Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX

Monster Rancher 1 and 2 DX stays faithful to the originals by mostly adding quality of life fixes to enhance the game. While not everything was modernised, there is enough here for players to have a great time.

79%Game Brain Score

music, gameplay

grinding, story

89% User Score Based on 1,380 reviews

Critic Score 70%Based on 15 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $29.99

Buy NowGet on Steam$29.99

About

"Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX" allows players to raise, train, and battle with a variety of monsters, just like in the original games. Players can acquire new monsters and compete online, adding a multiplayer aspect to the classic monster-battling game. With the ability to dote or train intensively, players can find their own unique style of monster-raising.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,395 reviews

music20 positive mentions

grinding32 negative mentions

Nostalgic experience that brings back fond childhood memories.
Unique monster generation system using a large database of CDs, allowing for a variety of monsters.
Gameplay remains engaging with quality-of-life improvements like fast forward and autosave features.

Controls can be clunky and are better suited for a controller rather than mouse and keyboard.
Removal of the ability to skip training animations makes the game feel more tedious.
The port feels like a mobile version rather than a polished PC release, lacking graphical enhancements.

music
138 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
76%
9%
The music aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the nostalgic value of the remastered soundtrack and the new music database that allows for monster generation from a vast selection of songs. However, criticisms include the inability to adjust individual sound levels, leading to frustration over the loud background music, and technical issues such as music not looping properly during gameplay. Overall, while the remastered music is a highlight for some, the lack of customization options and bugs detract from the experience for others.
- “The game's soundtrack is also worth mentioning.”
- “It's a fun little way to further personalize your favorite music.”
- “Great gameplay, great graphics, great music, tons of complexity and variety that keeps you entertained forever.”
- “The music has a bug where it won't loop properly or change, and you will get dead silence in combat, kind of destroying the immersion.”
- “I echo someone else's comment that it stinks you can't manipulate SFX/music sound levels in-game.”
- “Either you have the music on full blast or you play the game on mute.”
gameplay
135 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
73%
4%
The gameplay of Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX is a nostalgic blend of classic mechanics with some modern enhancements, offering a unique monster-raising experience that can be both addictive and challenging. While the core gameplay loop remains engaging, many players note the lack of thorough tutorials and the presence of obscure mechanics that may frustrate newcomers. Overall, the game captures the essence of its predecessors but may feel dated and repetitive to some, requiring patience and exploration to fully appreciate its depth.
- “The gameplay mechanics remain the same, but with a few modern twists that make it even more enjoyable.”
- “Great gameplay, fun concept of raising a monster and being able to fuse too.”
- “Its core gameplay loop is easy to learn, difficult to master.”
- “Gameplay-wise, the tutorials are pretty sparse and the game barely explains its systems to you (hence the hard no recommendation), which given the era makes a certain amount of sense given you'd get game manuals with the physical product.”
- “The actual 'gameplay' part is extremely barebones and definitely doesn't stand the test of time.”
- “However, this pair of titles is truly a product of its time: a lack of tutorials, janky graphics, and a set of opaque gameplay systems reliant on heavy grinding might prove too high a barrier for the average creature collector.”
graphics
133 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
82%
6%
The graphics of the game are largely based on the original PlayStation 1 era, which some players find charming while others see as outdated and in need of a significant overhaul. While there are minor improvements and smoothing effects, many reviews express disappointment over the lack of substantial graphical updates, making it less appealing to modern audiences. Overall, the visuals evoke nostalgia for some, but may deter younger players accustomed to contemporary graphics.
- “There are significant improvements to the graphics and sound.”
- “Firstly, the graphics are a significant improvement from the older games.”
- “Sure the graphics are from the PS1 era, but honestly, they hold up surprisingly well in this day and age, especially the monsters themselves.”
- “The graphics are somehow worse than the originals.”
- “This was a re-release and not a remaster, I know, but I feel like they definitely could have spruced things up a bit more in the graphics department.”
- “As you would expect, the graphics are dated as this game was made over 2 decades ago.”
grinding
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's grinding system is widely criticized for being tedious and poorly explained, often requiring players to consult guides that spoil the experience. While some players appreciate the slow growth and charm of the grind, many find it overwhelming and frustrating, especially with unskippable animations and a lack of tutorials. Overall, the grinding aspect can be a significant barrier for newcomers, despite its appeal to dedicated fans of the genre.
- “I'm not talking about the graphics, but the game's nightmarish grinding system, combined with super obscure mechanics (that pretty much force you to look up a guide that spoils the entire game for you).”
- “Unfortunately in the intervening years my tolerance of repetitive grinding and the clunky RNG-heavy combat has diminished to the point that the game is no longer that fun.”
- “However, this pair of titles is truly a product of its time: a lack of tutorials, janky graphics, and a set of opaque gameplay systems reliant on heavy grinding might prove too high a barrier for the average creature collector.”
story
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
78%
11%
The game's story is minimal and largely non-existent, focusing instead on tournament progression and exploration missions. While players appreciate the personalities of the monsters and the depth of gameplay mechanics, the lack of a substantial narrative or journey detracts from the overall experience. It feels like a nostalgic throwback to simpler games that didn't rely heavily on storytelling.
- “Its the exploration missions, and little events that pop up and special matches you can aim for that add so much to it.”
- “All the monsters have personality and the plot is minimal.”
- “It's a bit of a throwback to when games didn't really need a big storyline.”
- “The story is essentially non-existent.”
- “Not much story here, you just run a rancher where you raise a monster to fight in tournaments.”
- “Not a whole lot of main story, work your way up to the top.”
stability
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
17%
67%
The game's stability is mixed, with some players reporting smooth performance and no glitches, even on low-end hardware, while others experience significant issues, particularly freezing during tournament rounds that can end gameplay. Several users noted that while some fixes improved stability, they also introduced new bugs, leading to frustration over unresolved glitches. Overall, the game shows potential for stability but requires further updates to address the recurring issues.
- “Very light game and runs great.”
- “No glitches in 120 hours on a literal potato computer I'm running this game on, and it is perfect.”
- “Played all the way to the end of the final cup and no glitches at all.”
- “Freezes during later rounds of tournaments.”
- “The tournament freezes are game ending, please fix.”
- “Way too many unresolved glitches in the port.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game boasts exceptional replayability, driven by its diverse monster variations, unique abilities, and customizable builds, which encourage players to experiment with different strategies. The loyalty system adds depth, as players can influence their monsters' performance through their treatment, further enhancing the game's replay value. Overall, it offers a nostalgic and engaging experience that remains enjoyable over time.
- “Great for chill time gaming and tons of replayability.”
- “Loved this as a kid and still do, the variations in monsters, abilities, stat gains, and purpose of each monster gives the game awesome replay value.”
- “They have loyalty levels depending on how you treat them (praising or punishing them for things and giving them items/monthly food type), different and unique moves per monster that each scale with one of two of the stats. Plenty of room for different builds for different monsters, allowing for nearly infinite replayability.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Monster Rancher 2 is praised for its humorous elements, featuring quirky monster designs like a one-eyed ball and a Buddha-like monkey, which contribute to its comedic charm. Players find the mix of absurdity and playful coding to enhance the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “Monster Rancher 2 is a mix of hilarious coding with decent gameplay.”
- “The ball with one eye is so funny, haha!”
- “I got a funny monkey that looked like Buddha, and then right after, I got a woman in a latex outfit.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The game is a direct port of its mobile version, which some users view as a lack of effort, but it is optimized for mouse use. Players report that it loads quickly, runs smoothly, and maintains the original gameplay experience without any noticeable performance issues or bugs.
- “- It loads quickly and runs smoothly.”
- “- It's Monster Rancher as you'd remember it and it plays the same with no performance issues or bugs that I've seen so far.”
- “It's a direct port of a mobile version (which is pretty lazy in my view, but whatever), so it's more or less optimized for a mouse.”
- “It's a direct port of a mobile version (which is pretty lazy in my view, but whatever), so it's more or less optimized for a mouse.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game has been criticized as a "dirty cash grab," particularly regarding its PC port, which appears to lack effort and polish. While it is technically playable without a controller, many users feel that the overall experience reflects a rushed and profit-driven approach rather than a commitment to quality.
- “The game feels like a quick cash grab, especially with the lack of effort put into the PC port.”
- “It’s evident that the developers prioritized monetization over quality, making it a disappointing experience.”
- “The monetization strategy is frustrating and detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a deep emotional connection to the game, highlighting feelings of heartbreak over its pricing and nostalgia for its classic status. Additionally, the experience of generating a creature from the soundtrack evokes strong emotional responses, with some players reporting feelings of being emotionally scarred by the outcomes.
- “I generated a creature from the Transistor OST, and the monster it made emotionally scarred me.”
- “30 for a bugged 20+ year old classic is heart breaking.”