What do the hit Japanese Tokusatsu franchise Ultraman and the Monster Rancher video games have in common? Not a lot outside of both having creatures referred to as monsters, or in Ultraman's case usually referred to as Kaiju. That's why it might, from an outside perspective, seem like smashing these two franchises together may not make a lot of sense at first glance. The truth of the matter is that it's a surprising combination that works a lot better once it's seen in motion. Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher is the brain child of two franchises that don't have a huge foothold outside of Japan, but make for a surprisingly fantastic and almost heart-warming unique take on giant monsters getting into a fight to see who is the strongest beast around.

Outside of a selected name right from the get-go, the new monster-raising breeder that players take the role of in this title is never seen on screen. Instead taking on a mostly passive role answering questions as they are drawn into a life on an island to raise massive monsters to fight in tournaments and befriend others along the way. They're assisted by Holly, a character from the Monster Rancher franchise, and a rather monstrous-looking felling named Kanezo whose appearance is based on the character Kanegon from the Ultraman franchise. These two aid and assist the brand new breeder on their path to becoming a master at caring for beloved kaiju who have appeared throughout both franchises with the emphasis being on monsters appearing in Ultraman. This starts with players receiving their very first kaiju who they'll first name and then begin to raise as a massive newborn on a brand new farm.

Life on the farm with a brand new kaiju starts with the most basic of animal care: feeding. Time passes one week at a time and at the beginning of every month players will select their food of choice for their kaiju companion which offers different bonuses to help balance their well being for the next four weeks. After this there are a handful of activities the kaiju is able to participate in, although they're introduced slowly over time to make things easy. The most basic of activities are drills which have the kaiju undertaking specific activities to improve their battle stats. Succeeding in these activities increases stats while failing rewards no increase. The most interesting thing about drills is they take place in different parts of the island which over repeated use can have the kaiju claiming it as their territory that they must occasionally defend from other creatures. Aside from training kaiju can also rest to relieve fatigue which lowers after most activities and anger which will increase depending on the kaiju's feelings towards select tasks. As the player meets additional characters they'll also unlock Errantries which allow their kaiju to be trained with another character for a month in order to rapidly increase selected stats and potentially earn them bonus abilities to take into actual fights.

While farming is arguably one of the largest parts of Ultra Kaiju, the real challenge comes from the occasional fights under taken in tournaments or by attacking foes. Fighting is designed simple and straightforward with most of the strategy relying on how individual kaiju were raised. Up to four styles of attack can be equipped that require a certain distance and guts to use. In battle the amount of guts a kaiju has will recharge over time, but they can be used freely with guts available given the correct distance. Each attack has its own percentage chance to hit which varies drastically based on the stats or abilities of each monster. The goal is to either KO the opponent or be the one with the most percentage of health left at the end of a match. Fights fortunately go by quickly so strategies all depend on quick in-the-moment decisions. Players need to decide if it's better to attack quickly but have to wait for recharge, or store up power while risking taking attacks and hoping for the best. Some attacks have the ability to stun or hinder kaiju as well meaning there can be a lot more strategy than outright brute strength. This is especially true when it comes to the all important tournaments.

Tournaments are the bread and butter of every kaiju's training. These appear throughout a kaiju's in-game lifetime of around three years and allow them to make slow and steady progress to being an even stronger individual. Every kaiju starts at rank E, but by participating in select tournaments can raise their rank and become a better version of themselves over time. The tournaments they can partake in depends on their rank, but they are well worth joining in most of the time due to winning them offering stat increases and addition fame which can aid a kaiju in battle if they become popular. Another important element of tournaments is fighting named opponents, which in turn become helpful rivals that are more than happy to train together in Errantries. Tournaments also offer an array of useful items from food to special relics and of course, lots of money. Given that kaijus are massive, it's easy to tell that a lot of money goes into taking care of and raising colossal beasts.

Of course a big part of the farm life is raising different kinds of kaiju and monsters. There are a handful of ways that players can recruit new companions to train. The first and most basic is that every in-game seasons has a pre-set monster players can obtain. This will be the same for each individual season, but makes it a nice consistent way to get certain kaiju. Given this title is a crossover with Monster Rancher one might think discs are involved, but they aren't as literally. Due to the fact this is a title on Switch obviously discs cannot be used, but instead NFC-related objects can such as many mobile phones or even select smart watches. The exception to this is unfortunately amiibo cannot be used, which is a shame given most Switch players will likely have at least a couple. The third option is keywords which have players being able to enter in any word of their choosing in hopes it will summon a unique monster. It's also worth noting that while there's a nice variety of kaiju available from the beginning, many addition ones are unlocked through other means or through fusion. Going out and fighting or training may seem like the most simple way to progress a kaiju, but there are other ways to keep a kaiju happy and strong. Two things to help make this happen are food and special cookies. General food can be bought at the store and help reduce a kaiju's anger, fatigue or even increase stats. One food item can be used a day though so it's always good to plan ahead. Cookies on the other hand enable kaiju to learn brand new helpful abilities that will either help them in or outside of combat encounters. These can be made at a special shop similarly to finding a new kaiju as they can simply be bought at random or use an NFC-related item to get one to randomly appear. After two years a kaiju can equip a total of three extra cookie abilities, so it's best to keep in mind what might benefit each individual creature to best make their time fighting the strongest it can possibly be.

While kaiju can get old and eventually retire from combat, there's another way to make use of their strengths instead of just letting them go on their merry way. The can, in fact, be used to help fuse and make even stronger kaiju. By fusing together two kaiju, be them the same or otherwise, a new third kaiju will be created that takes the strengths of both before it to make a more powerful ally. This includes taking stats of kaiju so even a familiar face may be stronger than its predecessors. This is a great way to start off a brand new kaiju as it gives them a much needed leg up to get stronger faster and will allow them to rank up quickly to take part in even more challenging battles that await them. This can also lead to entirely new monsters especially if special items are used to help determine who will be born from the fusion. It's a great way to encourage players to even raise multiple kaiju at once, as the stronger both are the stronger the fusion will also be in return to create the ultimate powerhouse of a kaiju.

Once players have made it far enough along with their kaiju they'll unlock the ability to go on Adventures. These unique activities offer the chance for kaiju to wander through a maze of territory to discover treasure or even brand new kaiju that have never been met before. The catch is that each kaiju has stamina that drains with every step and activity, so using it wisely will decide whether or not they make it out with a ton of treasure or barely anything at all. A kaiju's stats determine the activities they can do such as needing high power to break rocks, or high intelligence unveiling secret paths that can be taken. Adventures only appear during certain times of the year and often require certain levels of strength to be taken, encouraging breeders to work hard so their kaiju can go and find special treasures while exploring. Going on adventures does also take an entire month of time to complete, so they're not always worth doing if an event is coming up and training might be more important.

The visual style of Ultra Kaiju puts emphasis first and foremost on its giant creatures. They look great and manage to show bits of their own personality even when they might not explicitly express much with their face. On the farm kaiju can be seen falling over, getting annoyed or even just taking it easy which is a charming attention to detail. The music is fittingly pumped up and for the most part sounds like it'd fit right at home with any Ultraman show. Everything sounds fun and delightful, with even fights offering enjoyable themes to get pumped up for a fight. If there's one downside to Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher it's that it can feel repetitive for those who aren't sure what they're getting into. It's a title that's all about the grind and getting a monster as powerful as possible, with some story sprinkled in now and then to help keep things interesting. It's not the type of gameplay that will appeal to those looking for more substance, but it's also addictive and it's easy to play in long or short bursts to make progress at each person's own pace.

Closing Comments: 

Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher is a pleasant surprise that was extremely unexpected. From the recent revival of the Monster Rancher titles to Ultraman finally making an impact overseas, it's a delight. It's worth noting that this title is aiming to appeal to fans of the Ultraman franchise first and foremost, but there's tons for those who have never experienced it before to love. Even the ugliest or creepiest kaiju can become endearing and lovable after spending time training them long and hard to be their absolute best. It's a title that's easy to get into and doesn't require a ton of trial and error to figure everything out. Fans of giant monsters will want to consider picking up Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher, especially if it's always been their dream to raise them and fight against other massive and iconic kaiju.