Monster Hunter Generations, limited edition New 3DS XLs debut in July

Capcom’s multiplayer creature-battling action game Monster Hunter Generations will make its English-language debut in July alongside a pair of limited edition New Nintendo 3DS XL portables, Nintendo announced today.

Players in North America can expect to see a blue Monster Hunter-themed New 3DS XL portable this summer, while Europe gets a region-exclusive red variant. Both editions will include a digital copy of Monster Hunter Generations.

Released in Japan in 2015, Monster Hunter Generations is a cooperative action game in which squadrons of up to four hunters team up to take down massive dinosaurs, dragons, and other dangerous beasts. Multiplayer sessions can take place either locally or online via an internet connection.

Monster Hunter Generations looks to the series’ past for inspiration, incorporating many gameplay elements from previous Monster Hunter games that were abandoned in later series installments. Generations also adds a collection of new combat styles for players to master, and expands its playable roster to include Felynes, who were sidelined as non-playable helper characters in previous games.

Like its 3DS predecessor Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, Monster Hunter Generations is one of only a handful of 3DS games to support the second analog stick and additional shoulder buttons present on New Nintendo 3DS XL portables. The game will still function on legacy Nintendo 3DS devices, where players instead must rely on an alternate control scheme.

Monster Hunter Generations is the latest entry in a long-running series that originated on the PlayStation 2 before finding mainstream success on the PlayStation Portable. Sequels for the Nintendo Wii and Wii U premiered in the years afterward before the series found an audience on the Nintendo 3DS, which hosted the recent fourth-generation sequels Monster Hunter 4 and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.

Monster Hunter Generations hits North America and Europe on July 15. A free demo version will launch via the 3DS eShop this summer.