It’s again time to hunt some formidable dragons and other monsters. It’s Monster Hunter time. After a long wait, finally, Capcom is ready with its Monster Hunter Wilds, the latest installment of its most popular action RPG series. While the entire fan base was initially waiting for the game willingly, it created debate among the fan base as soon as it was released.
The game is receiving praise for its innovation and quality-of-life improvements, but along with that, it has also designed features that have polarized players. This debate mostly surrounds the combat mechanism, co-op mechanism, and overall accessibility.
The first thing that raised debate among fans is the accessibility changes of the game. This time, Capcom has worked on the overall accessibility feature of Monster Hunter Wilds and introduced features like the Seikret mount. This allows players to traverse the vast world of the game more efficiently. Even players can fight enemies while on the mount.
The next thing that has taken the game to a new height is the introduction of the Focus mode that enables hunters to target specific monster wounds. This feature instantly adds a layer of strategy to battles.
Apparently, this seems exciting, but veteran players are not at all happy with this feature. A lot of them have pointed out that these features will reduce the game’s difficulty level to a great extent. Long-time fans of the franchise are completely against this shift, as they consider that the essence of Monster Hunter lies in its challenging gameplay and that satisfaction lies in overcoming formidable foes. Now, with these two features, the gameplay will be a lot easier for anyone, and the game will lose its essence.
The next thing that Capcom has revised in Monster Hunter Wilds is the cooperative play. This has always been a core feature of the Monster Hunter experience. In this latest installment, Capcom has tried to revise the strategy and streamline the multiplayer game interactions. While this is a good effort, some players find the co-op mechanics difficult to understand. The problem lies in the fact that with these new mechanics, all players have to view cutscenes individually before they join a hunt.
The next change that has initiated debate among the community is the feature of NPCs joining the game when someone is playing solo. The developers added this feature so that solo players don’t find the fights impossible to complete, but according to players, the joining of NPCs doesn’t align with their fighting strategy and makes the gameplay tough. These issues, per a group of players, disrupt the flow of gameplay and prevent players from engaging in cooperative sessions.
The final thing that the Monster Hunter community has been pointing out since The Wilds came out is the difficulty of the game. One of the striking features of the Monster Hunter games is their merciless difficulty. That makes players suffer a lot, but they love it. However, in this latest installment, Capcom has brought a more forgiving difficulty curve that will allow players to enjoy the game with more ease.
This is a significant change, and it is primarily added to the game to attract newcomers. However, the veteran players are completely unsatisfied with this feature, and they consider that The Wilds doesn't offer the same level of challenge as its predecessors. The most notable part is that a substantial number of players expressed this same sentiment on different forums.
The debate over difficulty is further intensified as soon as players notice that the game has provided plenty of healing items here and there. Veteran players have started questioning the effectiveness of the new mechanics, which will ultimately make the hunts less intense. This has further taken the discussion into a more serious topic: making a game appealing to newcomers while maintaining the challenges and intensity of the game.
As the gaming industry has been evolving, new gamers have been joining the universe. Therefore, the developers need to cater to that newcomer community as well. Now, when it comes to a franchise like Monster Hunter, where difficulty is the key, lowering it a bit for the new gamers is the only way to make it playable for them.
That’s precisely what Monster Hunter Wilds did. Anyway, these changes have sparked different opinions among the community, but hopefully, it won’t affect the game’s popularity in the long run.