- It’s a Monster Hunter game.
Okay, jokes aside, Monster Hunter: World keeps impressing us with its stunning visuals, new gameplay mechanics, and new and returning monsters.
A bit more about this newest installment
If you’re a fan of Monster Hunter and aren’t subscribed to either Arekkz Gaming or Gaijin Hunter youtube channels, you’re missing out. Both have amazing content related to Monster Hunter ( And other games ). Content such as weapon tutorials, news, and breakdowns of new trailers.
Now, I’m not even close to them when it comes to my knowledge about Monster Hunter, and despite being a bit late to the party by starting my Monster Hunting career with MH4U, It has grown to be one my favorite games, ever. In fact, it’s in my top five franchises that include Zelda, Souls Games, DMC ( The old ones ) and God of War. Hell, I bought my 3DS mainly to play MH4U and I’ve clocked in about 1,000 hours… I’m a filthy casual, I know… but it’s still more than I’ve poured into any single game in my life.
Before I start talking a bit more about what we’ve seen so far, I want to say that I own a PS4, a gaming PC and a Nintendo Switch and I game on my PS4 and Switch equally with the PC being close behind.
Monster Hunter: World looks absolutely amazing. However, fans of the franchise know that Monster Hunter has always been about the gameplay, and so far, every mainline game has delivered that core aspect of what makes Monster Hunter great.
Luckily, Monster Hunter: World doesn’t seem like it’ll be different in that aspect. You have monsters, you hunt monsters. In fact, it looks like they are improving the basic Monster Hunter formula that makes it great, which I always thought was perfect.
However, Monster Hunter: World is, for better or worse, being tailored to the Western audiences. For the first time ever, a mainline Monster Hunter game will be releasing at the same time in both the west and the east.
What this means
As we all know, Asians are most likely the most hardcore gamers in the world. Monster Hunter has always been tailored primarily towards their audience, and secondly for western audiences. As such, Monster Hunter has been a series renowned for its difficulty.
With Monster Hunter: World being developed for the western market, I fear we’ll see a watered down version of Monster Hunters ferocity and brutality.
I truly, honestly, hope from the bottom of my heart that this isn’t the case, but what we’ve seen so far isn’t reassuring.
I am not even talking about the ability to drink potions while moving, or the damage numbers which you can turn on/off at your preference.
Those things are more or less quality of life improvements. I’m talking about the new moves all the weapons are getting. While they look EXTREMELY fun and satisfying to use, I just hope they’ll be balanced.
With all these new and amazing moves, I just hope they increase the monster AI, unpredictability, speed, and damage. People have been criticizing Monster Hunter: Generations for its over the top arts and styles, but we’re seeing something of a combination of everything in MH: Gen heading over to MH: World and everyone suddenly stopped caring. Is this because it’s coming to a console other than Nintendo?
A more positive outlook
With the few negatives out of the way, lets take a look at why this new installment looks like it’s going to be the best Monster Hunter game created thus far.
- Amazing visuals
- Grappling hook ( Because who doesn’t like a grappling hook? )
- True, unadulterated, monster hunting action
- Extremely satisfying and cool new moves for our favorite weapons
- Sneaking
- Monster hierarchy within an ecosystem
- No loading screens in large, interconnected areas
- More environment interaction than ever before
This, in all honesty, looks like it’s going to be the best Monster Hunting game ever, but only if it doesn’t end up being too casualized in order to sell to a larger market of gamers. Some of you may call me an “Elitist” or something along those lines, but I feel like Monster Hunter is at its best when it’s you ( and a couple of friends ) versus this savage, frenzied creature that keeps you on your toes all the time… if you take that away and make it easier, we just get another Toukiden.
I want to feel that rush of fighting a monster that I haven’t seen before, or old monsters that have new, ferocious moves that
I can’t read at first. I want to feel like that first time I faced off against a Gore Magala. You remember that feeling, don’t you? That unpredictable fucker with its weird movements. Or that time I first saw a frenzied Tigrex. Fear overcame me like never before.
I remember thinking “He’s EVEN FASTER now?!” and dear gog, that charge was insane!
Those are just my two cents on Monster Hunter: World, which I can’t stop thinking about. I just want it so, so, so badly. Luckily, the Japanese version of MH: XX will keep me company until Q1 ( Hopefully! ) of 2018 which is the promised release date for MH: World.
