Monster Hunter Stories Ultimate

Monster Hunter Stories Ultimate is a fangame created by Nin10DillN64. It is the unofficial sequel to Monster Hunter Stories, taking place 8 years after the Black Blight was wiped out by the protagonist of the original game, and stars a new protagonist who, like the previous one, can be customized to the player's content.

Plot
Eight years ago, the Black Blight, a fearsome virus that took control over the minds of monsters and drove them berserk, was eradicated worldwide thanks to a young Rider from Hakum Village who overcame all odds with the help of their trusty partners, a one-eyed Rathalos named Ratha, and a mouthy Felyne with Thunder powers known as Navirou by the masses. Thanks to their efforts, Hunters and Riders, who have long been wary of each other despite being cut from the same cloth, were able to put their differences aside and co-exist for the most part, and there have been no sightings of the Black Blight ever since that very day, nor have there been any sightings of Dr. Manelger, who had been repeatedly hindering the hero's progress with his enslaved, artificially-enhanced monsters, and his put-upon assistant, Itsy-Bitsy. However, this peace would not last for long. There have been many recent outbreaks of natural disasters all around the world, monsters have been going berserk even without the influence of the Black Blight and ravaging villages and towns non-stop, and worst of all, there are concerns that another Great Dragon War like the kind that wiped out the Ancient Civilisation eons ago will take place, as there has been an unsettling amount of First-Class Elder Dragons appearing all throughout the land for reasons unknown, and the hero of Hakum Village and their trusted allies, who have had first-hand experience in dealing with Fatalis, the original source of the Black Blight, are nowhere to be found. In an attempt to counter this threat, the Guild has requested that both Hunters and Riders take up the cause, regardless of age or experience, and taking note of this, the Research Commission sends out a new, but promising Rider to collect all the information they can gather regarding these recent events and neutralize the cause of them.

Gameplay
The gameplay is largely similar to the original game's, being a turn-based RPG where you select from three different types of standard attacks with a rock-paper-scissors format or special attacks that require Kinship to use. More weapons are added to this game to provide a greater variety of playstyles; instead of just Great Swords, Swords and Shields, Hammers, and Hunting Horns, all canonical weapons are present, and the player's skills change depending on the weapon they are currently holding. The Rite of Channeling and PvP combat make a return here. The previous areas in the first game return, and many areas found in the main games, like the Coral Highlands and the Deserted Island, make appearances here. Like the first game, the player character can be customized to the player's content, and if they have save data from the first game, then they can also customize the Rider from the first game, who is now a full-grown adult in this game (if they do not have save data, then the first Rider's features are randomly selected). There is a far greater amount of monsters in this game, with the vast majority of monsters from the main games and Frontier making appearances, and to accommodate this feature, the amount of Monsties the player can keep in their stables is vastly increased. However, not all of the new monsters can be made into Monsties, whether it be because they have an alpha that takes up that position, are physically impossible for a Rider to properly sit on due to small size or other attributes, or despise humans with a passion, whether they be Hunters, Riders, or neither. A greater variety of egg designs are added to set different types of monsters apart from each other (for example, Carapaceon eggs have diagonal oval patterns).

Monsters
Many monsters from the original games and Frontier make appearances here, and there is also a wide selection of new ones to hunt or befriend.