I’ve played several Monster Hunter titles in the past, but I’ve always been very much a casual fan of the series. I was never the type to be teaming up with buddies to take on huge quests, and I wound up spending way more time with Monster Hunter-style games (Toukiden, Ragnarok Odyssey) than the series that started the trend. Those games were simply more accessible, and felt less stiff than the very calculated combat that Capcom’s series was known for. It also didn’t help that the series had been relegated to the 3DS’s small screen and makeshift control scheme. Now Capcom is releasing Monster Hunter: World, the first proper console installment in years, and one that has a real opportunity to take the series to a new level of popularity. A lot of what defined Monster Hunter was its rigidness. It was about going on long hour-long quests where you’d have to cook your own food, carefully find a place to hide before consuming anything since it stopped you in your tracks, and each map was separated into zoned off areas. This formula had worked for years, but thankfully Capcom went against the conventional wisdom of “don’t fix it if it’s not broken,” as they’ve finally brought the series to a more modern feel thanks to three key changes: maps are fully open, you can move while eating, and combat is less stiff.
That first change is the biggest, and it’s a large reason why Monster Hunter: World has the subt...