I was never a fan of prawns growing up, they did not seem to have much taste and the texture felt odd in my mouth. Over time I stopped eating them, until a number of years ago. I love Chinese food but if I am hungry won't take a risk and will go for something I have eaten before. One day I had a hankering for Chinese and was not super hungry so I took the opportunity to try something different. I can't tell you why but decided to go for a garlic prawn dish. It was amazing and from that day on I never ignored prawn dishes on the menu. Playing Monster Hunter World I found myself asking was this really for me or did I just need to give it more time?
Story
The game has you take on the role of a silent protagonist, who along with many other people wants to travel to the New World and hunt monsters the size of buildings. Monsters have already existed in the world but things have started to get out of control and it all seems to be coming from this place dubbed The New World. The main story is to discover what's causing things to go crazy and put a stop to it.
While there is a lot of lore in the Monster Hunter Series, Monster Hunter World does a good job of not being too top-heavy about the lore or story, which is great for someone entering the series for the first time. Similar to Final Fantasy XV the game is for new fans and old alike which I thought was a really great move.
There are many characters you get to interact with within the game, most of them will be giving you missions. While you don't get much back story for any of the characters there is not a need to as their personalities shine through, which ordinarily may come across as lazy but in Monster Hunter World it really doesn't.
Overall the story is interesting and while may not be the most in-depth is a great way for new players to get into the series without feeling overwhelmed.
Visuals
The visuals are really interesting in Monster Hunter World, for example, the Headquarters is made up of old ships used in interesting ways to create a sort of town, even though it sounds like it should be like a shanty town it really doesn't, it feels warm and inviting. This is a good thing as being out in the rest of the world will not be quite as inviting. There are a handful of areas in the games each quite large and vastly different from the others. My favorite was probably The Ancient Forest as not only is it the first area you start in but it manages to combine lush jungle with beautiful rivers and a small barren area, almost like the Iceland of Monster Hunter World (apart from lack of volcanoes, which I am fine with). The Meowscualr Chef has one of the most fun visual sequences in the game and I loved doing missions for him so I could see new ones.
Each area has multiple levels to traverse meaning there is not only a lot to explore but helps it feel more organic. While each area can feel a little daunting at times there are plenty of things to help you along the way and at the end of the day, exploration is important. Overall the visuals look great and would be curious to try the game on PlayStation 5 and see how it compares.
Music
A soundtrack this large is hard to sum up in a few sentences but I will try. There are two very distinct tones in the games - peaceful pipes and orchestra for the moments of calm (which there can be a lot of) and then the full-on clash of orchestral instruments that are the sound for battles - the more intense the battle, the more intense the music.
The soundtrack was created by Japanese composers; Tadayoshi Makino (Dragon's Dogma, Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Monster Hunter Series), Zhenlan Kang (Devil May Cry 5, Monster Hunter World Iceborne, Resident Evil 2), Akihiko Narita (Monster Hunter 2, Devil May Cry 4, Resident Evil 5 & 6), Yuko Komiyama (Rockman X7, Megaman X (1-8 Collection), Kingdom Hearts 3), Masato Kouda (Dungeons and Dragons Shadows Over Mystara, Marvel Vs Capcom Clash Of Super Heros, Devil May Cry 2, Wild Arms the Vth Vanguard). Between them, they have a wealth of experience and shines through in the soundtrack.
The soundtrack is close to four hours in length (which doesn't include the Iceborne DLC). It is hard to name my favorite tracks, but if I had to they would be; 'Main Theme', 'Prologue', 'Corner Stone Of The New World Astera', 'Meowscular Chef's Custom Platter', 'Ancient Forest: Small Monster Abound', 'Even Elder Dragons Tremble - Nergigante', 'Dancer In The Coral Highlands', and 'The Shadows Upon The Tempest: Kushala Daora'.
Overall a solid soundtrack that helps bring the world to life and makes me curious to listen to the Iceborne DLC soundtrack as well.
Gameplay
There is a lot to talk about gameplay-wise and will do my best to give a broad take on all of it. Let's go for some basics, character outfits and armor. The aim of the game is to kill monsters, obtain materials, and craft better gear. Armor is a huge part of that, there are multiple skill trees for armor all with their own positives and negatives depending on which monster you might be taking on. Don't get attached to one set of armor, you will end up having a few types, and that's okay. Getting to top-tier armor (post-end game) will require grinding but never really feels like a chore.
Weapons, there are a lot of them. Depending on what kind of monster you are taking on and what kind of weapon feels right for you there will be a lot of experimenting. So the review doesn't go on for pages I will discuss the two weapons that worked for me. The hammer was my primary weapon for seventy percent of the game, it breaks bones and if you don't mind taking the risk smashing a monster skull is a great way to put it down quick, the downside is that if you mess up a few times you are finished. The great sword was my secondary weapon and by the end of the game became my favorite. It is heavy like the hammer but is great a cutting off body parts and doing a lot of critical damage. Each weapon has a lot of moves unique to it and will take time to get the hang of each one.
Everyone's adventure is better with a companion - enter Palicos. Cat-like creatures that stand on two legs and meow a lot. Initially, I did not put much stock in them but as the game went on they can be a great distraction in battle, especially as you can craft weapons and armor for them. I think if I had put more focus on them earlier in the game it may have made things easier (but who wants easy?).
Food glorious food! Food is a big part of the game, you can cook your own food (peasant), eat at camp or eat at the canteen in the headquarters, which was my preferred place. Eating before every mission helps buff your character and as the game goes on you will need it.
The monsters themselves vary hugely, each has its own tactics, early in the game you might get away with swinging wild but later on that just won't cut it. In the beginning, large enemies filled me with anxiety but as the game progressed I found myself saying 'bring it on'.
There are a ton of quests; optional, research, investigations, and more. It is great to have the max amount of them at all times as you will end up completing a lot of them when doing other missions so works well.
The big issue I had is with the multiplayer aspect, the game can be played solo but works better with more people. My partner in crime, the light of my life, and now my wife, Nolls, decided to play with me. The problem is that if you are not at exactly the same point in the story you can't play together - you both have to have played a mission through all of the cutscenes, before you can jump into each others games and take on monsters together. This was frustrating as it meant one of us was often waiting for the other to catch up, and if either of us progressed at all without the other, they'd have to catch up again. The multiplayer option seems to work okay with the optional missions which are great but feel they could have made it easier to play the main campaign together. Multiplayer isn't difficult in most games that facilitate it, so why is this game, which is designed to be enjoyed with friends, able to manage a better multiplayer experience? Nolls ultimately gave up because it was frustrating, so I finished the main campaign alone. She's still cool, though.
Overall the game can be a bit of a labor of love, if you aren't willing to put in at least forty to fifty hours forget about it. The game doesn't drop your rank so not playing for a while won't put you at a disadvantage but realize if you commit to playing this you are going to lose a lot of hours.
Final Thoughts
So after fifty-plus hours how did I feel? Like I am ready for more and will definitely look at downloading the Ice Bourne DLC. The story is solid and while it's not the most in-depth is great for new players to the series. The visuals are great and the backdrops vary hugely so you never get bored of the surroundings. It has a epic solid soundtrack, fun upbeat when it is safe, and intense when monsters hit the fan (or the blade, or your preferred weapon). There is a lot to do gameplay-wise and that might scare people but it is worth it if you give it the time, there are a few tweaks that definitely could be made but nothing game-breaking. My feeling towards the game changed massively from start to finish, but sitting back and really thinking about I can safely give this one 4 out of 5
