In2018, Capcom wants you to start paying more attention to Monster Hunter. The
action-RPG franchise is widely beloved in Japan North America ).
World is not as much of a
sea change as outside observers might have expected, but definitely feels like
a step forward. The series’ consummate depth remains, but streamlines some of
its outdated action-RPG mechanics, thanks to the advantages conferred by more
powerful hardware. Monster Hunter: World is the most approachable entry in the
franchise, by far, and is easier to play.
By
mitigating some of the grind, introducing meaningful mechanical changes, and
convincing new players to stick around by getting straight into some epic
battles, Monster Hunter: World emphasizes the series’ its biggest
strength — the colossal showdowns.
Commence the hunt
Like
its predecessors, the story in Monster Hunter: World revolves around a group of researchers
and hunters striving to learn more about the giant monsters who thrive in
untouched parts of the world. As a hunter in the Fifth Order of the Commission,
you travel to the “New World ” to help uncover
the reason behind the migration of the Elder Dragons — the largest beasts known
to man.
Monster Hunter: World tightens the series’ traditional gameplay loop, tightening
your focus on a string of tough-as-nails boss fights. Where past games often
forced players into fetch quests and other not-so-exciting errands early on, Monster
Hunter: World tasks
you to slay a Great Jagras — basically a massive Iguana — in your very first
mission. These large-scale battles continue, largely unabated, throughout the
game’s 30-40 hour campaign. World removes
much of the bloat between missions, letting you embark on massive hunt after
massive hunt, with little filler in between.
The basic progression
of the hunt, however hasn’t changed at all. You get 50 minutes to track your
prey, following footprints, drool, monster carvings, and other clues, then
either slay or capture the target. These hulking creatures range from
dinosaur-esque beasts to fire breathing dragons to otherwise indescribable
monstrosities, each with its own set of attacks and weak points. You must heed
caution when engaging these powerful targets. Their devastating attacks can
send you to your grave in not time if you go in without a plan.
‘World’ carries the
series’ tradition of massive boss fights, but removes the knots, letting you
embark on massive hunt after massive hunt, with little filler in between.
Monster
Hunter did “Soulslike” style combat before Dark Souls. Armed with one of 14 weapons — each of
which demands a unique play style — you need to attack at opportune moments
regardless of whether you favor light or heavy weapons. World favors deliberate slashes over button
mashing, and the methodical pace of your strikes makes the moment-to-moment
experience very tense, and every action consequential. You have a greater sense
of control of your weapons than in previous entries thanks to more fluid
animations, which eliminate much of the clunkiness that comes with animation
priority based combat systems, where your character is locked into each action
until he or she completes it.
The game is “Monster
Hunter,” though, not “monster fighter” — Each match is a prolonged affair. Your
target won’t always wait around to get beaten — Weakened monsters will scamper
away several times throughout a fight, forcing you to track them down again. In
the past, this process had the potential to grow tedious, but thanks to its
larger, more ecologically diverse maps, this aspect of showdowns feels more
valuable.
Each monster has a
resting place and circles around several specific hangouts. The terrain and
your surroundings come into play throughout the fight, demanding you take a
different approach depending on your current locale. You can use the
environment around you to your advantage, and even lure monsters into fighting
each other, alleviating some of the burden from yourself.
The daunting scale of
these fights creates an actual hunting experience where you actually feel as if
you’re at war with a monster that should, based on size and strength, overwhelm
you. Fights can last upwards of the entire time limit, but when your foe has
fallen, it brings a much greater sense of accomplishment than your average
action game.
Considering its
challenging difficulty, Capcom has thankfully intertwined the single and
multiplayer components into one experience. Each and every mission, for the
first time, can be completed alone, or with a party of up to four players. If a
mission goes sideways on a solo run, you can even send out an SOS to call for
help from other hunters online. While designed around an always-online system,
the game can be played solo offline.
World still has a steep
learning curve, mainly because of the grueling length of the fights. The game
initiates new players by throwing them into the thick of battle early, teaching
them how to recognize patterns, conceive strategies, and then abandon them, for
every monster they meet. New players will struggle, but if you’re willing to
experiment, you will find your footing as you plow through the first few
fights.
Something,
Something… Research… New World … Something,
Something
World’s more combat-forward structure does come with some strings
attached. There’s a relatively fleshed-out story built around World’s campaign.
While that story lends the game the look and feel of a AAA console game, it is
not especially compelling unto itself.
The narrative plays
out over a series of cinematics between missions, as well as through still
images with unvoiced dialogue. It’s awkward, to be sure, especially since some
of the story’s most pivotal moments don’t earn the proper, animated treatment
they deserve. Then again, the cutscenes feature corny voice acting that doesn’t
always line up with the text and rigid animations, so it may not be much of a
loss.
To
be fair, better cutscenes would not be enough to prop up Monster
Hunter: World’s narrative. Sadly, your created character acts as an
empty, nodding vessel. He or she becomes the hero of the story, but had no
backstory or discerning personality. The notability of the Fifth Order remains
unexplained throughout, but you wind up as the last hope. Not to mention your
“Handler,” an enthusiastic young woman, believes in your abilities so
unfailingly, yet the trust between the pair is never established nor earned.
For
fans, at least, a poorly crafted story won’t detract from the thrill of the
hunt. Monster Hunter has always been about the boss battles, and that remains
true in World. The bottom line is, however, that there’s
nothing wrong with tapping furiously to speed through dialogue and get back
into action.
Conventional is
sometimes good
While
Monster Hunter’s general vibe remains, some common-sense mechanical changes make World more accessible. Most notably, and
bafflingly, the switch to a home console, and a controller with dual analog
sticks, means you can control the game’s camera for the first time in the
series.
The drawn out, epic
scale of the fights makes you feel at war with a monster that should, based on
size and strength, overwhelm you.
In previous Monster
Hunters, the camera was either fixed, or had a mind of their own, leading to
awkward perspectives and frustrating deaths. In combat, having control of the
camera completely changes the way you use some weapons. Projectile weapons,
like bow and arrow and bowguns, no longer feel needlessly cumbersome. In fact,
projectiles became our weapon of choice thanks to the camera fixes. It’s huge
quality of life improvement that will feel like a breath of fresh air of
veteran players and removes one of the series biggest longstanding barriers to
entry series for new players.
There
are also a litany of smaller design tweaks further strengthen World’s
accessibility. You can now eat at camp mid-mission to gain stat boosts, as well
as change gear. Each map has numerous camps, which serve as fast travel points
to ensure you can move around the map quickly. The map tracks all of your
resource discoveries to ensure that you won’t forget where you found useful
goods. You’ll also actively see how much damage each attack deals, clueing you
in on spots where you should aim your blows. Modern games in the genre have
included some of these conveniences for years, so it’s nice to see Monster
Hunter get with the times.
The hunt never
ends
As
always, Monster Hunter keeps on giving long after you finish the main
objectives. World brims
with content. Endgame objectives with gradually increasing difficulty keep
opening up after the story credits roll, acting as a sort of second main
course.
And for those who want
to savor the campaign before getting to the real challenging stuff, there’s
plenty to distract you from the core campaign.
An
abundance of side quests ranging from standard slaying or capture missions to
scavenger hunts offer different challenges. World adds
two new forms of mission, “Investigations” and “Bounties.” Unlocked gradually
throughout the game, Investigations are limited-use activities that dole out
bonus rewards based on difficulty. By the time you play through the campaign,
you will have unlocked dozens of these, while Bounties act as secondary goals
to finish while working towards a mission’s main task.
These
sidequests are optional, and they feel like it: They frequently revolve around
a remix of already completed missions, and are really meant for players who
have completed most of the game’s other content and want to prep for World’s
toughest endgame hunts.
Since launch, Capcom
has also started adding new hunts, seasonal events and
other post-launch content. The first free update, released in late
March, added the monster “Deviljho” to the game as well as his specialized
weapons and tools. A second update added the monster “Kulve Taroth,” and a new
area, the Caverns of El Dorado.
Special limited-time
seasonal events have also come to the game since release, such as
the Spring Blossom Fest in April, which added some new floral items
and gear to give players spring fever. The event also includes exclusive
quests, which may give even lapsed players a new reason to pop back into the
game.
Monster
Hunter: World Compared To
Acquiring and leveling
up all of Monster Hunter’s best weapons and gear could easily take hundreds of
hours. So while the lengthy campaign will surely be enough for some players,
those who relish in the grind will have more than enough to do to keep them
busy for a long, long time.
Our Take
Monster Hunter: World feels like the best of both worlds. It manages to be
accessible to new players without compromising the deep mechanics that drew
fans to it in the first place.
Even
if it doesn’t always look cutting edge, World takes
advantage of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One hardware both in terms of its
larger areas and in streamlining and refining its action RPG systems for the
better. World features
a nearly endless loop of hunting and grinding. Even though the story falls
flat,Monster Hunter: World surpasses its predecessors by a mile.
Is there a better alternative?
No,
the Monster Hunter series is a one-of-a-kind action RPG and Monster
Hunter: World outclasses
each entry that came before it. For those who want a deeper story with similar
gameplay, Bloodborne may be a better option.
How long will it last?
The
campaign took us roughly 40 hours, including a few optional quests and
Investigations. With endgame missions aplenty, World,
like other entries in the series, features at least a hundred hours of
differentiated content, and much more for those who fall in love with it.
Should you buy it?
Yes.
If you like action RPGs and aren’t afraid of a challenge, Monster
Hunter: World stands
out and you should definitely give it a try.
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