Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX are out this week, bringing the classics back after 20 years. They’re full remasters of the classic PS1 games, with a few new things thrown in. Anyone who remembers these classic games will remember the chasing of CDs to find certain monsters. The developers of Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX have eliminated this process with a new selection and online experience.
Anyway, let’s talk about how to get your first monster in Monster Rancher 1. With the first game, you get to pick from three starters. You get to pick from Dino, Tiger and Suezo. You can choose one of these three and they have their own stats. Due to the way the combat works in the arenas, you need to be able to control the distance and timing of your attacks. So that means you need to pick the right starter and train them well.
Tiger
Is the most aggressive of the starters in Monster Rancher 1. His Trust level is the lowest of the three, but he has impressive speed for his E-class. He’s still possible to control, you just have to work on it. It has plenty of speed, making focused training easier. This is great for the early game where you need lots of speed to outpace opponents.
Dino
Dino is the easiest monster to control. His temperament is much better for new players. The Trust level he starts with makes him easier to command. The overall stats of Dino are also E like the other starters. So he’s not too suited to high levels in the Arena.
Suezo
Suezo is one of the most iconic monsters in the franchise. His stats at the start are also E-rank, but he is a good middle ground in the two areas that matter, Power and Speed. For E-rank, he can be trained to be quite powerful.
So how do you get more monsters? Other than the Market, head to the Shrine. Koei Tecmo has put in a searchable database and randomization function. You must search for an artist and then album name. The game has a very limited selection. Also, you have to progress in the game to unlock higher-grade monsters. We’ve got guides for that over here.
The games give you a digital CD database to get your hands on new monsters. Their appearance here is based on the mobile ports released in Japan for Android and iOS in 2019. That means the overall controls are the most annoying part. The UI hasn’t really been properly tailored to the PC or Switch versions, and the controls are clunky with a mouse.
