How was the demo of Monster Hunter World (PS4, Xbox, PC) received by the beta testers? Our author Leya took a look and captured the players’ voices.
The second exclusive PS4 beta of Monster Hunter World is over and the global release in January 2018 is just around the corner. We looked around in different portals for Monster Hunter World and gathered opinions about the beta.
In the “Monster Hunter” Reddit and also on our site Mein-MMO, the demo received a lot of praise, especially the monster battles were well received. However, there were also points that players found disturbing or unclear. Among them was the quest timer.
Response to the “Monster Hunter World” Beta summarized
The following lists what was received well or poorly by the beta testers and what was unclear for some players. Sometimes the opinions of veterans and players who played a “Monster Hunter” title for the first time with World differed greatly.
What The Beta Testers Liked:
- The Monster Battles: Those who face a large monster in Monster Hunter World will quickly feel reminded of an MMORPG boss fight. The creatures have phases and certain attack patterns that need to be learned. The monsters were well received by most players and offered plenty of variety. Our reader Zaiba: “Just the countless raptors promise some early bosses.”
- The Maps and Environment: The environment was well received especially because Monster Hunter World offers a quite “realistic” flora and fauna. Players particularly enjoyed the small, loving details hidden in the maps. Our reader Mormegril90: “I also found it fun and cool that you can kick a dung beetle that is rolling its ball, and then pick up the ball as a dung bomb.”
- The Weapons: In the beta, players could test all 14 weapon classes in Monster Hunter World. These were well received by both veterans and new players. Some veterans noticed that many weapons, like the hammer, received new attack combinations and move sets in World. Newcomers simply enjoyed experimenting with the various melee and ranged weapons.
- Palicos: The cat companions were probably a real highlight for most people. Our reader John Wayne Cleaver: “The graphics are on point and the Palicos are super cute. You go into a lake and the little cat helper gets a raft. ” They lighten the mood while playing and have some practical tricks up their sleeves. Sometimes the Palicos bond with small monsters that then fight for them. Palicos are simply the secret stars in Monster Hunter World.
What Beta Testers Disliked:
- Slow Movements and Strange Controls: This point especially annoyed players who were playing a “Monster Hunter” title for the first time with World. Veterans have long gotten used to the sluggishness and controls, and for them, it is simply part of it. Newcomers often had difficulties hitting the monsters with the huge and slow weapons. Some found this particularly strange since modern titles usually have extremely agile movements. Our reader BigFreeze25: “The characters sometimes seem a bit sluggish to me, but maybe that’s because I’m currently playing Horizon…Aloy is indeed much more agile.”
- The beta was too easy: Here, it was especially the veterans who found the Monster Hunter World demo to be too easy and “casual.” But some newcomers also found it too easy to take down the monsters. However, it is to be noted that the demo only showcased a small excerpt and each player already walked around with “late game” equipment.
These Things Were Unclear to Players
The following points were unclear to many players and often came up as questions.
- Is There Always a Timer? In the beta, there was a time limit of 20 minutes to successfully complete quests. Many wondered if there was a timer only because it was a demo version of the game. There will be a timer in the full version of Monster Hunter World. This has always been the case in every part of the franchise. Only the time limit in the full version will be 50 minutes per quest. There will also be a function to freely explore the maps and check out every corner without a timer.
- Is Monster Hunter World now Open World or not? Capcom advertised that there would be open-world maps in Monster Hunter World. However, one should not imagine an open world like in a sandbox game. The maps have limitations but are much more extensive than in its predecessors. There will now be seamless transitions, which means that the map sections are NO longer separated by a loading screen. This represents a huge change for veterans that brings about an open-world feel. New players may perceive this as normal.
- Are there only the 14 weapons from the beta? The weapons are more like weapon classes. Various variations can be crafted from these when the corresponding resources are farmed. These can be body parts from monsters or ore.
The points mentioned above are an excerpt of the critiques that Monster Hunter World received during and after the beta. These are the remarks that I frequently encountered in various communities.
On January 5, 2018, the last live stream for Monster Hunter World will take place
By the way, on January 5, 2018, the last live stream for Monster Hunter World will take place. The stream starts at 11:30 AM German time and can be seen on YouTube. The producer Ryozo Tsujimoto and director Kaname Fujioka will be present as hosts.
Capcom has used these streams in recent weeks to spread new information about Monster Hunter World and showcase new gameplay. It may be that we receive new information about Monster Hunter World one last time before the release in late January.
We conducted an exclusive interview with Tsujimoto and Fujioka, resulting in the following articles:
The live stream in January will be titled “Monster Hunter World – Special Public Broadcast Winter 2018”.
What is your judgment after the two betas? What did you like and what discourages you?
