The action RPG Monster Hunter World became a global hit in 2018. Our Leya explains why monster hunting is one of the big winners in gaming in 2018.
The situation: Monster Hunter has been around since 2004. From the beginning, the franchise has been incredibly popular in Japan.
The game was primarily found on handheld consoles, such as the Nintendo 3DS. In the West, however, significant success was lacking. Monster Hunter was always a niche title for us, with a loyal but small fanbase.
However, this was supposed to change with the fifth main installment of the series. Capcom tailored Monster Hunter World to the West. A particularly important step was the transition from handheld consoles to home consoles, the PS4 and Xbox One, and to PC.
The success: Capcom wanted to conquer the world with monster hunting, and the studio succeeded. Monster Hunter World became the best-selling Capcom title of all time, selling well over 10 million units.
Monster Hunter World Achieved Peak Values
A promise: Even at Gamescom 2017, I was already sure that a really good game was coming our way with Monster Hunter World. Capcom wanted to create a “breathing world” with Monster Hunter World and focused on the vibrant ecosystem.
This vibrant world was already palpable in the short demo where I hunted the terrifying Anjanath in the Ancient Forest back in August 2017.
When the Anjanath encounters the Great Jagras, it digs its sharp claws into it and challenges it to a territory fight. If I face a toad, it explodes and puts the monsters to sleep or even me if I’m not careful.
The review: The global release took place in January 2018 and my expectations were high. Ultimately, those expectations were even exceeded, and we rated Monster Hunter World at 9.0/10 on MeinMMO. We were not alone in this. The gaming press consistently gave Monster Hunter World raving reviews.
You can read the MeinMMO review of Monster Hunter World here:
The Biggest Critique from Fans: “We Want More!”
Little to criticize: Players were positively surprised by Monster Hunter World, and criticisms on consoles were rare.
Objectively, the cumbersome user interface and the clumsily implemented multiplayer were criticized. However, players enjoyed the gameplay so much that they gladly overlooked these issues.
Later, on PC, the criticisms became louder, as there were some performance issues. The implementation of control with mouse and keyboard was deemed unsatisfactory. Still, the PC release of Monster Hunter World was one of the strongest on Steam in 2018 and even helped alleviate Capcom’s crisis.
After Capcom further optimized the performance and fixed bugs, the negative reviews also decreased.
The misunderstanding: Monster Hunter World is not a classic “games-as-a-service” title like Destiny 2. The game was never designed to be developed and supported with updates over the long term.
This caused confusion among some fans, as Monster Hunter World brings regular content updates and events in the game. New monsters like the Behemoth or Lunastra were added later. Monster Hunter World draws on many aspects of an MMO, but it is not one.
Fans want more: Thus, the biggest criticism was that fans wanted more content. For a few months, the craving for Monster Hunter World was great among fans. About 6 months after the release, the hype had noticeably faded and only a core group remained.
There was a general sentiment among fans that they wanted more monsters, more story, more maps – the players loved the monster hunting so much.
If this is the biggest criticism, then Monster Hunter World must have done a lot right.
Monster Hunter World as One of the Big Winners
The surprise: Monster Hunter World came out of nowhere for many in the West. The rise of the franchise has primarily been experienced by the Japanese. The concept of monster hunting and the associated steep learning curve was something new for players here.
Capcom adapted Monster Hunter World by introducing more comfort features and removing much clumsiness. However, Monster Hunter World did not lose the core of the franchise. The MMORPG boss-like battles with monsters, the grind for new equipment, and the enhancement of one’s skills constitute the appeal.
What was already well-known in Asia was perceived as something fresh here in the West. This, along with the impressive realization of the game world, made Monster Hunter World one of the biggest winners of 2018.
