Bandai Namco announces Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher for Nintendo Switch; getting an English release in Asia [Update: Western release confirmed]
During today's Japanese version of the Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase, publisher Bandai Namco and developer Koei Tecmo have announced Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher, which is a Monster Rancher game featuring Kaiju. It is set to release for Nintendo Switch in 2022.
While Bandai Namco North America and Bandai Namco Europe have not yet announced an English release for Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher, the game will get an English version via Bandai Namco South East Asia. An English-language blog post can be found here.
Update (July 2): During the publisher's Anime Expo panel event, Bandai Namco has announced that Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher will launch in the west for Nintendo Switch this year, though no release date has been announced.
The announcement trailer and English and Japanese, English description, and screenshots can be found below.
English Trailer
Japanese Trailer
Ultra Kaiju meets Monster Rancher
Raise your own Ultra Kaiju by selecting from a range of actions each week, including feeding them, assigning them training drills, sending them on an Errantry with rival Kaiju and going on adventures!
At the ranch where you raise your Ultra Kaiju, you will have the opportunity to observe the behaviour of the Ultra Kaiju up close – an approach that the original works do not allow. In tournaments, your Kaiju will face off against rivals in battles every bit as intense as in the movies.
Kaiju face each other in spectacular battles!
Once you have raised your Partner Kaiju, it’s time to enter them in a tournament and battle powerful rivals!
Battles in this title are based on the Monster Rancher system. The attacks available will depend on the distance between your Kaiju and its opponent. Use Drills to raise your Kaiju’s stats and learn new moves through Errantry to help you dominate the battle arena!
Battles are action-packed and as spectacular as the movies – a far cry from your Kaiju’s relaxed behavior on the ranch.
With over 200 Ultra Kaiju appearing in the title, you’ll definitely discover some you’ve never seen before!
This title also includes the ability to combine two different Ultra Kaiju to create a new one. The title features over 200 Kaiju, especially when you can create Kaiju such as a Zetton-patterned Gomora.
Create familiar yet somehow new Kaiju and see what other fantastical combinations you can create!
How to create new Partner Kaiju
The quest to find your Partner Kaiju in Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher begins by using the Song Search function to play songs that will generate a new Ultra Kaiju. Ultra Kaiju can also be generated using NFC-enabled devices or items such as transport ID cards.
The game reads your ID card data using NFC and uses it to generate a Kaiju. Different data produces different Kaiju, so you will never know what you are going to get!
