Why You Should Be Playing Monster Hunter As Wilds Approaches

Trying to explain the appeal of Monster Hunter to someone who hasn’t yet played it is not a simple task. Even worse is trying to convince someone who played it for a few minutes before hanging it up as they didn’t see what all of the fuss was about. But there is clearly something alluring in the alchemy of the Monster Hunter series as it has been capturing more players’ hearts with each subsequent generation. With every step forward, the developers have tried interesting experiments, some good and some bad, while ensuring that the core concoction gets ever more potent.

Allow me a brief moment to catch everyone up to where we are now, which started with the first Monster Hunter. That game was on the PS2, and it was unlike any game before it. As essentially a very deep boss battler, players were tasked to hunt large monsters of increasing ferocity. That aforementioned depth is what kept players coming back with one of the most addictive gameplay loops seen in a game.

While fighting a monster, which was a process that averaged around 20 to 40 minutes to finish said monster, several things would happen to keep the hunt fresh. Monsters would go through different phases, but more naturally than a typical “boss phase.” They would get angry, opening new, terrifying attacks. They would get tired, allowing you to bring the pain. And they would get hurt, limping around on their final breaths, often going into a “second wind” of sorts before meeting their end.

During the fight, you could employ several strategies, from trapping the monster to inflicting conditions like poison, blindness, or paralysis. And all of the hunter’s blows on the monster take their toll, with wings breaking, armor and horns shattering, tails getting lopped off, and faces getting smashed, knocking the monster out cold. As parts of the monster are destroyed and broken, you can collect those items. And once the monster is defeated, you may carve it to gain additional materials needed for better armor and weapons.

Looping

And that is where the addictive loop begins to sink its fangs in. Seeing the weapon trees and armor options open up as you collect materials not only from the monsters, but from the smaller creatures and the environment itself, your mind starts racing at the options available as you consider which equipment combinations might work better for certain monsters. Then, when you overcome those tougher monsters, you use their parts to fashion a stylish new hat and other niceties, helping you to face the even tougher monsters.

That’s the loop, and it’s been in every Monster Hunter game from the start. When players tell others why they should play, that’s the essence of it, and it is deep. I can’t think of another game that has as many build options as a Monster Hunter game, and that number has increased in accordance with the number of weapon classes and the inclusion of deeper gameplay systems. And the truly amazing thing is that nothing is wasted. More on that in a moment; let me finish the “perhaps-not-so-brief catch up” with one more point.

Hits and Misses

As Monster Hunter evolved through its sequels, the games would often include different experiments, from underwater battles and the ability to choose different “styles” for your weapon class to a tower defense mode and the option to ride monsters in battle against each other, and these experiments were very hit or miss. However, the alluring gameplay loop always remained, and the gameplay and that addiction loop were so good that players would still play even if there was a system or two in place that they were not fond of.

Though Monster Hunter was fantastically popular in Japan, it was seen as a niche title elsewhere…until Monster Hunter World released. That game opened up the map from the sectioned collection of zones to a fully-open map for each area, and the visuals and streamlining of systems allowed much greater accessibility for newer players. It became the greatest-selling title in the history of Capcom, which is truly saying something! Monster Hunter Rise then released on the Nintendo Switch, and while it was fantastic (I love that game so much), MH World is objectively the better game, sitting atop the Monster Hunter throne.

All of that may change very soon. Now that we’re all caught up with our history lesson, let’s talk about Monster Hunter Wilds and why I think you should be playing Monster Hunter if you haven’t been already. We’ll start with the latter, and end with the former, because when Monster Hunter goes wild, so does everything else.

Here Be Monsters

Monster Hunter is gaming in its purest form. There is no grandiose story, here, and the memorable characters are the monsters themselves. It all harkens from a time when you put a coin in a machine, and you were on your own, facing the odds against you while having little clue why you were there. But it was so fun, you didn’t care; the “why” would work itself out (maybe), and the gameplay was center stage.

One of the criticisms levied against Monster Hunter from those who play it and give it a pass is due to the weapons, so let me break down what’s happening there and why they’re so wrong. For those albatrosses that did it the right way and still have their reservations about the series, please read on past this. And for everyone besides those three people, let me explain and present my case.

But Choose Wisely

There are 14 different weapon classes, and they are all different. Sure, that’s easy to understand because weapons in games are different in their reach, or the angle in which they attack, or moves and combos available and the damage they do. But in Monster Hunter, the buttons aren’t even the same for each. It goes so much beyond “different” that each class of weapon feels like a completely different game, as if 14 different games were programmed with wildly different protagonists, all facing the same monsters and maps.

Instead of “choose a weapon,” think of it more in terms of “choose a game.” Which style would you like to play? Ninja Gaiden? Dark Souls? Gears of War? Ghost of Tsushima? A rhythm game? MMO/MOBA-style? The issue that some players have is that they pick one weapon class, it doesn’t jive with them, and then they judge the rest of the game for that, which is understandable. But in the case of Monster Hunter, you do have to make sure you pick a weapon class that feels right to you. I’m going to write an article that breaks them all down, focusing on the specifics for MH Wilds, but for this article I simply want to say that every class has a huge amount of depth, and please practice a bit with different ones as they all play so differently.

Ok, with that out of the way, there is one more common argument against Monster Hunter games, and that is that they take a long time to get going. This has been true, absolutely, and I certainly understand the turn-off when the game promises the hunting of monsters in the title, yet the first three to five hours are spent collecting herbs, cooking meat, and going through seemingly endless dialog from everyone in town. That is something that’s been addressed in the recent games with varying degrees of success. Based on the opening of Monster Hunter Wilds, however, it doesn’t seem like that will be an issue. It has been a historic cause for complaint, however, so I wanted to address that.

The Case for Monsters

I also want to now address everything else for my argument. Now that you’ve settled on a weapon class that feels great and you’re actually out hunting a monster, the game reveals it’s secrets. As you dance with the denizens of terror, you’ll witness the pure joy of playing a game, and it rewards you in a unique way in which everything has purpose. As you break off parts of monsters and gather resources from across the different areas, you’ll be able to craft and upgrade your weapons and armor, sure. That’s the gameplay loop: craft better gear to take on tougher monsters so you can craft even better gear. But the usefulness of items always remains.

In just about every other game, an item’s usefulness is limited for a duration. That potion will get replaced by a super potion, and you will never care about the smaller ones again. But in Monster Hunter, the lesser items still hold purpose. You can always use everything you get in Monster Hunter in some way. You may not use the items from weaker monsters that you got hours before in the same manner, but you can use them to meld and craft different items. Monster Hunter brilliantly assigns value to everything in the game so you can use them in this way, and, as you play, even deeper systems will be presented to you, allowing you to use every item you have in some way for even more build options and customization.

When you play a Monster Hunter game, you play something that has no true end. Other games have their “end game” strategies, but for Monster Hunter, the “loop” is exactly as it always is. It’s the beginning game, it’s the end game, and it’s everything in-between. The stars of the game are the gameplay and the monsters. It’s pure gaming bliss, and when you craft gear specifically designed to counter a monster, and you (and your buddies for even more fun) finally overcome a behemoth of a beast that seemed impossible before, there are few moments in gaming as pristine as that feeling. And it happens again, and again, looping ever more of its potent and addictive formula into your veins.

You get your money’s worth when you purchase a Monster Hunter game. Not only will you play for hundreds of hours as you attain better gear to topple the truly twisted titans of tomfoolery, Capcom supports their Monster Hunter games like you wouldn’t believe. There are festivals for real-world holidays. There are cross-over events from other game franchises. There are thank you gifts. There are newly-added quests and monsters. There are new cosmetics. There is a cascade of support that never stops, ensuring that there is always something new to see and do. And, apart from some cosmetic items and an excellent expansion that is usually released a year or two after release of the main game, all of this support is completely free.

Let’s Get Wild

If you are a gamer who enjoys simply having fun in your games, you owe it to yourself to play Monster Hunter, especially now that Wilds is soon to release. From what we know of Wilds compared to the past games, some very welcome changes are heading our way, along with some tweaks that show that Capcom listens to the players. Before we wrap up this article, let’s get into some of these as we explore how Wilds will change things up.

When Monster Hunter World released, it opened up the maps so they weren’t zoned off from each other. With Wilds, the maps are going to be completely seamless, granting us the ability to go from towns to the wilds without needing to load in. This opens up the possibility of organic attacks from monsters on temporary basecamps, and it possibly means that the monsters may even attack established settlements! And the environments, themselves, each have different states of being that may occur, such as lush grasslands becoming a desolate wasteland filled with lightning storms.

Now, let’s see a bullet list I’ve compiled that examines further changes. These are confirmed changes or additions to Monster Hunter Wilds, and I’ve confirmed each by reading or watching different interviews and presentations by the actual producers and designers of Monster Hunter Wilds. Everything here has been specifically stated by someone on the Monster Hunter team. Here we go:

The List

• Layered Armor (cosmetic versions of actual armor) fully unlocks shortly after the start of the game
• Sneak attacks are possible by sneaking up behind a monster
• Seikret is a ride-able creature similar to the Palamute from MH Rise
• Two weapons to swap between during hunts (can be from the same class or a different one), with one being held by your Seikret
• Flare (S.O.S.) gun still calls in other players, but it can also be used to signal A.I. hunters, for those that wish to keep it “single player”
• Single-player lobbies for those that want to be the only hunter in town
• Truly seamless world
• Hunt can be instantly ended after completion (no more waiting for 20 to 60 seconds)
• Hunt can be continued after completion, allowing for a new target or quest immediately after completion, so no more waiting to reset monsters. If another monster is damaged, feel free to finish the fight!
• Male and female armors may be worn interchangeably, regardless of the sex of the player’s character
• Weak points can be seen in focus mode, allowing for major damage opportunities
• Each weapon has specific focus mode moves in order to deal that major damage with style and precision
• Each weapon class has a unique “finisher” when mounting a monster, toppling it over
• There is a healing option which will automatically use the best heal type for the situation, so if you only need a “top off,” a normal potion will be used instead of a mega.
• You may choose a spoken language for your Palico (your cute, customize-able feline pal), or you may opt to have the “meow-speak” sounds with subtitles showing the translation.
• Each area has at least one “Apex” monster, and that monster may be strengthened by map conditions, such as a lightning storm
• Fishing is tweaked, and the player will use different lures now instead of baits.
• Cooking seems like a combined version of World and Rise, with three specific ingredients being chosen: one for health and stamina gains, another ingredient for effects like elemental resistance and such, and a third acts like a catalyst for longer effects, greater healing amounts, and the like.
• Cooking can be done anywhere in the field, but monsters may attack you during the process. Also, the ingredients chosen actually appear cosmetically as the ones you cook, so no more choosing a bunch of vegetables and being served a sirloin special (it’s the little things).
• A quiz can be taken with Alma, your handler, to try to figure out which weapon class might best suit you.
• A chart shows exactly how many more minutes each monster will remain on the map before leaving.
• Hunters have a “Spider Sense” of sorts, in which the health meter will freak out just before a big monster hit is about to land. It works similar to followers yelling, “Look Out!”, which they still also do in Wilds.
• Controlled underwater swimming, but only in a few sections, and there are no underwater monsters.
• Severed parts (tails, tentacles) will begin to “rot” as soon as they are severed, meaning you will get better and rarer materials from them if you carve them when they’re fresh. This will change the unwritten rule of waiting to carve. Interesting.
• Ecology is impacted by hunts, meaning more or less of certain monsters or endemic life will appear based on a player’s hunting and foraging

Sum Of Its Parts

There are lots of things to be excited about, right? We’ll see how all of this gets implemented when Wilds releases, but I’m especially excited for all of the changes that will help to onboard newer players. From getting to the action right away to offering assistance in choosing a weapon class, Monster Hunter Wilds was designed for the players, the seasoned and the new.

Also, since the beta test, some players voiced their concerns over things like the handling of some weapons and the lack of hitstop (a slight pause when an attack connects, allowing the blow to feel more impactful), and Capcom listened. Some weapons have not only been reworked, but also already shown off, displaying the new movesets with the inclusion of beefier hitstop. I thought the beta already felt pretty good, but I understood these concerns. Seeing them already get addressed shows that Capcom understands its players and wants to present the best game it can for all of us.

Now is the best time to become a monster hunter. Join up with a thriving community that will help you along your journey, or go it alone and learn the ropes all on your own as you enjoy pure gaming joy. In either case, I know that when you give Monster Hunter a chance, you’ll find it sinking its fangs into your heart, and you won’t want it to ever let go.