Monster Hunter: World – One Year Later

Hunting From Behind

Being a gamer is tough. We have to be responsible adults and do annoying things like go to work, or eat and sleep to support our gaming hobbies. Then we have to pay for other annoying things like bills and clothes and food in order to survive. What this leaves us with is precious little time, and even less money to purchase and play all of our most sought after games. And then developers do annoying things like release too many good games too many times throughout the year. It’s really not an easy life.

What this all results in is that we have to make sacrifices. We can’t play everything, certainly not until completion. And every year at least some of the major titles that release as well as the most interesting indie games that our friends have highly recommended end up on the cutting room floor of our play time priority lists. I suppose it’s a good problem to have. In most cases I personally prioritize well. But every once and a while I pop something into my console months or even years after launch and instantly kick myself for holding out so long. In 2018 that prestigious honor goes to Monster Hunter: World.

I was first introduced to the world of elder dragons by a close friend of mine. His gaming resume is fairly limited, but he will boast about having over a years worth of play time in Final Fantasy 11 during his high school years. He’s also been playing the Monster Hunter series since it originally launched on the Playstation 2 way back in 2004. He’s followed the series through from his PSP and even the Wii. He originally purchased Monster Hunter: World for the Xbox One at launch and subsequently sunk in hundreds of hours. However, earlier this year he decided to trade in his Microsoft console for a Playstation 4. When I finally took the leap and picked up Monster Hunter: World in December, bless his heart, he purchased the game a second time for PS4 just so he could show me the ropes.

I think Monster Hunter: World came into my life at just the right time. There has been some serious open world fatigue in the last few years. Whether you’re spending fifty hours completing fetch quests and check lists in the wild west, ancient Greece or present day San Francisco, they all start to bleed together a bit (despite the drastic changes in environments). I realize that Monster Hunter: World shares a lot of the same traits with a traditional open world game. But, to me, it changes up enough of the flow to make it extremely refreshing. The game retains open world staples like quest givers, random encounters and a hub world. Although the hunt and expedition framework provides a level of focus that I evidently really needed. I love how each quest centers around one focal point whether it be slaying a monster, collecting mushrooms, or finding a new camp. You are dropped into the world to with the sole focus of completing your task. When that task is completed, the mission ends and it’s back to Astera to collect bounties and plan for the next mission. Even the most seemingly mundane tasks like tracking down and collecting bugs to completing a bounty or examining tracks and monster scratches to unlock a new investigation were somehow intriguing. Every task in the game seems to provide a satisfying progression towards whatever the player wants.

One of the reasons I was initially put off by this game (and series) was the thought that it would just have the player grinding against the same monsters over and over. It seemed as though it would get dull extremely quickly and only appeal to those with the ability to slog for hours in the pursuit of some rare piece of loot. The apprehension was somewhat warranted. I closely followed the advice of my friend in the opening hours of the game. This is a series with a steep learning curve for those new to it, and I didn’t want to have a bad experience because I didn’t know what I was doing. My first four hunts were against the exact same monster – the Great Jagras. This was done at the recommendation of my co-op partner who suggested getting the Great Jagras armor set would make the first half of the game much easier. I groaned at this recommendation thinking my concerns would be validated within the first two hours. Although in “grinding” the Great Jagras, I discovered a great deal of variety and randomness in each encounter as the real world elements either got in the way or minded their own business. Each hunt for the same monster in the same world played out very distinctly, and it kept each confrontation surprisingly fresh.

This is better demonstrated by an experience I had later in the game. I finally decided it was time to move on from the Jagras armor set – the helm looks ridiculous and the cape like wings always felt off. Browsing through forums and walkthroughs, the Great Girros set quickly caught my eye. But this of course meant farming the monster and fighting it at least four times. Once again, each hunt played out incredibly differently. In the first fight, the monster summoned his smaller girros army and made attacking the main monster quite difficult. In the second fight, I happened to find the Great Girros alone and was able to whittle it down to it’s injured phase without interruption – it was much easier. Shortly after beginning the third fight, a roaming Odogaron forced both myself and the Great Girros to retreat prematurely. What’s impressive is how so few world elements can impose such change in circumstances. All there really is in any given stage are large monsters and small monsters – each who roam their predetermined areas and paths. It’s astounding how the same mission with the same objective can play out in such distinct ways with so few variables.

Fans of the game and series are also treated to a great community of passionate gamers. The Monster Hunter World subreddit is full of followers who discuss tips, tricks or even just light hearted content like memes and jokes that only the most seasoned will understand. YouTube channels full of Monster Hunter: World content like Arekkz Gaming are plentiful and full of excellent instructional videos. Resources like this are an absolute necessity in a game full of complex systems and fourteen vastly distinct main hand weapons. This makes the transition for those new to the series that much more welcoming and less daunting of a task.

The game has also been very well supported post launch by Capcom. Fans have been treated to free additions such as the return of series favorite monsters like Deviljo or brand new quest types like the Kulve Taroth Seige. Crossover content has also kept the game fresh – players have been able to complete special missions and assignments to get the Assassin’s Creed inspired gear set for your main character, or even outfit your Palico companion in a Mega Man suit. Later this year, an entire quest line that involves The Witcher’s Geralt will allow players to take on the role of CD Projekt Red’s own monster hunter. Most notably though is Iceborne, an entire expansion for the main game set to release in September of this year. Iceborne picks up at the conclusion of the main game and offers an entire new set of quests, monsters and environments.

They say hindsight is 20-20. With that in mind, my biggest gaming regret of 2018 is not diving into the world of Monster Hunter sooner. However thanks to the recommendation and coaching of a close gaming ally, Capcom playing the long game with post launch support, and a wealth of online resources to learn the game, I’ve been able to get the most out of Monster Hunter: World. What I’ve learned from this whole experience is even if you’re late to the party, don’t let that be a detractor. Great experiences are always there to be had whether on release day, or months after launch. See you on the hunt!