Monster Hunter: World (PC)
Monster Hunter: World is pretty damn good
but it’s far from perfect.
Despite exceptional sales performance, gorgeous visuals, and engaging gameplay, weeks after its PC launch it still holds a 48% positive review on Steam’s store. Its release on PC has certainly been frought with technical concerns: connection issues, exceptionally high CPU usage, and clunky mouse/keyboard controls are some of the first problems that come to mind.
The bad
To counter some of this, the game can be played using various gamepads (I’ve been using an Xbox controller). Connection issues have largely been patched and resolved at this point (there was some finger-pointing at Valve, though I’ve yet to see anything official or definitive on the subject). There’s been some thoughts that the Special K mod can be used to assist in resolving some odd design decisions made by Capcom, though I wouldn’t rely on it too heavily. Its author, Kaldaien, has indicated that he no longer intends to support Special K for Monster Hunter: World (MHW). I must also stress that Capcom has historically banned users for using mods of any kind (even aesthetic-only mods). Use at your own risk.
The good
Now that I’ve dumped the technical dirty laundry, let’s look at what MHW does right.
I’ll start with pointing out that I have virtually no experience with the previous Monster Hunter titles. If you’re looking for my comparison or standpoint on how it evolves the series, I don’t have much to say that others aren’t more qualified to speak on.
That said, I absolutely love immersing myself in this world. Every aspect of the environments from the entomology, to flora, to fauna; all of these systems interacting with one another is a joy to explore and experience. Climbing the verticality of these expertly crafted maps and swinging between zones is an absolute joy, extended by the use of wedge beetles and your slinger (grappling hook). These maps are a joy to navigate, and continued exploration tends to lead to finding new shortcuts and optimized routes to get from zone to zone. While the game frames this as a way to get to a zone before the target you’re hunting, the navigation is fun all on its own. Every ledge jump and every vine swing feels like a crafted cinematic storyboard, but it never feels like you’re on-rails. You control how you explore. You create your own story.
The complicated
While I love this game, and can absolutely see myself playing more for a while yet, I don’t think it will hold most audiences long-term.
This is especially a shame when you consider the effort that Capcom has gone through to make both multiplayer and singleplayer experiences a ton of fun. The weekly quests for specific increased rewards or new gear types. The introduction of new large monsters to fight and interact with the world they’ve created. It’s built to be a “game as a service” (which I’m typically not a fan of) in a way that engages its players and tries to keep them pulling their friends back for that cool-looking piece of loot or new adventure.
Many series veterans are frustrated by how easy MHW is in comparison to the other entries. I would spin this and say that these are largely quality-of-life changes that make the game feel more accessible. Unfortunately for that reason - the hardcore fan-base of the MH series will likely migrate to the next entry in the series instead of staying with MHW, and more casual players who may not have the time to invest in the grinding required for mid-to-end-game gear upgrades. You’ll see your friends who are less engaged by the core gameplay loop fall out of touch with it, and move onto more familiar systems.
While I don’t think that Monster Hunter: World will hold large audiences for years to come, I expect it to maintain a “small”, persistent audience who loves the grind.
Links: Monster Hunter: World Steam