Sam Thorne reviews Monster Hunter: World…
Capcom have been in a state of flux these past few years, not really knowing what to do with their key franchises, despite the fact their games are generally good. Dead Rising 4 flopped horrifically after abandoning many of the main features that made the predecessors so appealing. Street Fighter V was barely half a game at launch, and Resident Evil 7 was excellent, but did not hit sales targets as seemingly it lacked the mass-market appeal that the more action-orientated entries in the franchise had. That brings us to Monster Hunter: World, with Capcom deciding to bravely leap the franchise from the safety of Nintendo’s handheld devices, to the murky and uncertain waters of the PS4 and the Xbox One. As much as it seemed like a risky move, the game is amazing.
Monster Hunter: World straddles a very thin line between single player and multi player, managing to incorporate both into a seamless almost MMO-like experience. There are key hunts that you’ll have to do alone, but at certain points you’ll be able to send an SOS to other potential hunters. There are also more challenging optional hunts that very much encourage hunting in groups, synergistic strategies, and hunting with friends. The matchmaking is fairly instantaneous and supports anywhere from one to four hunters on one map, but it excels most when you’re playing with pals. It’s true that you will need to do plenty of both single and multi player if you want to make the most out of Monster Hunter: World, but it does this in a fairly organic way and is never heavy-handed.
With fourteen core weapon classes, countless armour sets and various other special abilities and items, there are endless ways to play. If a monster is particularly hard, try a different weapon class, study its weak points and resistances by tracking its prints, or equip armour that’ll allow you to optimise your defence against that particular element, if there is one. Overall, you’re basically as strong as your options are deep. Monster Hunter prevails as an RPG that isn’t focused on grinding or repetition, it’s a game about forward planning, creativity and effective utilisation of your resources. The gameplay cycle feels incredibly rewarding as you’re showered in rewards, crafting materials and items, making the game one of those ‘just one more mission’ kind of games that you just can’t put down.
MH: World has an overwhelming amount of content, because everything in the game feels like solid progression. Even when you’re not soaring through story mandated quests or hunter ranks, there’s plenty of reasons to revisit old maps and previous hunts. As you track, hunt and capture each monster species, your understanding of that particular type goes up. This means you’ll start to learn more about its weaknesses, what it drops, what it’s vulnerable to, you’ll also be able to find it on maps much faster. This inherently lets you gather resources faster and more efficiently, allowing you to craft upgrade better weapons and armour, thereby preparing you for the next hunt. Each system feeds into the next in a thoroughly addictive and encapsulating way that will absorb series veterans and newcomers alike.
What also keeps the game fresh is the brilliant design of the game’s various monsters, that all demand different play-styles, tactics and behaviours to master. That’s not say you can’t just pick a weapon, pick a style and just charge ahead, because you certainly can, but you might be making things difficult for yourself, and eventually you’ll have to change things up. As you progress through the hunter ranks, things will generally get harder, but not in the most straightforward of ways. One of the hardest encounters in the first few ranks is the fire-breathing T Rex called Anjanath, which is the kind of fiend you’d expect from the series. Oddly enough, I struggled more with an electric based lizard-esque thing known as Tobi-Kodachi, who was difficult to deal with due to his constant stun attacks and unpredictable attack patterns. In that way, It’s not all about how much damage you can take and deal, MH: World throws a lot of curve balls in the form of monsters that are exceedingly agile, or well equipped to keep you stunned and dizzy – the point is it’s great at keeping you on your toes.
I also have to give huge praise to the game’s visuals. Considering I only played with Monster Hunter: World on the regular PS4, it’s probably tied with Horizon: Zero Dawn for the best looking game I’ve played on the console. In some ways, that’s due to the map design having a lot of smaller, closed off areas looking great due to the amount of detail, while not having to struggle to generate huge open vistas in the background. But at the same time, the game is still more than capable of doing that, providing huge lush, vibrant sandboxes when needed. The monsters look incredible, the various different environments are crisp, distinct and aesthetically thematic. For long-time veterans of the series, it’ll be a huge moment to see the series in great, detailed HD graphics after years stuck in the low res land of handhelds (Assuming you haven’t played the Wii U version).
However, I feel like if there’s one thing that’ll prevent the game from reaching it’s mainstream audience, it’s the game’s cookie cutter story and single player segments. Essentially, it’s just a simple barebones story about a new Elder Dragon monster passing into the New World, which your character gets involved in as a member of the newly departed Fifth Fleet. For all intents and purposes, it’s just a shell to deliver the single player segments of the story, offering a break from the side content and multiplayer. There are some nice cutscenes and some fixed event battles like those with the Elder Dragons which at times can feel a little awkward. They don’t rely on skill, mostly on pseudo quick time events and exposition, furthering the story with little challenge or engagement However, I’m not criticising the game too much for this, because if you were looking for a deep, engaging story here in the first place, you were bound to be disappointed as Monster Hunter just isn’t that kind of series.
Overall, I struggled to put Monster Hunter: World down during my time with it. The gameplay and combat are crisp, explosive and incredibly gratifying. The gameplay systems are incredibly awarding, addictive and very encouraging. The visuals are the best Monster Hunter has ever looked, and it’s one of the best looking games on the base PS4, in my opinion. I feel Capcom have done the best possible job in bringing back Monster Hunter to home consoles and I’d highly recommend it, but if you’re looking for a deep, engaging story or you hate multiplayer, this one might not hit the mark.
Pros:
- Tonnes of content and endless replayability.
- Stunning visuals and aesthetics.
- Explosive combat that rewards you for being prepared, creative and resourceful.
Cons:
- Story is weak and quite generic.
- If you don’t engage in side content or multiplayer hunts, you may struggle in later hunts.
Rating: 9/10
Sam Thorne
