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The Monster Hunter series of games is very appealing to me. This is a game designed around hunting or capturing monsters so you can use their body parts to craft better weapons and armor so you can hunt tough monsters furthermore. It's like you're grinding just for the sake of grinding and nothing else. And while I'm already into the series with Monster Hunter 2G and Monster Hunter 4, it's not a series I'd gravitate towards unless I have a group of friends who want to join me. So I was surprised to play Monster Hunter Wilds at Tokyo Game Show 2024, because it seemed like the game might have a story with fleshed-out characters. I was surprised to see the mainline Monster Hunter game focus more on story.
When I started the demo, I was worried I'd be taken to a camp and asked to hunt a very specific monster. Yet within seconds, I was shown a backstory as to why my character was on his “journey.” It's full of mystery, yes, but it sets up the idea wonderfully that you, or rather your character, not only hunt monsters but also explore aspects of the “Forbidden Land” that otherwise wouldn't exist. residents.
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The idea of a story is what gave me the strength to push through what appeared to be a more standard Monster Hunter gameplay loop. Basically, we're hunting monsters again. That means finding the monster, attacking its weak points, breaking or cutting off body parts, dodging attacks, and defeating it for loot to create stronger armor and more durable. But there are a few new features that caught me off guard, mainly the mount, the wound system, and the SOS flare system.
The new mount system really changes the gameplay in that it can change the way you can participate in any individual hunt. Specifically, it adds a new form of movement to your character. This means you won't always have trouble using your own stamina to run away or catch up with whatever monster you're hunting. Additionally, since you can attack from your mount, it adds a new level of strategy when encountering monsters. Unfortunately, the Monster Hunter Wilds demo didn't showcase the system as much as I would have liked, and left me curious about how it works with ranged weapons like bows, light bowguns, and heavy bowguns. heavy.
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Of the three new systems I found, the wound system is the most appealing. It's a further evolution of traditional killing or cutting of body parts, while also allowing for more damage to be done to the monster you're hunting. It didn't seem like much at first, but as I played I realized wounds are a great way to reinforce focused attacks. This way, if you play in a group, each member can focus on the injured part to deal maximum damage instead of attacking blindly. As such, it turns what seemed like a chore and a way to increase an item's rarity by a few percentage points into a mechanic where if you focus on shooting, you'll complete the hunt faster.
The SOS flare system is also an interesting addition to the Monster Hunter series. It's a godsend for solo players who need extra support for harder monsters, but at the same time, the demo introduces it near the end of the hunt. As a result, it's difficult to gauge the effectiveness of NPC groups or how long they'll stay with you on a hunt. For example, if we use flares at the beginning of the hunt, will the NPC group be with you the entire time? If so, how effectively will they coordinate attacks? If not, when will they leave? Also, is it possible to carry multiple flares on a hunt? There are a lot of unanswered questions that the demo doesn't address with the SOS flare beyond the “here it is” question. But that said, the demo was effective in piquing my interest in the game well beyond the allotted play time.
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Honestly, one of the reasons I rarely touch Monster Hunter games these days is because the gameplay loops and lack of story in previous titles I've played bug me. But the addition of an interesting setting and a potential story keeps me interested in what's going on in Monster Hunter Wilds. So when the game is released in February 2025, I may need to connect my friends online so we can go hunting.