Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher adds classic Ultraman Beasties to the Switch.
Ultra Kaiju monster rancher will not be another Japan-exclusive title. Bandai Namco announced today that it would bring the new collaboration project between Ultraman and the monster-rearing sim to the West in 2022.
Twitter Bandai Namco announced Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher would soon be available for Nintendo Switch players from outside Asia. It looks like the crossover edition will retain all of the Monster Rancher mechanisms, but with the modern tweaks made to its CD-based system in Monster Rancher 1 and 2 DX.
Instead of looking through a stack of Spice Girls CDs, you can use Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher to choose digital IDs and summon your favorite monsters. Bandai Namco noted that NFC options would be available through cards and other NFC-related items. It is unclear what this means or if any NFC-related merchandise has been released.
You will also do the monster-raising that has been a series staple over the years. Instead of the cute Mocchi, you’ll be saddled with Ultraman kaiju like Baltan, Gomora, and Zetton. Once you have summoned your favorite beastie to you, you can take them home and raise them. It’s like old times with stat-boosting trials, competing against other monsters. I can’t wait for Coltia to tell me I spoiled the Gomora fruit.
Other familiar elements are shown in the announcement trailer, including exploration trials for kaiju and drills for high-risk, high-reward exercises. The usual battle between monsters to win special cups where trainers can compete to raise the ranks is also featured. Combining monsters in old games wasn’t something I enjoyed. Still, Ultra Kaiju Dragon Rancher’s version of the system allows you to combine two Ultraman favorite characters to create one great kaiju. Zetton Gormora!
It’s my favorite. I will spoil it until it stops listening.
Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher was revealed earlier this week on Japan’s Nintendo Direct stream. It’s not unusual for these to be released later in western launch windows. However, it’s pretty exciting to see this one arrive, given the history of the Monster Rancher series and its extended silence. It’s a kaiju that’s not Godzilla that I added to my list to import as an American-based player.
Ultraman, a popular TV and film series from Japan that has been around since the 1960s, is not well-known. Ultraman has a rotating roster of kaiju; this is a perfect match for a series that aims to raise monsters. Hollywood takes a more thought-provoking genre than “look it’s a huge dinosaur.” Continue their disappointment, so let’s hope even a tiny monster-rearing simulator makes us more interested in kaiju.
Bandai Namco has included quite a few creatures in the critical art, including Hydra and Dada. But I am keeping my fingers crossed that the game delivers on the massive Ultraman kaiju lineup.
