Monster Rancher getting an update with new monsters, an added tournament mode, and more

Koei Tecmo is releasing a new update for Monster Rancher in Japan, which will bring a bunch of new content for free.

Most notably, there will be more monsters and an added Tournament mode where your monsters can battle without any instruction from breeders. There is also more music data to be added to the game (some of it exclusively for the Switch version) and a battle mode where you can select monsters uploaded from different players. 

The full details have been translated from Koei Tecmo’s press release and are included below, courtesy of Gematsu:

• Save Slot Added
  • One free manual save slot has been added. In addition to the two free save slots, you can purchase up to 12 additional save slots for 120 yen each, or the full 12-pack for 980 yen.
• Battle Mode: 1P Entry Method Changed
  • While you were previously only able to select your own monster, now you can select from monsters uploaded by other players, making battles and tournaments between players easier.
• Player Participatory Tournament Mode Added
  • Player participatory tournaments will be held in the future. Players will be able to participate by simply registering a monster that meet the tournament’s conditions, and battles will play out automatically without instruction from breeders.
• Music Data Added
  • Added music data for CD titles released between September 29, 2019 and February 1, 2020, and for Switch physical edition titles released between September 2019 and January 2020. (The latter data is exclusively for the Switch version.)
• New Monsters Added
  • New monsters derived from existing monster species have been added.
• Other
  • Added Ability Total display.
  • Other subtle changes and bug fixes.

Monster Rancher is available now in Japan on Switch via the eshop.

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