While Capcom has scoured the Nintendo 3DS and PSP with multiple iterations of the Monster Hunter license (MH4, Generations, Freedom Unite, etc.) and spin-offs galore, the Japanese publisher is returning to its first love this year: consoles. of living room. After having neglected Sony's fixed machines for a long time (the first Monster Hunter World being released on PS2), Capcom has finally decided to give a greater scope to its license. This is how Monster Hunter World lands on PS4 and Xbox One, taking advantage of the technical capabilities of these consoles to reinvent the Monster Hunter formula. Starting with the game world, which is bigger and more majestic than before. Divided into five large areas, the title says goodbye to multiple loading between each plot of a region. Thus, from now on, the players are brought to evolve on much more imposing playing fields than in the previous opuses of the license. Special mention to the city of Astrea which is simply magnificent. The main hub of the game is divided into several levels, which makes it easy to find your way around. We would have just liked to see the place livelier, the NPCs being a bit static.
A HUNTING GROUND THAT MEET EXPECTATIONS
If you will have to come back to an area over and over again in order to complete side quests and farm, the developers had the good idea to play with the verticality of the levels to offer us surprising playgrounds and which have surprises in store for us throughout. along the adventure. Between the shortcuts to reach key areas of the region, the multiple spaces suitable for creating a camp and the presence of many NPCs that will give you access to interesting quests (in terms of rewards), players will have a lot to do before knowing the five areas of the game at your fingertips. What's more, Capcom has gone all out in terms of modeling the regions of Monster Hunter World. If many invisible walls persist, the play areas are much more interactive and lively than before.
The presence of many traps and plants can help you in battles against monsters that are a little too strong for the little human that you are. In this new episode, your environment will be just as important as your ability to fight. If you are short of life and you have no more potions, you can for example count on the Vitagueps to boost your health. During fights, you can also use certain animals and plants to inflict damage (or malus) on the monster you face. Similarly, the presence of many traps will allow you to immobilize your target for a few moments in order to chain it with an overpowered attack. Admittedly, it is possible to face monsters like a man, with his weapon and nothing else, but it would be a shame to miss out on these little “helpers” that will make your life easier, especially when you are alone with a Rathalos or a Nergigante. Be careful all the same, some traps can be double-edged like the Paralycrapaud which can also paralyze you if you stay in its field of action.
A GOOD HUNTER WHO KNOWS HOW TO HUNT WITH HIS WEAPON IS A GOOD HUNTER
Nevertheless, if the exploration of the zones becomes more pleasant, it is the fights which remain the high point of the game. The passage on home console has done good to the license since now, we finally have the right to jaw-dropping epic clashes. The monsters that we come across in the game are, for some, majestic and we take pleasure in observing them from every angle when we discover them for the first time. In addition, each species of monster has a very distinct behavior and attack patterns, which makes each confrontation unlike any other. You will then have to take the time to analyze your enemy in order to highlight his weak points and take advantage of them. However, the animation of the monsters being much more fluid than in previous episodes, it is not uncommon to be surprised by a devastating attack that we had not seen coming.
Fortunately, the playability of the title has also been improved. Our character is less heavy than before and if we always have to wait for the right moment to attack, the dynamism of the fights makes everything much more addictive. So we get closer to boss fights worthy of the big names of the moment. If the difficulty of the game is not as raised as in Dark Souls, the fights are nonetheless bitterly difficult. Of course, regulars of the series may find the game too "easy", but neophytes should find, through this combat system, a good compromise to embark on the Monster Hunter adventure, without being disgusted by the difficulty and the redundant side of the game. Indeed, if the title is more accessible than its predecessors, death awaits us permanently. Some monsters are unleashed after losing a lot of life and all their patterns are then slightly modified, just to struggle well until the last moment. Also new to Monster Hunter World, other monsters can join your fight. While your Palico, the little cat that serves as your companion, can enlist a few small monsters to fight by your side, large monsters such as the Legiani and the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku can interrupt your hunt at any time to attack the monster you want. you seek to overcome. In addition to giving you welcome help, these fights are a real treat for the eyes. The monsters can release all their power and we remain amazed in front of these clashes of titans. Some scripts are noticeable but we can only enjoy this impressive show.
HUNTING FOR DUMMIES
On the arsenal side, players can count on 14 types of weapons well known to fans of the license. Between the longsword, the insectglaive, the double blades, the volto-axe and all the other weapons available, the player will have plenty of choice. Each weapon has its own fighting style and switching between them can be more difficult than expected. To help you, you can count on a training area, but you will often have to spend several hours on a weapon before completely mastering it. For those new to the license, know that Monster Hunter is a game that requires patience and caution, contrary to what the overall design of the game might suggest. You will have at your disposal some combos and techniques (which vary by weapon) to inflict more damage, but it's important to master the timing and placement of your attacks so you're not at the mercy of your opponent. If indeed, the fights are still a little simpler than before, the challenge is still present, so much so that some clashes will give you cold sweats.
But before going to face the most ferocious beasts in the game, you will have to improve the power of your hunter. Essentially in Monster Hunter World, your hunter rank (or level) does not determine your power. Based on a very deep crafting system, the game rewards adventurers who take the time to harvest materials in order to craft more powerful weapons and armor. As you will have understood, you will therefore have to spend a lot of time farming components to be able to improve your character. While the task could be tedious in previous installments of the license, here the harvest is done without too much difficulty. In order to save time, our character can finally pick up objects while running, which also allows us not to break the rhythm (especially during fights). In addition, to help you craft weapons, you can now pin a piece of equipment to be alerted when it can be crafted. Finally, Navicioles will help you spot the monsters and ingredients you are looking for. This greatly simplifies tracking and picking.
Even better, the weapon upgrade system has been redesigned to be more readable and easier to access. In addition, if you are the type to regularly change the type of weapon, you will finally be able to disassemble the parts of your equipment in order to craft other weapons with it. Good news for those who don't want to spend too much time farming. Certainly the many menus and sub-menus are still a little indigestible for neophytes, but Capcom has thought of providing multiple tutorials so as not to get lost. Nevertheless, it is still necessary to look carefully at this aspect of the game which can quickly become a real mess if you leave it aside. If the game wants to be much more understandable than the previous opuses, certain points deserve to be refined if Capcom wishes to open the license to players who have always been hampered by this constraint. The most lazy can still make life easier with the automatic crafting of essential items, such as potions and other such items.
QUALITY BEFORE QUANTITY
Always with a view to reaching a larger slice of players in the West, Monster Hunter World once again upsets the codes of the license by reducing the number of main quests. The story thus becomes more interesting for the player who can follow a real guideline without having to get stuck with quests that are more useless than anything else. The cinematics, of good quality, are much more present and allow the player to immerse himself more easily in the adventure. The migration of Zorah Magdaros and other Elder Dragons to the New Continent affects the ecosystem of the area and of course it is you who will have to investigate this mystery. A good excuse to explore one by one the regions of the game while scripting our progress. However, if some missions are breathtaking, we remain somewhat disappointed with the overall scenario of the title. The script struggles to create a real mystery around our adventure, if not this ecological upheaval, and the multiple characters that we meet during our journey are a little transparent. A slight defect which is quickly compensated by the 29 large monsters present at the launch of the game, including 17 created especially for this episode.
Certainly the number may seem quite light but when we see the work done by the teams of the game, we can only welcome the choice not to offer a well-stocked, but unappetizing bestiary. Each monster has been modeled with great care and if the new arrivals impress with their completely sassy design, like the Radobaan (a creature covered in gigantic bones and which curls up into a ball to roll over you) the mythical creatures of the license like the Rathalos and the Rathia had the right to a small facelift. A feast for the eyes, especially since during combat, these monsters literally lose parts of their bodies to show you which areas are more exposed than others. Finally, as usual, the latter do not have a life bar and you will therefore have to observe them in order to notice signs of weakening, such as limping for example.
Add to that the many “small” monsters and you get a high quality bestiary. What's more, if that's still not enough for you, you can count on future free game updates to keep you entertained. On the program, new monsters will arrive and areas will be added over time. Enough to significantly extend this adventure which will still require you between 40 and 50 hours of play to overcome the main story. A more than adequate duration and which can extend considerably if you try to unlock all the equipment and secrets of the game. Finally, you also have at your disposal many side quests and contracts which allow you to collect rare ingredients more quickly . If the latter are redundant enough, they make it possible to obtain more powerful equipment quickly. However, if you do not want to be limited by the time constraint imposed by the missions of the game, you can also explore the regions of Monster Hunter World in “Exploration” mode which allows you to farm continuously without having to perpetually return to HQ or in your camp.
A MAGNIFICENT ADVENTURE TO DISCOVER ALONE OR WITH OTHERS
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Another major point of Monster Hunter World, its multiplayer part. In order to celebrate the return of the license to the home console with dignity, the multiplayer aspect of the title has been completely redesigned to also be more accessible. As soon as you start a game, you can choose to join a group or create your own. You can of course play with your friends, but it's also possible to join a foursome made up only of strangers. A good way to overcome monsters that are a little too tough, but also to speed up the farming phases which can be a bit long if you struggle to catch or kill a monster. Even better, if you've gone on an adventure alone, you can use a distress flare to call other players to help without even leaving your fight. The challenge then becomes a little tougher, but the presence of several players gives you time to inflict a lot of damage via devastating combos that are difficult to place in normal times. You can also join clans to find partners faster and participate in interesting events on a regular basis. If it is of course possible to enjoy the game solo, Monster Hunter World relies above all on this multiplayer component which makes monster hunting much more interesting. The big advantage is that you can alternate at any time, and if you're more solo than multi (or vice versa) that's no problem.
Finally, how not to finish this test without mentioning the graphic part of Monster Hunter World. For its big comeback on the home console, Capcom's game has come up to the standards of the moment. The environments to be explored are incredibly beautiful and skilfully highlight the game's bestiary. The vegetation is dense and reacts naturally to our movements, while the lighting offers sumptuous ballets of color at times. Clearly the game has taken a leap graphically and if at times there are some slowdowns, when many monsters are on the screen, the title of Capcom manages to remain quite fluid in general. On PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, the problem does not really arise since you have the choice between three options (resolution, framerate and quality) which allow you to favor the visual aspect of the title or the fluidity. It's up to you, but in 4K HDR, the game is still damn beautiful and we take full advantage of the multitude of details that dot the regions of the game. We could find lots of small negative points that make Monster Hunter World a long way off current leaders on a technical level, but honestly the result is still very pleasant and allows the player to fully immerse himself in his role as a monster hunter. If this new formula appeals to players, it's a safe bet that the next installments of the license will be even more impressive.
