Again within the PSP days of Monster Hunter, I used to be fairly aggravated by the necessity to grind and farm the farms to essentially maximize development between one hunt and the subsequent. Greater than 15 years later, I would like them again… elsewhere.
The concept of completely totally different city areas which you needed to micromanage and had been cozy initially survived till the 3DS entries of the collection, but it surely’s one thing that is been progressively pushed apart in favor of extra streamlined searching experiences with little to no fats. As Monster Hunter Wilds prepares to pounce on us in late February with extra instruments of killing and methods to navigate the wilds seamlessly, one has to surprise how lengthy it’s going to be earlier than the idea of a everlasting city/village is dropped altogether or lowered to a very brief downtime.
Disclaimer: I do not thoughts Monster Hunter’s huge latest steps in the direction of changing into extra accessible. The builders have really excelled at making the collection extra palatable through the first 20 hours or so with World and Rise, and the brand new entry is doubling down on such additions and QoL adjustments. It is a good factor so long as it would not dilute what makes the core video games so distinctive.
This strategy, nonetheless, immediately collides with the aforementioned ‘farming’ facet components of older video games. Monster Hunter has at all times been about mankind’s relationship with nature and the frictions born out of it even when it takes place in a wholly totally different world that is not impacted by rampant industrialization (but). Even when the precise farming components had been a little bit of a slog, particularly after dozens of hours of playtime, that they had a spot throughout the collection’ voice and really soul. Whereas my ‘gamer mind’ appreciates having much less busywork so I can spend extra time smacking wyverns on the pinnacle with huge weapons, my extra considerate facet is sorta bummed out by the dearth of farmsteads within the newer installments.
A possible resolution? Placing a small city sim spinoff in growth. It is a style that is been booming for fairly some time however fairly often lacks an identification past ‘take a look at the lovable artwork fashion’ and riffing on Stardew Valley with small twists. Monster Hunter, then again, looks like the right match for the essential premise of cozy life sims. The worldbuilding and philosophy are already there, and we have performed a primary model of that potential recreation earlier than. A number of instances, really. Let my Felyne work extra jobs than administration, searching, and cooking once more!
The Monster Hunter IP is not any stranger to off-beat spinoffs both. Monster Hunter Now seems to be thriving on cell; Monster Hunter Puzzles is a pleasant little experiment; and Monster Hunter Tales has already turn out to be a good RPG subseries of its personal. At this level, a city sim would not sound like a distant risk. As a substitute, it is the type of mission that needs to be imminent if Capcom is being attentive to the fitting traits.
That is when the Monkey’s Paw curls and we do get a MH city sim… only for cell. Nah, I need a totally featured, premium recreation. Give it a definite artwork fashion, work onerous on the visible presentation, provide you with an attractive loop that makes the a lot of the universe’s uniqueness and wackier facet. Looking would not even have to be omitted of the system. What about hiring some veteran hunters to guard the city from wyverns and different monsters? Allow us to enhance and customise gathering halls! There are such a lot of prospects past farming, mining, fishing, bug gathering, beekeeping, and whatnot as offered within the basic titles.
Rejection of cell phones as goal platforms and gacha-like components apart, it is the type of pitch that will be killer for moveable {hardware}, sure. With the mainline Monster Hunter entries now specializing in the ‘robust {hardware}’ Xbox-PS-PC trio, might such a recreation be a improbable third-party Nintendo unique? Animal Crossing’s recognition is at an all-time excessive after New Horizons, and I’ve little doubt we’ll see one other entry for the Change 2 sooner fairly than later, however that does not imply there isn’t any area for one more winner.
I could be wading into ‘armchair developer’ territory right here, certain, however hear me out: I am simply an excited fan who’s not simply enthusiastic about what’s in entrance of them, but in addition concerning the potential futures of a franchise that is given them nothing however happiness. I really like Monster Hunter and would like to see it develop not simply as an action-RPG collection. It is definitely in the fitting path to changing into greater and extra appetizing for all, and the previous spinoffs talked about right here show that in addition to my predominant level.
Or maybe I am simply utterly misreading the franchise’s present standing and the precise affect its spinoffs have had on the overall sentiment. Perhaps of us would fairly persist with killing mighty beasts and outsized pests. However it is a bit of a miserable thought. I consider Monster Hunter is far more than that, and I will be first in line and able to bat for extra peaceable makes an attempt to broaden its world and lore.