The Music of Monster Hunter

Let's smite some dragons.

Ever dreamed of living in the romantic fantasy of a warrior who fights powerful beasts to defend a village, avert a threat or simply for the glory of it? Wondering how you as the tiny human can face off against such formidable creatures and still live to tell the tale? Monster hunter is a game that brings the very fantasy of being a slayer of the mythical to life.

Part  legendary Epic, part Nature show and all survivor, this game series is the very epitome of the story of David and Goliath. As a normal human that is armed only with your wits, tactics and weapons, you are expected to forge your way through the wilderness to slay these majestic beasts. You may start your way from the bottom of the ladder killing raptors, but the dragons will arrive quickly with even more to come as the game progresses. With each dragon you fight, the ante is raised even higher, and as a result, the game constantly finds new ways to make you marvel at what is being accomplished in the game. What impact does this have on the soundtrack? Only that each successive piece finds new ways to get more dynamic than the last. This is a game, where on a scale of ten, we left 20 behind a while ago.

Starting with the iconic monster theme and its derivations, we are introduced to the primary instruments which are chosen to both reflect the period in which the game exists in and the context. The rising tone of the music serves to set the theme of the game as one of escalation. As a standalone piece in the soundtrack, it acts as both the introduction and an icon for what is to come.

In this piece, we are in the village where you will have your rare moments of reprieve. The softness of it makes you appreciate the surroundings because there are no anxieties, so that you can let the ambience move right along. The flutes and strings work well to set the mood because the instruments are very relaxing. These themes help you calm down and go about your business and you really grow to appreciate them especially after what is to come next.

In this piece, you will have met your first major mark for capture or defeat.The strings have increased in speed and have a noticeable increase in tension. You can feel the threat of the fight but in such a standoff, but at the same time, the music is simply keeping you on your toes, so that while you are in the ambience of the battle, you are not overwhelmed by the enemy.

With this music, the sense of urgency has increased and the strong percussion helps to give you the feeling that you may not be successful in the battle. Along with the roars of the dragon, the music serves to capture your full attention if the dragon has not already. And yet, despite the power of this theme, it is still not among the highest class of them.

By the time we get to this theme, we will have jumped straight out of urgency into outright fear. Even without the dragon, the theme is outright intimidating with its slow start into a very shocking rise in tone. Combined with its erratic pattern and mixture of low and high pitched instruments, we are disoriented and have reached the edge of our seats at the sheer magnitude of the moment. This is also the theme of the Alatreon, a leitmotif, showing that all of these characteristics apply to the dragon as well.

What can we say about the music of monster hunter? Only that it represents one of the many factors in establishing the ambiance of the game.  By contrasting itself with the periods of silence during exploration, we grow to really appreciate what the music can add to an experience. As music that is integral to a greater whole, it is far more effective with the game than it is alone, but even with the tracks by themselves, we are still able to feel the tempo of the music. While this music is not for everyone, it cannot be denied that once the music begins, we truly feel like we can fight a dragon.

(Image courtesy of Wallchan.com)