The action RPG Monster Hunter World (PS4, Xbox One, PC) had its worldwide release on January 26, 2018, on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This review report delves into the pillars and gameplay experience of Monster Hunter World. 

Monster Hunter is one of the most successful game series of all time in Japan. A total of 40 million copies have been sold worldwide, with nearly 80% of sales occurring in Japan.

Monster Hunter World will be released worldwide on January 26, 2018, on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The PC release will follow in Autumn 2018.

Monster Hunter World is the epitome of hunting frenzy

Monster Hunter World is based on 4 pillars that make it the ultimate hunting game:

• At its core, it’s a loot grinder – you hunt monsters and loot their corpses.
• It has a deep crafting system – from the corpses of the monsters, you create equipment to take down the next, more dangerous monster.
• Strategic battles against these monsters – the monsters do not go down without a fight; they present challenging battles that always require new strategies.
• A dynamic ecosystem – the fights do not take place in a vacuum; the environment and other monsters need to be taken into account during battles.

You’ll often strive to achieve something better. Whether it’s improving your skills, such as weapon handling, or simply acquiring new gear.

In Monster Hunter World, it’s all about reaching the next objective and the next big milestone. You’ve mastered the first tough opponent and can now craft great armor from it? Great! Just wait until you encounter the next Elder Dragon and get knocked down again. A new challenge, a new goal, a new hunting frenzy!

Epic monster battles turn grind into pure ecstasy

In Monster Hunter World, it’s all about the hunt. The hunt for monsters, the hunt for loot, and the hunt for better gear. That is simply the core of the game.

You take one quest after another, where you must hunt or capture monsters. If you want to get better gear, you often have to farm the same monster repeatedly. The creatures contain valuable loot derived from their body parts. Claws, teeth, or fur are transformed into weapons and gear.

Monster Hunter World excels at making this grind pure ecstasy. The quests come with a time limit of 50 minutes, and within this limit, the monsters must be located and defeated. 

The monsters in Monster Hunter World are powerful and can knock hunters unconscious with a single attack. How robust your character is depends on the equipment you wear. Dodging the fierce monster attacks is paramount for every hunter. However, to evade skillfully, you must first learn the movement and attack patterns of the monsters. Each monster behaves differently and has its own strengths and weaknesses. This can also be compared to boss fights in MMORPGs.

It’s a dance of life and death that ends in a loot frenzy

It’s like a dangerous dance with colossal beasts: dodging repeatedly, waiting for the right moment, and striking mercilessly!

The adrenaline rush triggered by this dance of life and death is indescribable. The frustration when the creature still gets you, and the quest is considered failed can make you slam the controller with force against the wall. When the monster finally lies down, there’s often a feeling of pure euphoria, especially when you’ve failed against that monster multiple times already.

This makes grind and farming never feel monotonous or tedious. It’s this euphoria that leads you to seek out stronger monsters and new loot.

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In this gameplay video, hunter versus Anjanath: Quite epic. 

The intelligent nature gives Monster Hunter World this “sense of authenticity”

In Monster Hunter World, there’s also an intelligent ecosystem into which the monsters are perfectly integrated. This ecosystem makes the hunts dynamic.

When monsters start fighting one another, it never feels out of place. It can even occur that nature lends you a hand in your hunt. Cave systems sometimes collapse and rain down a massive load of stones on the monsters. This causes tremendous damage and can be a relief for you.

However, the ecosystem can also get in your way. If you step on a debilitating Frogsquawker, you may find yourself unable to move for a while and quickly become a snack for monsters.

The environment in Monster Hunter World is breathtaking. The graphics may not look as good as those in a Horizon: Zero Dawn, but there’s so much love for detail in nature and ecological interaction that it feels real and coherent, even though Monster Hunter World takes place in a fantasy universe.

The dreamy Coral Highlands is an absolute highlight

A special highlight is the Coral Highlands, which looks like a dreamy underwater world. The coral reef is located outdoors and offers some curiosities. Warm winds ascend from below and carry the eggs of coral plants away, facilitating the plant’s reproduction.

The Coral Highlands draw their vital essence from the Ancient Forest, the first map of Monster Hunter World. Several monsters have adapted to the winds and many verticalities, so you will encounter many flying foes here.

In each individual map, the monsters are adapted to their surroundings. In the “Valley of Decay,” bones lie everywhere, carcasses, and toxic gas flows throughout. The monsters have long since adapted to the toxins, while you will slowly be poisoned and die just from inhaling the haze.

The nature and monsters have such a harmonious and logical interplay that it’s entirely conceivable that the world of Monster Hunter World could exist somewhere. These nuances contribute to the certain “sense of authenticity” and help you immerse yourself in the game.

The learning curve is steep, but mastering it feels great

The deep crafting system, the complex monster battles, and the dynamic environment create a steep learning curve.

To be able to take down certain monsters, you must consider what equipment is best suited for the task. For you only have your armor, your weapon, and your own skill to face the creatures:

• For this, you need to understand what your equipment is capable of and how to handle it properly.
• The weaknesses and strengths of the monsters are NOT presented to you on a silver platter. You actually need to study the creatures to learn how they attack and defend. Studying works through the use of scout flies and observing the monsters.
• The 14 weapon classes each have different properties with an upgrade tree to improve them. The combinations and handling of the cumbersome weapons must also be mastered. Monster Hunter World offers a training room where you can practice with the weapons.
• Items can be crafted by yourself. The intelligent use of items and the crafting of these is also an important component of success.
• The character does not collect XP or unlock skills. You need to adapt and improve your gameplay to be successful.

It’s a wonderful feeling when you’ve finally understood a certain monster mechanic and know exactly when to dodge and strike. You will notice over the course of the game that you become more skilled with your weapons as well. The learning curve may be steep, but the reward is all the greater when you get that “I did it because I persevered!” feeling.

The story cleverly wraps around the gameplay

In Monster Hunter World, for the first time in the series, there is a clear line in the story campaign. However, as in previous installments, the story takes a backseat.

Without giving too much away: At the core of the story is the migration of the Elder Dragons to the New World. This disrupts the balance of nature, and nobody knows what this phenomenon is all about. As hunters, you help to explore the event and mitigate the dangers that arise.

Capcom has managed to tell a story in Monster Hunter World that arouses curiosity and elicits some “wow!” effects through its presentation. However, the story should be understood more as a clever wrapping.

The story guides you through the core portion of the game and gradually familiarizes you with the mechanics. With each new chapter of the story, a new major monster is introduced. New gameplay mechanics are also usually associated with a new chapter of the story.

The intelligently integrated story makes you hardly realize that you are engaged with a tutorial for quite a while. Once you’ve completed the story, you should have understood most of the mechanics and gameplay.

Even though Monster Hunter World tells a nice story, it is relatively thin compared to other RPGs. In Monster Hunter World, action and gameplay are clearly in the foreground.

Monster Hunter World unfolds its full potential as a group

Monster Hunter World can be played in singleplayer or multiplayer. All quests can be completed alone or in a group of up to 4 players. Hunting in a group is especially fun and opens up new strategic opportunities:

• One player can distract the monster while another sets up a trap.
• The group can split into close and ranged combat or have someone who provides healing for the team.
• In Monster Hunter World, you can jump on the monsters. This distracts them and makes them vulnerable! While one player rides the beast, the others have a clear shot to shoot and slice.

The dynamics that develop in a group in Monster Hunter World are indescribable. Everyone tries to warn each other. The internal shame can be huge when you deplete the group’s last life due to a silly mistake. 

That makes the collective celebration even sweeter when the beast finally goes down, and everyone joyfully loots.

Long-term motivation: How long does Monster Hunter World captivate?

The playing time in Monster Hunter World heavily depends on each player’s motivation.

How many hours of fun are offered?

Monster Hunter World is the first game in the franchise to provide a clear and straightforward story quest line. The main story can be completed in under 100 hours, if you strictly follow it. However, there’s also the opportunity to complete side quests in between. These are usually practical for farming a few more materials and expanding your equipment. Side quests typically involve slaying or capturing monsters or gathering resources.

How long the main story takes ultimately depends on how quickly you manage to take down the individual boss monsters. Each main quest has a timer of 50 minutes. So if you repeatedly fail against a monster, it can take several hours as you have to restart the quest from the beginning each time.

It may also happen that you have to return to a smaller boss monster to loot and forge a stronger armor from it.

What is there to do after the story?

After the main story, it may and will likely continue for many players. Long-term motivations in Monster Hunter World may include:

• Collecting all armor sets and weapons and upgrading them accordingly.
• Ranking up as a hunter to unlock new challenges.
• Seeking new challenges for yourself.
• Completing all side quests.

There are players who have spent more than 1000 hours on these mentioned activities in the earlier “Monster Hunter” titles. Others are satisfied after completing the main quests.

How much variety does Monster Hunter World offer?

In Monster Hunter World, you will take on one quest after another and hunt monsters – that’s the fundamental principle of the game.

The variety lies in the dynamic ecosystem. The monsters are intelligently designed and will behave a little differently in each fight. Sometimes, other monsters unexpectedly come into play that also want a piece of your loot. In such cases, you often need to actively and cleverly seek out a new strategy.

The various monster species differ significantly from one another. No fight is the same when you have a new species in front of you.

Just like with long-term motivation, the variety lies within the player themselves. Because you always have the opportunity to try new things and approach the fights differently.

And let’s not forget: With the Palico, there’s an optional companion system. The cat-like Palico can be supplied with various weapons and gear. Monster parts and resources must also be collected for the cat if you want a companion who is both adorable and strong!

Is Monster Hunter World a game for me?

Monster Hunter World is suitable for players seeking challenges and willing to delve into cumbersome systems.

These advantages of Monster Hunter World:

• Epic and action-packed fights with intelligent monsters
• The special effects and animations of the monsters are impressive
• A realistic ecosystem that helps immerse you in the game
• Diverse fights with over 20 large boss monsters
• The maps are picturesque, well-composed musically, and designed with great attention to detail
• You can interact with the entire environment
• A deep and extensive crafting system
• A strong variety in equipment and weapons, with ranged and melee combat
• A well-executed story with many beautiful cutscenes
• The Palico is an optional companion that can be left at the base
• An integrated and well-crafted tutorial within the story
• Free expansions with new monsters after release
• Co-op with up to 4 players on quests
• Guilds with up to 50 members to form squads

These disadvantages of Monster Hunter World:

• Despite “Quality of Life” improvements compared to previous titles, the menu and item management is still cumbersome and not immediately intuitive
• The small text of the tutorials is sometimes difficult to read on the TV
• For an RPG, the story is relatively thin
• Forming a group is cumbersome and not very intuitive
• The feedback from hits could be better: The impact of your attacks is mostly felt only through damage numbers. Severed limbs and visible injuries on monsters make up for it somewhat.

Monster Hunter World is worth it for you if …

• you enjoy looting and grinding
• have no problem getting used to a cumbersome menu navigation and controls
• find joy in an extensive crafting system
• enjoy challenging and action-packed fights that can be lengthy
• are motivated by a steep learning curve
• appreciate the fantasy genre
• cannot resist the lucky pig Poogie

Conclusion on Monster Hunter World

After testing Monster Hunter World, I, Leya Jankowski, have drawn a conclusion. Robert Albrecht also played the action RPG as a newcomer to the series. He was also asked to provide a conclusion from the perspective of a beginner.

“Monster Hunter World is not a quick brawl for between”

Robert has never played a Monster Hunter title before World. He has also written a conclusion as a newcomer.

Robert Albrecht says: If someone is looking for a quick brawl for between, they won’t find happiness with Monster Hunter World. The attacks of the monsters are unique and must be observed again and again. The right choice of tactics and equipment requires perseverance and creativity. Those who like to plan their fights and want to experiment with the many tools that the game provides will spend many enjoyable hours.

Just the weapon system offers dozens of different playstyles. Each weapon has its own advantages and disadvantages, combos, and moves. Mastering these grants the battles an aesthetic that I have seen in few other games. The game world looks fantastic as well, being colorful and versatile. I was negatively surprised by the item management, which is complicated and assigned to various button commands. The loading times were sometimes too lengthy for my liking.

If this doesn’t deter you, especially if you want to hunt with friends, you can look forward to dozens of hours of fun. Because let’s be honest, monster slaying in a group is the most fun!

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