Monster Hunter World Review (PC) — Still A New World

Monster Hunter: World is finally out on PC, marking Capcom’s first western Monster Hunter release on the said platform. And even for someone who’s had a full year’s run on consoles, the PC version manages to stay interesting, shelling out a genuinely refreshing experience.

You can get Monster Hunter: World on Steam for P1,599.00.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Story

You are a member of the Fifth Fleet, summoned by the Research Commission to assist in the study and exploration of the New World. The story unravels tightly around the player’s pace, steadily unlocking new content in line with the players current Hunter Rank. The subtitle ‘World’ could not have been more accurate, as the game boasts a more believable ecosystem of fantastical creatures. As someone who’s been there and done that, I yearned to be able to skip cutscenes, forcing players to experience them first before being able to bring people in on the quest. Probably not a big deal for those going through this for the first time, but anyone wanting to play with friends will have to wait a good while before you can go on proper group hunts.

Gameplay

Monster Hunter: World managed to successfully streamline its gameplay systems to appeal to a larger audience without compromising its identity. The PC versions sports all the improvements the console version has had to date, save for all the post-launch additional content. Which really isn’t a problem considering the base game itself boasts an incredible lifespan that you’re bound to spend several hundred hours before ever feeling the thirst for new content.

The game offers a whopping 14 different weapon types, each vastly different from the other. I spent the majority of my console run jumping between just a couple weapons which translates to roughly 240 hours. The keyboard layout does a decent job, to say the least, and there’s a strong potential in it for Light and Heavy Bowgun users. That being said, I still recommend using a controller, especially for those planning on using melee weapons. The custom radial menu is still here and it works just as well as it did on consoles. Though the game detects the input from a Dualshock 4, it doesn’t support the PlayStation button layouts, which seems pretty odd considering they have the assets for it already.

Visuals & Performance

Perhaps what I find most appealing about Monster Hunter: World on PC is its performance. It surprisingly ran at a consistently high framerate on my GTX 970m card on a custom mid-high settings. There aren’t too many new graphical upgrades, but beefier rigs can enjoy the game at crisper resolutions at very stable framerates. Though there are talks of an upcoming update for more advanced graphics settings, the game is visually appealing enough even on medium settings to ever need it. There are a couple hiccups here and there, however, such as random crashes and more frustrating the connectivity issues preventing players from sustaining a stable connection amongst friends.

Verdict

Monster Hunter: World is the definitive monster hunting game on PC, successfully adopting a more streamlined gameplay system whilst retaining the thrill of the hunt which the series is known for. An incredible title for both fans and newcomers alike, Monster Hunter: World promises hours upon hours of play, not including the many new content and updates that are soon to follow.

[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]