Of all the words that could describe the island paradise that serves as backdrop for Monster Hunter World, the one that keeps coming back to me is “dense.” Electrified insects buzz around the trees while pterodactyl-like birds squabble and soar. The swamps teem with serpents, and the plains are busy with lizards that play-fight like a pack of dogs.
World, the sixth title in Capcom's Monster Hunter series, embraces the complexity of a real ecosystem in order to give players the thrill of disrupting it. With weapon in hand and feline companion in tow, the intrepid hunter will cut a swath through this wilderness, understanding it and tearing it open in the process.
This isn't new. Monster Hunter World may be a refined, modernized version of itself, but it’s still the same experience players have been having since 2004: characterized by repetition and mastery, punctuated by chaos. And yet, if you are even in the periphery of gaming circles right now, you're probably hearing about Monster Hunter World a lot. That's because, while World is merely an evolution, it's one that comes in the midst of a broad resurgence of Japanese videogames—one that is changing the makeup of what games get attention in the current market.
Monster Hunter World is a good game. But more than anything, it's the right game at the right time.
Capcom
