Prior to Monster Hunter World the Monster Hunter series was already a well known and hugely successful series having sold more than 45 million copies worldwide as of January 2018.
However having only previously played a very small portion of Monster Hunter Tri on the Nintendo Wii myself, Monster Hunter World was my very first real proper plunge at a Monster Hunter title, and I must say I am in love with the game. It may even end up being my Game Of The Year for 2018 despite the fact as I write this we are only in April.
You start off with the ability to customize your own character, the creativity that the game allows you to have is very impressive and gives you a vast amount of options to chose from, including different hairstyle options, eye colour and even gender whichever you feel like choosing, you are guaranteed to be on that screen for quite a while.
As if customizing your very own custom created character wasn't enough to work through the game then grants you with the ability to then customize your very own kitty cat, or Palico as they are referred to in the game.
Being a huge fan of cats meant that for me being able to create your very own custom created moggy was the icing on the cake, also despite not exactly being a playable character doesn't mean the Palico didn't have many different options to help create your perfect little flea bag oh no! in fact there was just as many options to chose from as there was for creating your very own custom playable character, so much so they even included the option to customize the different meowing sounds your little fluffy ball could make, I think its to say by this point I may of already been sold on this game without having to go any further into it.
Having ventured through the vast amount of options to play with whilst creating your very own character and fluffy companion, you are then instantly thrown into danger making for a great impressive introduction to an already incredible game.
As you first gain control of your character the game then tells you about the many different weapons in which you can wield on your journey including Great Axe, Long Sword and Bow to name but only a mere few of them and you are not limited to only being able to use
one instead you can instantly switch to any weapon of your choosing depending on the situation. Weapons can also be improved and strengthened through the use of the in game Blacksmith who offers a huge range of different weapon trees to go down if you so chose to, the possibilities are endless.
Each weapon has its own unique combos and abilities which can of course help with damage numbers. The game also features the use of a training area which can help you out in learning these different combos and abilities.
The game as well as giving you a huge amount of different weapons to play with it also allows you to have the ability to munch on some lovely looking food which I wont lie makes me feel rather hungry every time I see those dishes being served up. However there is a real important reason to eating before embarking on quests, each dish served comes with its own perks from being able to improve
your strength and defence to many other possible outcomes, the game allows you to chose from and also gives you the option of picking certain dishes depending on the type of quest in which you are about to embark on.
The games combat and gameplay is very addictive and easy to master with having the ability to strategize before each fight through the use of Flash Pods to help stun your victims and or traps, to name but a few your going to end up feeling rather overwhelmed with the many different possibilities.
The only potential drawback to the game though not a massively important one that kept us from enjoying the game was the storyline. Now if your expecting a good story driven game then unfortunately this game is not for you. Though there is a storyline in the game its not a particularly strong one.
I easily caught on rather fast with the story realizing that the gameplay of slaughtering huge monsters was the games main focus rather than being able to immerse myself in a potential really well drawn out storyline.
However despite this, the gameplay most definitely makes up for it, with the ability of either playing solo which to me felt like a Demon or Dark Souls game in terms of the difficulty level, with some of the fights. However for me this made the game much more enjoyable as each victory felt much more of an accomplishment.
There of course is the ability to play online too with each quest allowing up to 4 different people to join, and if you don't have any friends to play with then the game easily lets you know of the oh so very helpful SOS System, in which allows you to gain some random players to help aid you in your mission. The choice of playing solo or multiplayer is of course up to you!
The game features many different types of quests too which all vary and have their own victory conditions, from either brutalizing your foes or capturing them and laughing at their poor helpless existences afterwards. There are also Arena quests which limit you on your equipment so it is probably best not to get too accustomed to one type of weapon, if you chose to participate in those, the Arena matches though however are optional.
Each quest comes with some nice rewards once completed too from items such as decorations to help improve your gear, money to purchase on healing items, and bits of lovely monster bits which also help in improving your gear.
Yes you read that correctly bits of monster remains to help improve your gear from monster hide to a monster's horn, and gem all of which help in improving your equipment however some of which can be a very rare drop, and thus you will often find yourself farming for quite a while in order to obtain them.
The game also features an amazing soundtrack too from lively songs to rather peaceful ones too, I am particularly a big fan of the games musical score and have no particular qualms with any of the themes, it is really worth listening to regardless of whatever mood you may find yourself in.
In terms of seeking out achievements or trophies depending on your platform of choosing, grinding for these can be somewhat tiresome and time consuming. I have been grinding for trophies since the game first game out and I am still at it as I type this out, so overall I want to say it has taken me roughly 4 months to get close to reaching that 100% mark.
I have enjoyed the grind though and I will miss playing this game when I inevitably reach that 100%, so just as a heads up you may find yourself playing this longer than what you may think or expect which can only be a good thing, right?
OVERALL:
I personally love this game and managed to find myself being addicted really rather quickly. Gameplay is top notch in which I have no complaints, with it being very easy to master and understand even for a rookie to the series such as myself.
The story is not the games strong point however the addictive gameplay more than makes up for that and the soundtrack is very enjoyable and memorable.
PROS:
+ Gameplay is very addictive and easy to master.
+ A vast amount of different weapons and gear to chose from and upgrade.
+ Customization options are endless.
+ Plenty of different types of quests to chose from and keep you occupied.
+ Easy to play online with others even if you do not have anyone you particularly know to play with.
+ Great soundtrack in which is memorable and enjoyable.
+ Palicos! Sorry I love cats and you cant beat creating your fluffy companion to look like your very own moggy, and due to this you eventually find yourself getting emotionally attached to them =^.^=
+ New content keeps being added so you can always find yourself with something new to do.
CONS:
+ Storyline is not its strong point.
+ If your a fan of collecting achievements or trophies you may end up finding yourself constantly farming for stuff repeatedly for weeks or even months.
Story Length: 70-80 Hrs
Platinum Trophy Length: 100+ Hrs