WE GO HANDS-ON TO HUNT DOWN TWO EPIC BEASTS AND FIND OUT WHAT CAPCOM HAS IN STORE
The most spectacular moment during our hands-on time with Monster Hunter World – the moment that perhaps best encapsulates what Capcom is trying to achieve with the latest entry in the cult gaming series – occurred at the climax of our pursuit of a limping Anjanath as it headed towards the
crest of a steep hill.
We first discovered the T-Rex-like beast that was the target of our hunt lurking in a cave. We were led there via a new mechanic introduced to get rid of the aimless wondering that you’d have to partake in to find your prey in previous Monster Hunters. You’re accompanied by a swarm of glowing green Scout Flies that lead you to points of interest to help you track your target – a footprint, perhaps, or a glob of slime plastered on a tree trunk. Interacting with these clues will fill a bar that indicates how close you are to getting the monster’s scent. Once the Scout Flies have it, they’ll lead you directly to the beast you’re seeking.
The cave that we found the Anjanath in wasn’t the ideal place to do battle. We lured it out into the open to give us the space we needed to avoid its vicious attacks. We took the cowardly approach of attacking the creature’s legs, staying well away from the snapping jaws and whipping tail – which as Monster Hunter veterans will know, often yields a special bit of bounty if you focus on attacking it – at either end. The battle raged for some time.
We leapt off some high ground to mount the beast, repeatedly plunging our duel blades into its flesh, when we weren’t hanging on as the Anjanath thrashed about in its attempts to dislodge us from its back. The Anjanath took its shots too. Crests occasionally flare up on its head and back, a sure sign that its pissed and that you should prepare for a new arsenal of attacks, including fire breath. We had thought we would be the ones doing the barbecuing when we returned home victorious after slaying
our quarry, but here we were desperately rolling around to put out the flames singeing our poor hunter. We put some space between us and our foe to glug down a health potion, and then got
stuck back in.
Eventually, the Anjanath had had enough. It limped off in retreat: the tell-tale sign that a fight is coming to an end in a series that doesn’t have health bars to tell you how weak your enemy is. And here we are. Back at the crest of that hill. When the Anjanath reached the crest, the beating wings of Monster Hunter’s most iconic creature, the Rathalos, came into view. Its talons were bared and it was ready to fight. It was like something from a monster movie, Godzilla and Mothra doing battle for the benefit of their audience – and rest assured we stayed well away. Anjanath got a taste of its own medicine as Rathlos bathed it in its fiery breath, before the winged monstrosity sunk its talons into the scaly hide of Anajanath, lifted it from the ground, then dropped it into a huge ravine beside the
hill. We took our chance, leaped down into the ravine after it and delivered a final blow to the Anjanath to finish the hunt.
That spectacular clash between the Anjanath and the Rathalos felt like it had been set up for our benefit. We’re still not sure it wasn’t, given that it bears a striking similarity to a scene we saw in the game’s initial reveal, but Capcom assured us that the encounter was not scripted. They say that the “World” in Monster Hunter World is meant to signal the fact they want the environment to be a significant factor in this game, and that includes creating the sense that it is a living, breathing ecosystem. While it was possible for monsters to come into contact in previous games, it will be far more common in World, with more creatures roaming the environment to create the possibility for
encounters like the one we experienced. Additionally, monsters will no longer just focus on you, but will actively battle each other. If that means more cool emergent moments like the one we witnessed, we’re all for it.
THE WORLD IS YOUR WEAPON
There are other ways your environment and the creatures within it can come into play, too. On another hunt we undertook, the Great Jagras we had been battling retreated into a cave to try and catch some shut eye and heal up. After smashing it in the face with our hammer to indicate that it wasn’t sleepy time, we took a swipe at one of the fireflies floating around in the cave. This unleashed a flash of light that temporarily stunned the Jagras, allowing us to get a few valuable hits in without retaliation. Other examples of new environmental factors that we haven’t yet experienced first-hand
are the nests and tree branches that you can try to lure monsters into to get them trapped, or more
spectacularly, dams that can be burst to send a torrent of water onto whichever unfortunate creature happens to be in its path.
The World in Monster Hunter World is also meant to gesture towards the fact that the zones that were separated by loading screens in previous entries are now part of one seamless open-world. That focus on the World suffix has resulted in the creation of a far more attractive place as well. We’re not going to claim it looks like Horizon Zero Dawn, but stepping out onto lush green plains, a rich blue sky overhead, to see wildlife big and small roaming a landscape that feels alive and ripe for exploration, gives you the feeling that this is a place you want to spend your time hunting, foraging, and playing in with friends via four-player online co-op.
There’s another reason for the World moniker. Capcom sees this as an opportunity to get new players on board, which makes sense given that the series is returning to PlayStation for the first time in years and that this is the first mainline entry to appear on an Xbox platform. Capcom hasn’t called it Monster Hunter 5 because it thinks the number might put people off who haven’t played any of the previous four.
Capcom does insist, however, that this is still a mainline title and that while they think the new name will entice new players in, that doesn’t mean they are dumbing down or jettisoning the things that Monster Hunter fans love. You can understand why people might have through Monster Hunter World was heading in that direction. Its debut trailer seemed very action focused, in part thanks to the introduction of a grappling hook that you can use to swing quickly from one place to another, or even to grapple onto the monster you’re facing. Having played the game, though, we don’t think that
stripping out complexity to focus on action is what is happening at all.
Yes, there is the introduction of the Scout Flies to make finding the monster your hunting less of a random exercise, but that was always a chore anyway, so we’re all for a new tracking system to
smooth out the process of finding your target. And for all that’s new in Monster Hunter World, it’s by no means jettisoned the core aspects of the series’ design. All 14 weapon classes are still in the game – axes, swords, hammers, and so on – and along with them the playstyles that each of those weapon classes supports.
Most importantly, the core Monster Hunter loop of preparing for a hunt, doing the hunt, and then returning to upgrade your equipment in preparation to take on tougher challenges is still very much intact. Before we headed out on our first hunt for the Great Jagras, we stepped into our tent at a base camp, selected our weapon, changed our armour, and equipped a charm to boost our abilities. We then sat ourselves down at a table behind the tent to treat ourselves to a hearty meal to boost our attack and defence.
Once we’d completed the hunt, we stepped back into the tent to craft ourselves a set of fancy new Jagras armour with the parts we’d harvested, making us more durable for the next hunt – we should
mention that it would normally take multiple hunts to get all the parts you need to craft a whole set of armour, as in previous games. This process was simply shortened for the purposes of the demo. In other words, it still feels like Monster Hunter to us.
It’s difficult to be all things to all people. Can Monster Hunter World please its hardcore fanbase
and tempt a whole new audience to jump in at the same time? We don’t know, but what we’ve
played so far leaves us optimistic about the direction they’re heading. We’re looking forward to our next hunt.
CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON
We give you the lowdown on four of Monster Hunter’s distinct weapon classes
1. GREAT SWORD
As you can guess by looking at it, the size of this sword doesn’t lend itself to swift strikes. It does dish out heavy damage with its huge arcing blows, however. Charged strikes are particularly devastating.
2. SWITCH AXE
The Switch Axe is effectively two weapons in one. You can use it as a long-range axe, or transform it into a sword mode, which allows you to perform swift sword strikes, again at a relatively long range.
3. LIGHT BOWGUN
This is a ranged weapon. In contrast to its he ier cousin, the Heavy Bowgun, you can still move quickly with this weapon in your hands. It privileges this swift movement and rapid firing over damage.
4. INSECT GLAIVE
The thing that’s allowing that hunter to get high above the monster is the Insect Glaive, a weapon
you can pivot off to launch aerial attacks. You can also fire off a Kinsect to get extracts from monsters that boost your abilities.
