Capcom’s Monster Hunter series took a step forward when they finally released Monster Hunter: World in January 2018. Since its initial release, Monster Hunter: World has been constantly growing in popularity and has risen through the ranks.
According to Statista, as of June 2022, Monster Hunter: World has become the best-selling Capcom Monster Hunter game, selling more than 18.3 million units since its initial release.
Monster Hunter: World is a third-person action game that will take you on a ride full of adventure and fantasy. It steals you away from reality and invites you into an unfamiliar domain full of exotic and awesome-looking monsters that you’ll have to hunt in order to get stronger.
This game will also give you a great sense of accomplishment whenever you slay a monster and earn skills. Playing World will allow you to embark on a journey into the new world to become the strongest monster hunter.
Quick Take
Monster Hunter: World, just like all the other Monster Hunter games, is an extremely unique and deep experience game. If you’re a first-time player of the Monster Hunter series, you’ll be baffled as you can quite literally see a living and breathing ecosystem that makes it feel less like a fictional game. This ecosystem makes the game feel very much alive; it’s as if you’re really inside the game itself.
The Monster Hunter: World adds realistic-looking and awesome new monsters, sceneries, and so much more. You get to experience epic battles not only between you and the monsters but also among multiple monsters themselves. You will also get to see some of the most beautiful scenery ever created that also interacts with the players.
However, much like the previous Monster Hunter games, Worlds’ plot isn’t really something new. If you’ve ever played the previous games in the Monster Hunter universe, you’ll know that it’s the same old hunting of monsters, harvesting materials, and building (and upgrading) armor and weapons. This game mechanic isn’t new in the Monster Hunter games, and although it has become quite repetitive, World has had a few changes that can splice up the gameplay, which we’ll talk about later.
That being said, let’s now get into the main part of this review!
Pros
- Improved graphics and visuals
- Better gameplay
- Fantastic and huge map
- Scary yet cool-looking new monsters
- Has newly added features that the previous games didn’t have.
- Features a lot of creatively-designed content.
Cons
- Repetitive storyline
- Has some glitches but not enough to destroy the gaming experience.
Gameplay
Photo Credits to Steam
One of the biggest improvements to Monster Hunter: World from the previous games is the gameplay.
Just like the previous titles of Monster Hunter, you start out with essentially nothing but a weak weapon and chainmail armor on your back. But, of course, after just a few hours of playing Monster Hunter, you start to upgrade your weapons and armor by hunting the ferocious beasts of the land.
In World, when you hunt monsters, harvesting materials from your kills is a lot easier. By crafting and upgrading your weapons and armor with the materials you’ve harvested through your hunting, you essentially become a lot stronger. Becoming stronger in the game will allow you to take on stronger monsters, then use the materials you’ve harvested from them to build even stronger armor and weapons, and so on and so forth.
Although this type of gameplay has been an endless loop of hunting, crafting, and upgrading—even in the previous titles—World has introduced new monsters (with new AI) and a shit ton of new weapons to upgrade. There are about 14 weapon types, each having different sets of control systems that you have to master. These weapons provide enhanced functionality to hunt down the fantastic beasts of the game.
Not only will you have a hard time upgrading all of the weapons, but there are also hundreds of different items to craft, all with different requirements/materials, which you’ll have to find all over the new world.
Photo Credits to Steam
That being said, Monster Hunter: World released a new amazing feature, which is the scout flies. The Scout Flies are a clue-based tracking system to help you find the approximate location of the different monsters, from their tracks to even their shit. Even the smallest tracks from the monsters will unlock their location.
Not only that, but these will also give you information about the monsters, such as their weaknesses and even their habits. This new feature definitely adds to the monster hunter experience and makes World’s looping structure much more rewarding.
Another thing that Capcom added (or removed) was the loading screens. With Monster Hunter World, Capcom removed the loading screens when going to different areas in Monster Hunter’s vast map. This means that there won’t be any safe zones for you to run to. Now, monsters won’t disappear once they enter a new location on the map, meaning you can actually follow them around and even observe them. The lack of loading screens maintains the suspense and thrill of when you’re following a monster back to its lair.
Moreover, your cats, or Palicos that you take on your quests, can now ride dinosaurs. Imagine my surprise when my Palico rode on top of an Anjanath in the middle of our fight. It was an incredibly entertaining (and surprising) sight to see.
Map
Photo Credits to Monster Hunter Wiki – Fandom
The Monster Hunter: Worlds’ map is also among the biggest improvements in the game series. It has a bigger and more aesthetically pleasing map compared to the other games.
Because of the size of the map, getting from one location to another might be a pain. Fortunately, you can hop between campsites, from the highlands to the wetlands, for a short little nap, eat some food, or do some crafting with fast travel. But if you enjoy exploring every inch of the place, then be my guest! It is quite entertaining to explore all over the world and check out the premises.
In terms of aesthetics, looking at the map and each and every location, I can definitely say that it’s one of the most beautiful maps ever. One of the lands that stood out to me was the Coral Highlands. It’s a new location in the series that mimics the ebb and flow of the ocean. The Coral Highlands is a bright and colorful site that will amaze you.
Photo Credits to Monster Hunter Wiki – Fandom
Another site that caught my eye was the Ancient Forest. Just like the name of the place, it’s a massive, lush forest full of a variety of plants, fauna, and, of course, monsters. You can easily get lost in this place, so you better stay alert.
Photo Credits to Reddit
With the games’ improved visuals and graphics, each and every location is extremely breathtaking and stunning. That being said, each location is also filled with a variety of monsters that you should or shouldn’t hunt yet (depending on your experience, armor, and weapons). But if you’re confident enough, then have a go!
When you play Monster Hunter: World’s you’ll find that the map is undeniably stunning and is definitely among the biggest improvements in the series. The map is filled with small details that will help you in your hunting endeavors, like monster tracks.
On the topic of monsters, let’s talk about the game’s monsters below!
Monsters, Monster Battles, and Improved AI
Photo Credits to Steam
As mentioned previously, each location is filled with a variety of monsters that essentially are in a food chain just like your normal ecosystem.
In Monster Hunter: World, not only will you be able to interact with the monsters, but now the monsters can also interact with each other. Unlike the previous titles, where the monsters didn’t interact with each other. With that, you’ll get to experience heart-pounding battles against these monsters.
Photo Credits to Steam
With Worlds’ improved AI, monsters that share the same space can interact with you and with each other, which adds to the monsters’ personality and flare. When they interact (or fight, in better terms), you can observe them. You can find out which monster is more combative, or which monster is fight or flight. Due to the improved AI of the game, Monster Hunter World definitely improved the behavior of each monster. Boss battles have also become even more intense.
Capcom gave these monsters personality, and with the improved AI, battling with these monsters becomes more like a dance rather than a brawl. Not to mention the stunning animation and better combat designs.
Online Multiplayer
The Monster Hunter: World is the first Monster Hunter game to introduce online multiplayer in its existing systems in their PC release. Unlike before, when you had to be a subscriber to PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live to play multiplayer online. Now, you can create a private session and share the link with your friends, or you can join a quick matchmaker session to play with random online players.
When you create a private session, you’re creating a lobby where you can invite your friends to play Monster Hunter with you. You might not see your friends once you’ve invited them to the game. You first have to head on a quest or go to the Gathering Hub on the fourth floor.
If you’re ready to go on a co-op hunt with your friends, you’ll have to post a quest on the quest board and fix the settings of your co-op hunt.
Playing multiplayer in World is a whole new experience from when you’re playing solo because what your team does matters. In multiplayer mode, you have to take note of a lot of things, like Hunter level, the cutscene rule, not having your Palicos, and so much more. In addition to that, you’ll also be sharing the supply items in your base. But whatever you get from your quest is yours to keep. The same goes for your team.
Aside from all that, playing multiplayer in World can get heated, yet fun. Getting the chance to play with your friends in an improved system is quite exciting. You all get to see the breathtaking scenery, fight against ferocious monsters, and just have fun together in general.
That being said, Monster Hunter World is definitely an improvement over every Monster Hunter game to date.
Is The Monster Hunter: World Worth Playing in 2022?
Monster Hunter: World is undoubtedly a game that will take you on a plunge into a world full of thrilling adventures and intense monster battles. It’s one of the best games I’ve tried thus far. As a result, Monster Hunter World isn’t just a video game that is worth playing right now but also in the years to come.
World is really enjoyable and showcases you with different weapons, armor, and even monsters that will shake you to the core. World is definitely a must-play game for any and all gamers out there. It’s a game they shouldn’t miss out on.
Final Verdict
The entire game is incredibly beautiful, although a bit repetitive in its storyline, still stunning nonetheless. World makes you feel as if you’re really in the New World, hunting these beasts and crafting your own items. It has a great balance between staying true to the original Monster Hunter series but also giving you something new to look forward to.
The game has an addictive vibe to it due to its incredible new design and content. It gives you a dramatic turn that will hook you from the very start.
The improvements Capcom made to Monster Hunter World are magnificent, and we definitely can’t wait to see what Capcom will improve on in the future games of Monster Hunter.
And that’s a wrap! If you liked our Monster Hunter: World review, then you might want to check out our game review of the popular Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. You can also check out our article about the best-seller 2022 games to date.
If you want to check out more articles about PC games or games in general, then you might want to check out our blog here.
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