Sony’s presentation surprised me, for sure. It had been a while since a full-on Monster Hunter game was on a Sony system. So a game that looked like such an improvement caught me flatfooted.
Needless to say, I was happy to see that it was technically on the show floor in some form, even though it wasn’t playable to the public. It was, however, running, and the developers definitely gave some interesting info away with the short hunt they played for the audience behind closed doors.
But before that, the non press badges forced them to deal with lines by making people use an app to confirm an appointment to see any of their presentations. Experience Playstation doesn’t work well under the best of conditions; much less when the WiFi and networks are getting taxed by thousands of convention goers. It bites, and is the one bad thing I can say about Sony’s booth this year.
As far as Monster Hunter World itself, though? Well, one major thing made readily apparent: area borders are a thing of the past. The maps are seamless, at least in what was shown. That wasn’t the only quality of life update, either.
Among other things, you no longer have to deal with throwing controls. There’s now an arm sling that lets you sling traditional throwables (and other items). What’s more, you can now move as you eat and use restoratives.
The new scout flies are an interesting change; Now, at least on story missions, they help you track down objective monsters. They weren’t fully explained, but It almost seemed like they’d replaced paintballs entirely. If that’s true, you no longer need to carry them anymore; good, since they were more of a safety item to make life easier, even if you had a monster’s movement patterns memorized.
Another big deal in the presentation was the environment. It showed off a map that players of the more recent titles might recognize, though with a few new twists. But more importantly, monsters will now interact with each other, in a territorial sense.
The developers quickly switched from the new, quest important monster to trying to bring down a Rathatlos (which, even after the mind blowing reveal they showed next, he still was unable to bring down).
The various wyverns all have a hierarchy in the environment, and will fight for dominance if the need arises. One of the other new monsters certainly gave the audience a thrill when it attacked and devoured an Aptonoth whole.
But back to the Rathalos; The dev couldn’t beat it on his own. So he sent up a signal flare, allowing the other devs to join him in trying to bring the beast down. That’s right; they’ve added an in-quest switch to multiplayer. Huge, especially as it does away with the trial inherent in dealing with the gathering hall. It’s no longer an all or nothing proposition, though you still have the three faint system in place, so don’t summon crappy players.
This, and I mean this sincerely, may well sell me a PS4. I love Monster Hunter games, despite how badly burned out I get after a couple hundred hours. Monster Hunter World is something I’ll be keeping my eye on.
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