Monster Hunter: World Review – Addiction Is Strong with This One

excellent
key review info
  • Game: Monster Hunter: World
  • Platform: Playstation 4
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: Yes  
  • Reviewed on:
Monster Hunter: World header

CAPCOM's latest game in the Monster Hunter saga has been redesigned and made easier to approach by newcomers to the series. Naturally, that doesn't mean you'll have an easier time hunting monsters, it's just that most of the game mechanics have been improved and streamlined to offer a more enjoyable gameplay experience.

If you've previously played a Monster Hunter game before, you'll feel right at home playing World, and then some. Moreover, veterans of the series will notice they can do a lot more things like change weapons during hunts or move, even run, while using equipped items.

All in all, Monster Hunter: World is the most accessible game in the series and if you haven't played any of the previous titles, you won't miss anything if you jump directly into the action.

One warning though before I explain why Monster Hunter: World: it's easy to become addicted. It appears that CAPCOM has found the perfect compulsion loop for the new Monster Hunter game: hunt monsters, get loot, craft new weapons and armor to take on more powerful monsters. Rinse and repeat.

Story

Monster Hunter: World is definitely not one of those games that you play for the story. Even so, the story is of utmost importance for players since you can't increase your Hunter Rank, thus hunt more powerful monsters to craft better gear, if you don't go through the whole story.

Going through the entire Monster Hunter: World story at a steady pace will take you between 40 to 50 hours, but helping friends with low rank quests and doing many of the optional quests the game throws at you will net you close to 100 hours.

You'll be getting orders from the Commander of the Fifth Fleet
You'll be getting orders from the Commander of the Fifth Fleet

As members of the Fifth Fleet, you and your handler are summoned to provide support for the Research Commission, which is heading to the New World to study the Elder Dragons and learn why they migrate to this place every ten years.

In particular, you'll be looking for clues as to why Zorah Magdaros, a huge dragon the size of a volcano, is heading to the New World. Many Monster Hunter fans have been bitter because CAPCOM revealed the main antagonist in the game – Nergigante. However, as the story unfolds, players will learn there's more to discover after kicking Nergigante's ass.

Ultimately, the story is just a pretext meant to prepare players for end game hunts. CAPCOM's merit is that everything flows naturally, so you won't feel pushed to complete certain story quests just to be able to hunt more powerful monsters. You won't be able to do that until you have the right weapons and armor to survive some of the fiercer monsters in the game.

Even after finishing the main story, Monster Hunter: World will continue to provide players with a lot of activities, as well as mini scenarios meant to open end game content. It's a well-thought recipe that keeps players engaged for, literally, hundreds of hours.

Gameplay

Monster Hunter: World keeps the same formula and makes it even more addictive: head out to hunt, loot monsters, craft weapons and armor, hunt more powerful monsters, and so on. It's true that Monster Hunter: World is a true grind machine, but for an odd reason that I can't put my hands on, this is quite enjoyable, hence the dangers of becoming addicted.

The game features 31 monsters, 14 weapons and 5 major locations. You start the game hunting low-rank monsters and once you advance into the story, you'll begin getting investigations for high-rank monsters, which are basically the same just more powerful (they do more damage).

You can play any of the 14 weapons since Monster Hunter: World doesn't require certain classes to take on monsters. Obviously, some weapons are better against some monsters, but the game doesn't force you to use a certain approach.

Monster Hunter: World is a massive game that doesn't completely open to players right at the start. After you choose your weapon, your best friend for 15-30 minutes should be the Training Area where CAPCOM offers a short tutorial on the moves and combos you can achieve while fighting monsters.

However, don't rely on that short tutorial, as many of the combos and things that you can do during hunts aren't explained or highlighted in the game, so you'll have to discover them by playing.

Aside from the 14 weapons, Monster Hunter: World feature five elements, which can be added to these weapons for extra damage: fire, water, thunder, ice and dragon. On top of that, there are five additional ailments that can affect monsters: poison, paralysis, sleep, stun and blast. Elemental and ailment damage is very important since some monsters are weak to some of these statuses and strong against others.

Barren landscapes are part of the New World
Barren landscapes are part of the New World

Each of the weapon in the game has a huge upgrade tree. Basically, you can upgrade a weapon using components from just about every monster in the game. Yes, you'll be tempted to craft multiple variations of the same weapon just to be ready to take you every monster in the game regardless of its strengths and weaknesses.

And that's just a small part of the equipment you'll need to be a successful hunter. The armor you're wearing is another important aspect since it will not just defend you against monsters' attacks, but it will also provide you with various skills. Also, if you decide to wear more pieces of the same suit of armor, you'll be able to open certain bonus skills that aren't available otherwise.

There are two types of Monster Hunter players, those who hunt to craft a good-looking suit of armor, and those who hunt to craft those pieces of armor that will give them the best skills for their play-style. The good news is the game doesn't force you to choose one over the other, so you'll probably be a successful hunter no matter what.

Diablos is one of the most annoying monsters
Diablos is one of the most annoying monsters

Furthermore, Monster Hunter: World is ultimately a co-op game where up to four players can team up to take on one or more monsters. Every time you open the game you'll be included in an online session with 15 other players, but you can create your own private session where you can play with your friends. Or, if there are empty spots, you can invite your friends in an online session.

If you don't have friends to play with and need help completing a quest or an investigation, you can use the SOS Flare feature, which signals other players looking to hunt certain monsters that you need help. That's very helpful when hunting Elder Dragons, which are much tougher than normal monsters.

CAPCOM manages to capitalize on the love for cats, as your more trustful companion during hunts is a Palico, which you can customize and gear up in whatever suit of armor you want. It's very useful assistant that can heal you or land a stunning blow on a monster when you least expect. Beware though that Palicos will temporarily disappear from hunts where more than two players team up.

The boat that brings you to the New World becomes your main base of operations and as you progress into the game, you'll be upgrading some of the facilities built there such as the Canteen, Pouch Box, Smithy, Botanical Research and others. Later into the game, you'll be given access to the Arena where teams of two players compete for the fastest monster takedown.

Palicos are your best friends when you play solo
Palicos are your best friends when you play solo

And these are just some of the activities players can take on in Monster Hunter: World. There are hundreds of items useful in fights, but you'll probably have just a bit more than a dozen with you all the time. In order to craft them, you'll have to gather plants, bugs and even … dung.

There's so much to do in the game that at some point you won't be sure what to do first: upgrade a new weapon, craft a new armor set or do some investigations for in-game money.

I have to say a few things about the combat mechanics, which may seem simple at first glance, but they are actually pretty complex, especially that each monster has a different behavior. I found that executing the more powerful combos is pretty easy, but the harder part is to understand and know when to do them since once you start one, you can interrupt it unless you're hit by the monster.

This is quite important because you won't be able to lock on a monster, so it is fully up to you where you weapon hits will land. And since the monsters are moving most of the time, you have to learn their patterns or wait for the most damaging combos when they're temporarily stunned.

Beware of the Jagras!
Beware of the Jagras!

CAPCOM solved the issue by making monsters' hit boxes pretty large, so players won't have to be 100% accurate when hitting a monster in their weak points (places where you can land critical hits most often). As I mentioned earlier, there quite a lot of moves that you'll discover while hunting, some that aren't shown in the tutorial, and very important for a higher damage output.

In other words, the more you play, the more you learn. Well, you'll be pleased to know that Monster Hunter: World won't become a chore, even if you're forced to hunt the same monster over and over again until you learn its attacks and behavior.

Graphics and audio

It's true that this is the best looking Monster Hunter game, but it's definitely not on par with other triple A games like let's say Horizon Zero Dawn or The Witcher 3. However, for some reason, that doesn't really take away from the gameplay enjoyment.

CAPCOM has developed Monster Hunter: World using its own MT Framework engine, which has been upgraded to make use of the Playstation 4 and Xbox One's capabilities. The game doesn't seem to run on a locked FPS, but I didn't run into any issues and I believe it provides a minimum of 30 frames per second on both consoles.

Visually, the lush landscapes need a bit more work
Visually, the lush landscapes need a bit more work

The music in Monster Hunter: World is as generic as it can be, so don't get your hopes high. What makes it truly terrifying is the sounds you hear while hunting: monster roars, traps exploding or monster turf wars. It's one of the many aspects that contributes to the immersion the game is able to provide to players.


The Good

  • Easy to pick up by newcomers to the franchise
  • Fluid, easy to achieve combat moves
  • Massive upgrade skill tree for weapons and armors
  • High rewards for those who take bigger risks
  • Almost endless replayability
  • Well-thought monster behavior
  • Engaging story keeps players immersed
  • Awfully addictive

The Bad

  • Graphics needs more work
  • Some things need more explaining for the inexperienced
  • Awfully addictive (in a bad way)

Conclusion

Monster Hunter: World is clearly a must-play title that shouldn't be skipped by veterans of the franchise. It's easy to pick up even if you haven't played a Monster Hunter before, and can offer hundreds of hour of entertainment even if you hate farming.

The game improves on the old Monster Hunter formula to bring the franchise to a larger audience and that's one of CAPCOM's bigger merits. The rewards players received after achieving certain goals are high enough to make you want to do the same thing all over again until you get all the ingredients necessary to craft your favorite weapon or armor.

End game is definitely not the end
End game is definitely not the end

The massive number of weapons and armors that you can craft in the game require a huge amount of materials that you must get after hunting monsters, which translates in an almost endless loop that might seem boring at first glance, but it's actually quite addictive.

I can't recommend Monster Hunter: World enough to anyone who's after possible GOTY games. It's not just the best Monster Hunter game to date, I'm pretty sure it's one of the best titles of the year, and that's a big achievement for CAPCOM and this particular franchise mostly known in Japan.

story 8
gameplay 10
concept 10
graphics 8
audio 8
multiplayer 9
final rating 9.5
Editor's review
excellent
 

Monster Hunter: World screenshots (29 Images)

Monster Hunter: World headerMonster Hunter: WorldVisually, the lush landscapes need a bit more workBeware of the Jagras!Monster Hunter: World
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