Monster Hunter World
The newest game in one of Capcom’s flagship franchises is finally here! Monster Hunter World brings hunters to a new region to hunt a variety of brand new (and old) monsters. I have wanted to write about this game for quite some time. Honestly, I have just been having so much fun playing it that it is difficult to pull myself away. Capcom has made a lot of quality of life improvements, that make this game more streamlined while still keeping it challenging. Monster Hunter World marks the much anticipated return to console for the series, and is a powerful entry indeed.
Through rain or shine, the hunt must go on.
Stunning Locales
I want to start by saying that the locations in Monster Hunter World are gorgeous. It is evident that Capcom but a lot of effort into creating living, breathing environments. As you explore, pay close attention to the endemic life around you. Ants will scurry around their hill, potentially dropping a item for you to collect. Flying insects will alert you to the presence of a monster. You can even use your slinger to latch on to endemic life to make traversal much easier. The life and sounds make each locale feel real, and as you play I urge you to immerse yourself in it.
One quality of life change I want to mention early, is that there are no more load screens in the hunt. Locations are still sectioned off by areas, but as you run between them, the game does not pause to load. This seamless transitioning keeps you into the action. When monsters chase you between areas (and they will) you feel the urgency. Another great reason for the lack of load screens, is that these new locales are massive. Each individual area is fairly large, and packed with interactions to make your hunt go smoother.
Even in the harsh desert sun, there lies a peaceful oasis.
Speaking of, interacting with the environment has never been more satisfying. You can lure your targets to certain natural traps, which can swing any hunt in your favor. Pay close attention to how the environment works, and you will vastly improve your skills as a hunter. Take some time to go through expeditions, to learn how things work without a time limit.
Quality of Life Improvements
I have already mentioned a few quality of life improvements, but there are several more worth mentioning. First and foremost, the series return to console gives us a controller. This gives us twin joysticks, a comfortable fit, and button schemes that make playing the game feel good. As much as I enjoyed the handheld games, playing them for extended hours was painful. On handheld, some of the weapons were even more difficult to use, but now, each weapon controls smoothly. Most of the weapons have been slightly changed in this game to take advantage of the ease of controls.
With the Insect Glaive, the ground is merely a suggestion.
Another great improvement is that your hunter no longer stops to gather certain items. You can run and pick up an herb without breaking stride. You can set certain items to auto-craft, which is a feature that has grown on me. And at any point, you can fast travel back to a campsite to deposit items into your storage box. You can even change up your equipment, if you find that you brought the wrong set to a hunt.
But perhaps my favorite addition to the game, is the slinger. This handy item lets you traverse quickly by attaching to wingdrakes. You can scale walls faster by attaching to wedge beetles halfway up the ledge. You can attach all the “bomb” type items to the slinger, while still equipped with that critical potion. That’s right, the slinger will let you have flash bombs at the ready, while not sacrificing your ability to heal quickly.
Astera, the new player hub, is bustling with life.
Incredible Hunts
Just like the locations are beautiful in Monster Hunter World, the monsters are just as beautiful as well. The detail in each monster design is incredible, and makes them look that much more intimidating. Each hunt requires some unique strategy, and applying effective strategies usually provides a better experience. One of the most fun things to do is lure large monsters into the same areas, and hope to start a turf war. While turf wars may not make your hunts go faster, watching the scripted battle between two larger than life creatures feels epic.
Rathian is on the prowl, and she looks fantastic.
Tracking monsters is more fun than ever now, thanks to the addition of scoutflies. Each hunter has personal “scoutflies” that pick up monster scents to make tracking them easier. As you track monsters more often, you learn more about them. This information will fill out a hunter’s log, which will eventually reveal monster weaknesses and strengths. Additionally, the scoutflies will hover over items you can collect, so you always know where gathering points are.
There are many new creatures to hunt as well as the return of some of my personal favorite fights. I do not want to get into any spoilers about the hunts. I’ll just say story mode is essentially a giant tutorial. Once you beat the main campaign, the game truly opens up and the hunts become challenging.
Final Thoughts
Monster Hunter’s return to home console is a rousing success. Monster Hunter World feels polished, streamlined, and generally carefully crafted. It’s apparent that a lot of care and detail went into this game, and at 120 hours in I am still learning more. Capcom has promised free monster hunts as DLC in the future, with the first addition being Deviljho. So there is still a whole lot of Monster Hunter World left to play. This was the game I was looking forward to most in 2018, and so far, it has more than delivered.
What are your thoughts about Monster Hunter World? Are you enjoying the new locations and hunts as much as I am? Which monsters do you want to see added as DLC? Are there any features you want to see put into the game? Let me know in the comments below.
Good luck hunters!