’s sound, it comes complete with a great score that does tend to repeat itself often. Thankfully, the sound effects aren’t repetitive and there’s more to it than just the sound of your blade tearing into monster flesh. You’ll have to really raise volume to hear the jungle come to life or the caverns with their echo and dripping water. The sound effects more than make up for the lack of voice work in this game. While most dialogue is done through text, you’ll hear characters speak nonsensical gibberish.

Monster Hunter Freedom is an impressive port of the PS2 game and does a lot of things right but also loses one of the original’s most charming aspect. Yet even without the online component, there’s plenty for gamers to sink their teeth into and with good looks and lengthy quests to embark on this is a fun game worth playing. If you’re looking for a hunting game with plenty of imagination, you might want to get lost in this realm.

Gameplay: 7.5
The lack of a targeting system and a better camera doesn’t completely hinder the action in this game nor does it make battles frustrating. The monsters you’ll encounter are diverse and deadly, but you’ll have an interesting arsenal at your disposal. Some quests are excessively long for their own good but they’re also very good as well.

Graphics: 8.5
The environments are delightfully colorful and perfectly detailed down to the beautifully rendered vistas in the distance. The monsters look especially spectacular and the dragons fill the PSP widescreen brilliantly. Even the human character models look good.

Sound: 7.5
The score fits the game like a snug t-shirt but it tends to become a bit repetitive. There are voices in the game but it sounds like The Sims-type gibberish. That leaves the sound effects that are good but nothing that really stands out.

Difficulty: Medium
Whether you’re trying to take down a wyvern or the giant hornet-like Horneteur, you’ll have to be on your toes and use your weapon’s ability to deflect blows. Even the herbivore monsters have some kind of defense but when it comes to putting up a grand fight it’s the dragons you’ll have to be careful with in this game.

Concept: 8.0
The world created in Monster Hunter is an interesting one and so is the fact that you’ll be hunting rare beasts indeed. There’s some great concepts here, including the ability to fish, cook raw meat over a spit as well as hire a crew of chefs to come up with meals of your design. Sadly, the online component is missing here but there’s a multiplayer for up to four players using Ad Hoc.

Multiplayer: 7.5
Despite the fact that the PSP could easily add online play using Infrastructure mode, there is a four-player mode here that has you banding together to complete complex hunting quests that require more than one hunter to complete successfully. There’s even a meeting hall where you can meet up to form a party.

Overall:  7.6
Far from perfect, Monster Hunter Freedom is still a wonderfully packaged handheld version of a decent PS2 game. Its sharp visuals, lengthy quests and interesting concepts make this a delightful romp well worth taking if you like hunting and action.