The newest game in Capcom's monster hunting franchise, Monster Hunter: World, presented new features to the series which improved upon many aspects of the older games. Unfortunately, some of these additions were done at the removal of other fan-loved attributes. While Monster Hunter: World has definitely simplified much of its concepts, allowing for a new generation of players to familiarize themselves with the series, it has eliminated several features from previous titles.
Monster Hunter: World puts the player in the role of a Hunter who is tasked with slaying monsters using larger-than-life weaponry. Hunting wyverns, getting new equipment, and upgrading said equipment are some of the primary duties players must do on a regular basis. As a Hunter, players are also accompanied by a trusty Palico which can aid them in battle. The game is played in a solely multiplayer environment, although players may choose to hunt on their own rather than getting together with a group of other players. All of this culminates into Capcom's most successful Monster Hunter title to date.
By removing a true solo campaign option and replacing it with multiplayer, World cannot be paused at any time. Monster Hunter games have always been known for being long, and they are not a game people sit down and play for five minutes at a time. All quests allocate players with a 50 minute time limit to complete all necessary tasks (except in the case of Expeditions). Hunts alone can average 15-30 minutes depending on how quickly a monster is tracked and slain. Given these time expectations, if players need to step away from the screen, they are required to find a safe place for their Hunter to stay, lest they be attacked while the user is away from the screen. Pausing is a quality-of-life option many games possess, but Monster Hunter: World's multiplayer-driven system has forced this option to be eliminated entirely.
What Monster Hunter: World Replaced From Previous Titles
Monster Hunter: World has also introduced the ability for players to restock equipment and change their load outs at any point during the hunt. While this option provides a lot of flexibility, especially if players forget to equip the right items, it does suddenly make their initial loadout obsolete. In previous Monster Hunter games, what players brought onto the field was all that they had. If a player needed more items, they would need to find the materials and craft them on the spot. This forced an additional level of challenge and strategizing that was critical to how the games were played. Players needed to be careful with how they expended their items, lest they end up falling short on supplies and possibility fail a quest as a result. With Monster Hunter: World, players are not required to strategize to such a level, given the safety net the new loadout system provides.
Palicoes have been a staple to the Monster Hunter franchise for sometime now. In Monster Hunter: World, players are able to customize their Palico, and, while on the field, can temporarily recruit NPC's Palicoes for additional help. However, players are only limited to one permanent Palico. In Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, players could hire up to 50 wild Palicoes. These cats each had their own set of abilities and aspects which allowed Hunters to tailor the helpers that came with them. Monster Hunter: World allows players to change out Palico Skills and Gadgets as an alternative to having multiple Palicoes. However, there was something charming about returning to a player's home to find a group armored felines relaxing on their furniture, excited to go on a quest with their Hunter.
With any new iteration in a series, there are positives and negatives to what features are added and which have been removed. Overall, Monster Hunter: World has improved tremendously upon older aspects of the series and has streamlined the gameplay experience, especially when it comes to resource farming and monster tracking. Given the massive success of Monster Hunter: World, it seems the new additions have been predominately well-received with players across the board. Perhaps a few of the older features may return in future updates and expansions.