RPS Verdict: Monster Hunter Wilds

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Is it wrong to eat a dinosaur that wants to be eaten? What if it asks you to make a little hat out of its gall bladder? What if the gall bladder has different opinions on the matter? Discover the answers to these and more as our merry band of conservation enthusiasts/trophy hunters discuss Monster Hunter Wilds!

Nick: Life, this relentless nuisance, has prevented me from interacting with the Monst. Could you share your most enjoyable Monst encounter with me instead? Which Monst has been the best so far?

Brendan: I really enjoy those wiggly creatures resembling squids, and one such creature is the colossal, gooey Nu Udra octopus. It’s particularly challenging to battle due to its numerous arms and the harsh setting where it dwells. The experience of navigating through the oily terrain of this region, while dodging the flares that tend to ignite, can be quite terrifying (in an entertaining way). Another adversary resembling a squid, encountered later on, possesses menacing claws at the end of its tentacles. I’ll leave it up to the readers to uncover the rest of this monster’s strategies.

Ollie prefers Yian Kut-Ku personally. It was the first monster he ever fought in any Monster Hunter game, way back when he played on his PSP with Monster Hunter Freedom. Even after all these years, he could still identify all its moves, making the experience of defeating the fire-breathing chicken more enjoyable and fulfilling than it already was.

Brendan: Indeed, it’s quite impressive. The manner in which it traverses various sections is captivating, albeit making occasional falters as it glides above. It’s unfortunate that it doesn’t make an appearance until towards the conclusion of the extensive narrative, though.

Jeremy finds the Lala Barina, an early game spider creature with a web of scarlet flower petals and white fur puffs, among his favorites despite typically disliking spiders in most situations. The reason for this is its exceptional design, which makes even a common video game boss – the large arachnid – intriguing and even aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore, all of its weapons have a sleek, sophisticated feel, reminiscent of royalty, and one of the armor pieces resembles a frilly dress, making the hunter appear like a character from Nier when worn, which Jeremy enjoys as it makes him feel feminine and attractive.

Nicky: Is it still tiring to battle against some of the later creatures in the game? This aspect is what prevented me from fully enjoying the previous version, knowing I’d need to set aside around 40 minutes for continuous fighting without a break.

As a dedicated fan, I must confess that I grew weary of relentlessly firing arrows at the final boss. Without revealing too much, let me say that its ever-changing phases lend an intriguing twist to the combat experience, but even so, the prolonged fights left me feeling drained. The battles certainly become more drawn-out as you progress through the endgame. New, “tempered” monstrosities have been introduced to serve as tougher adversaries, these battle-hardened behemoths refusing to succumb easily. To me, these encounters feel like laborious endeavors, but I’ve heard gripes from seasoned series veterans that the game is too simple (I should note that I’ve only faltered in two fights and failed one quest so far). However, where I often groan internally at the prospect of a drawn-out battle, many fans seem to leap into the fray enthusiastically, eager for an extended hunt.

Edwin: Could you share some additional insights from Brendy’s review on how the geography of the game isn’t deeply complex or intriguing as Edwin had hoped, given his enjoyment of this element in World? It was a letdown for him to learn about that point.

Brendan: Ah, yes. The geography seems intriguing and layered, but the activities within that space diminish that sensation. The autopiloting dinosaur plays a significant role in this. Even when you regain control, there’s still an unwavering trail of fireflies guiding you directly to your destination. I couldn’t find any way to turn off these features, and I’m not sure how the game would function if you could. It’s disheartening that the level designers and environment artists have put so much effort into creating a sense of place, but we quickly lose sensitivity to it because we don’t need to consider our routes. Instead, it feels more like riding a bus to the next fight rather than driving there ourselves. You don’t need to think about alternative routes.

Edwin: Is there a preferred weapon among people? I’d like to try an unconventional approach by playing only the Hunting Horn solo, as it was originally intended for team support in multiplayer. However, they’ve made it more suitable for single-player use, which might be due to other control adjustments over time. I may resort to my trusty old Gunlance instead.

Brendan mentioned that designers aimed for all weapons to be equally effective in causing damage, even with a support bubble gun. He admitted that he didn’t try the Gunlance due to fear and lack of understanding on how to use it effectively in Monster Hunter World. Instead, he began using Twin Blades, which became devastating once mastering the large spiral sawblade moves, slicing through monsters like a gruesome human buzzsaw. However, he discovered that fighting close up made it harder to follow monster movements and often left him knocked down. He then switched to the bow, finding it rewarding to learn despite being somewhat tricky initially.

This tale explores how monsters and humans coexist, battling to find balance in a universe characterized by contrast.”

In this version, I’ve tried to keep the main ideas intact while making it sound more like everyday speech. The term “story” has been replaced with “tale,” and instead of using the word “duality,” I used “contrast” to convey the idea that there are two distinct entities in the story (monsters and humans) but they exist in the same universe.

Brendan finds the marketing slogan for a game about killing dinosaurs for high-heeled boots amusing, but it’s only a minor aspect of the story. The creatures are depicted as just following their natural instincts, he notes. However, a boy’s emotional transformation towards a giant monster who destroyed his village seems forced and unconvincing. Despite finding humor in the game’s attempt to address such sensitive topics, Brendan suggests it may only be overreacting to the game’s minimal efforts towards wildlife conservation. He points out that humans have complex and contradictory relationships with animals. For instance, while his family is deeply saddened by their dying dog, they continue to eat cattle without much thought. He admits that we often try to resolve these contradictions, but a consistent solution rarely emerges. In summary, he suggests that the preservation and treatment of wildlife are topics beyond the scope of this discussion and the game itself, where you ride Yoshi from the Bob Hoskins Super Mario movie while hunting his lizard relatives for their glands.

Ollie enjoyed the part where one of the villagers requested help in dealing with a monster disturbing their ore miners. I ventured out, defeated the creature, collected its components for my armor, and then informed the villager, “surprisingly, they’re not much of a threat; you can coexist peacefully with them.

Jeremy believes that Monster Hunter has evolved significantly since its early days, where the gameplay was more straightforward about its focus on hunting and killing monsters for rewards. He wonders if this straightforwardness wasn’t actually more genuine. Currently, the game seems to make some attempts at ecology or conservation, but these efforts disappear when you encounter a big boss. Your character then asks Alma, who looks like a barista, for permission to fight the monster. She approves instantly, even when the monster is just a grumpy toad defending its territory from intruders.

In some instances, Monster Hunter suggests alternate realms where it’s less about combat and more about exploration. For example, the Lala Barina region, with its lush forest teeming with diverse wildlife that makes one wish for an entire photo mode, brings back memories of those educational ’90s CD-ROM games I used to play as a child, where you’d traverse rainforests or sail down the Nile. There seems to be room for growth in this direction for future installments of the series, possibly featuring hunters navigating environmental changes or undertaking tasks like transporting injured monsters or healing sick ones. However, these ideas fade away when we remember that the Lala Barina has left one of our teammates paralyzed, so it’s back to battling a beast and then using its spinnerets to craft a switch axe.

It’s quite intriguing to observe Monster Hunter as it struggles to create a meaningful narrative amidst conflicting ideas. This struggle opens up a lot of conversations about human and animal nature, and how certain groups of humans have historically misrepresented various non-human entities to serve their needs. Essentially, the “ecology” in Monster Hunter is merely a tool for slaughter, with different outcomes; as it becomes more realistic, its true purpose – killing – becomes increasingly obvious. I believe Capcom could alleviate feelings of guilt or the need to pretend their game is educational by acknowledging that it’s fictional and can sometimes be harmful or oversimplified. As a non-Japanese speaker, I haven’t had much success in getting Capcom to discuss their influences from big game hunting or safaris, but I think there could be an interesting interview about this topic.

It’s quite amusing to observe how the game grapples with its own ethical standards. I’m reviving a jest from numerous RPS Slack discussions, but I believe it could be intriguing if Capcom allowed their monsters to engage in dialogues. Without a doubt, they would utter phrases like “Good gracious, I seem to be overpopulating my territory!

Brendan: “This will have ramifications to the food chain!”

Edwin: “Quickly, thin my numbers so that the ecosystem can survive.”

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2025-02-28 10:56