Monster Hunter has built up a loving, hardcore fanbase on Nintendo platforms over the years, but we believe now more than ever that its return to home consoles is what will propel the series to a whole new level -- and the amount of interest and hype surrounding the game's PlayStation 4 beta is an indication of that. The three-day technical test has seemingly been a big hit across the 'net. Streamers have been raking in the views over on Twitch and YouTube, and the beta's getting a lot of positive attention on social media.
And honestly, that doesn't surprise us. Our own Sammy Barker played Monster Hunter: World earlier in the year at EGX 2017, and came away claiming that it was already a Game of the Year 2018 candidate. It's safe to say he was beyond impressed, and after spending the whole weekend with the aforementioned beta, we're starting to see why.
The bottom line is that if Capcom can take the quality that's on show in the beta and spread it across an entire game, we'll potentially be looking at one of the best titles the company's produced in a long, long time. It's just that good.
The beta consists of (or consisted of, depending on when you're reading this article) three separate quests. Each one sees you attempt to take down a roaming monster with or without online allies by your side. The first, and easiest, mission tasks you with hunting a Great Jagras -- a large, lumbering lizard that has a habit of swallowing herbivores whole.
This opening quest settles you in nicely. The Jagras telegraphs its attacks and it's easy to smash the creature into submission with the right combos. At times it feels like the reptile is little more than a scaly punching bag, but what you don't yet realise is that it's setting you up for the excitement that's to come. The beta's second and third quests can be downright exhilarating.
The resilient Barroth stars in the second available mission, and requires a lot more concentration to slay than the Jagras. It's in this quest that we began to understand just how dynamic World is shaping up to be. The Barroth loves to run from one area of the dusty Wildspire Waste map to the next, potentially dragging you and your hunting party into a whole heap of trouble along the way.
Follow it back to its muddy lair, though, and you might just witness one of the beta's standout moments as it's invaded by another massive fish-like beast that we can't remember the name of. The clash is just one of many Godzilla-esque battles that can erupt out of nowhere, and its these earth-shaking encounters that can turn an already engaging hunt into something truly memorable.
Things really get crazy in the beta's expert difficulty hunt, however. Stalking the intimidating Anjanath through a shadowy forest, this is where proceedings can get out of hand. The hulking feathered dinosaur's always on the lookout for one of the beta's most dangerous opponents: the Rathalos, otherwise known as that big bloody dragon that appears on all of the game's promotional material.
These two beasts kick lumps out of each other when they meet, and the fight makes for a seriously impressive spectacle. It's pretty much the perfect example of how wild Monster Hunter: World can get, turning things up to eleven in the blink of an eye. And again, all of this is dynamic. We ran through this quest at least ten or so times, and we only saw the Rathalos dispense its fiery justice once.
The level of detail that's present in the beta can't be overlooked, either. Both of its featured locations are stuffed with intricacies, our favourite of the bunch being the little dung beetle that can be seen collecting monster waste every now and then. It's absolutely packed with small, seemingly insignificant environmental details, but when you put them all together, they breathe a ton of charm and character into the game's world.
You can say the same of the animations, which are superb at times. From the way that your character chugs a potion to the way that two gigantic creatures crash into one another, it's all merticulously crafted. And then when you look past the surface of the experience, you're greeted with some brilliantly weighty combat -- a Capcom speciality.
As you can probably tell, we could go on and on and on about how impressed we are with Monster Hunter: World, even in its beta form. If Capcom can flesh out an entire game with experiences like the ones that we've had in the beta, then Monster Hunter is set to take the PlayStation 4 by storm next month.
What are your thoughts on Monster Hunter: World as we approach its January release date? Have you tried the beta? Find a safe spot to sharpen your weapon in the comments section below.
Comments 77
It's a dream come true.
MH3 is my favourite co-op game ever and this looks even better. I can't wait!
Almost time to play it for real love to see the full character customization. 😁
There has to be a catch right?! Games aren't allowed to be this good anymore.
I have also been really impressed with the Beta!!
The maps are super full with life and things to collect!!
I'm really looking forward to the full release when we can customize, loot, and progress our characters to our heart's content.
I've loved all of the Monster Hunter games on the 3ds but this entry seems to be a step in a better direction!!
What a great time to own a PS4!
Welcome back to Playstation Monster Hunter!!
I know people have been wanting MH to return to the PS home console for a long time now and now that it is I hope they go out buy this game so that it does well sales wise.
It is a lot of fun, should keep me busy with hunting terrifying monsters until Bloodborne 2 arrives.
I've really struggled to get into it, despite some semblance of a tutorial it still doesn't tell you simple things like how your meant to heal properly or sharpen your weapon etc Plus I'm hating the timed quests mechanic, it's hard enough trying to take down these things, getting killed then having to run all the way back to it which loses you a minute at best. It also discourages a more methodical approach like setting traps etc because time is at the essence. I much prefer how Horizon did it. Lock on doesn't work half the time it just unlocks during combat so your not hitting what you should either and who ever decided to have "sheath your weapon automatically" mechanic on by default wants bloody smacking. I can see the potential but it's nowhere near intuitive enough to appeal to a casual audience.
I don't know maybe there's a huge wall you have to get over but for a beta that's trying to sell the game to me, I had problems with it.
I wonder what Monster Hunter’s future will be AFTER this game?
Stay Multiplatform/extend to Nintendo so it’s on everything? (And before you say it won’t be able to run it who knows we don’t know Capcom’s in-house engines and the specifications compared to Switch). Become PlayStation Exclusive? (May be laughable to think for this one but) go back to Nintendo for Japanese gamers (unless PS4 sales of World in Japan can match the sales of the 3DS games which will be a challenge)
Super impressive beta, i've often extolled the virtues of MH to my lad but he's never been interested in the recent 3DS games, he never tried it because of the graphics! But he and several of his friends haven't stopped playing MHW (hardly found time for myself) and now all desperately want the full game.
@adf86 My thoughts exactly. Let's hope on release it's all sorted.
@adf86 It does take a little getting used to with the controls. Healing is done with the spike or your potions. I found most of the info right on the HUD and even more in the Training Area. And I believe the timed events are specific quest events, the whole game isn't timed.
@get2sammyb My friends and I had a lot of fun playing this. I really enjoyed the parkor and the fast ways to travel with glow bugs and vines. The animation is amazing. Trying all the weapons in the beta was great to get a feel for what play style fits you the most.
I do hope they address some griefer points, like you can knock people out of looting by hitting them. Overall, this is on my list!
@stueyd67 @adf86 I didn't really have any problems getting into it HOWEVER I have to imagine they'll ease you in even better in the final release.
The beta's fairly easy, but with so many newcomers flocking to the franchise, I agree it would be beneficial to really help people understand it.
Failing that, we'll have some guides on the site!
@get2sammyb Don't get me wrong Sammy I haven't completely ruled the game out but for a beta it didn't do enough for me, most of the things I mentioned I can get over but the timed quests are the sticking point right now. I feel it discourages any other way of playing and I hope their not essential to get anwhere cos it was the timed quests that put me off Dead Rising as well.
The combat is just too darn too slow for me especially after playing Dragon's Dogma recently. I'll try a few more times to get into it but right now I'm not really digging it.
@adf86 there is Free Roam in the actual game
But Timed Quests is part of the overall MH formula
Most of the time you’ll have 50 Minutes to beat say Rathalos
That’s enough time tbh
Some quests lower it like Elder Dragons or have a particular way for you to fail
@ApostateMage Try Dual Blades
Very fast paced!
@Derpie1 If 50 minutes is more the standard then that's more doable, thanks.
@adf86 It is
Dunno if they changed that much or at all in this game cus this game is changing some conventions of MH but previously 50 mins = Standard...
Just note in previous games you can only die twice before you fail
Here they put 9 deaths idk if that’s permanent
I was pretty impressed with the beta but still not sold on whether I'd buy it day one though.Like @adf86 said already,I don't really find it as welcoming to newcomers to the series as I thought it would be.And the easiest mission to everyone else I struggled with and the second mission I ran out of time twice and failed the hunt.20 minutes is way too little time..it wasn't even as if I was messing about.
Still,it looks great and I did enjoy it which is the main thing
I only played the 3 available quests (1 offline/2 online) and I really enjoyed it! The only thing I didn't like was the controls! First of all pressing triangle all the time made my finger hurt more and more xD but seriously I feel like there should be a jump button (sometimes I don't know if pressing X will result in jumping off a ledge or not), the square button should be the standard attack button and I feel like some weapons are awful slow to use!
Rest I loved it! Like the world is so well crafted and with pretty visuals like that is a real damn fine game
@AFCC there never was a jump button it’s similar to Zelda before Breath of The Wild (3D wise) where Link just can’t... jump...
Only ways to “jump” is to use the Insect Glaive which allows you to lift yourself up... otherwise you’ll need a ledge and run off the ledge but there are some places where you get a button prompt to jump off a cliff also you can climb on certain places and wall jump...
@get2sammyb True enough. I will definitely need a guide!
@ApostateMage I've found Monster Hunter is a lot more... Deliberate, and that feeling mostly stems from how slow many of the weapons seem. Totally understand where you're coming from.
But I do think it's one of those combat systems you need to get used to — almost like a fighting game in some ways. Spacing, timing, all of that stuff comes into it more than a lot of other action RPGs.
I'd say stick with it and try out more and more weapons. There are faster ones like the sword and shield/twin blades that are a great place to start.
@ApostateMage @Derpie1 @ShogunRok Seconding (thirding?) the Dual Blades recommendation. They're really fast.
Great write-up. I really enjoyed my time with the beta (still am) but still taking a "wait and see" approach on release week.
The beta had an always-online connection for singleplayer, hoping that isn't in the official release because I usually take my time with SP quests so I wouldnt be able to suspend the game.
Besides that, what was considered "expert" felt really easy. Maybe it's just "veteran player" talk but I was mopping up Rathalos and all the other monsters in no time.
Overall, really awesome translation to a PS4 game. Having MH in this quality is a dream come true. Capcom is getting dangerously close to "I like their games again!"
@get2sammyb @ApostateMage Also there is the Training Room! Which allows you to test out weapons and see what you like and dislike.
@BraveFencerZan Nah I doubt they’re gonna do Online only...
Capcom wanna avoid as much controversy as possible (hence why they ain’t throwing loot boxes into this game) as they want this game to succeed and try to make Monster Hunter more mainstream
(Only hate they’re getting is from well the previous platforms’ fans that is annoyed that they’re not at least getting the G Rank Expansion to the previous MH game... Monster Hunter Generations)
@Derpie1 @ShogunRok @get2sammyb Cheers Monster Hunters, I'll give them a (hopefully fast) whirl.
The game is incredible. I'll be getting it day 1 if possible. And for the people who are saying it was easy, keep in mind that they lowered the difficulty for the Beta. It won't be so easy when the full game comes out.
But yeah, people wanting to just run in and slay monsters without breaking a sweat should consider skipping this game. It's basically a somewhat more accessible Dark Souls. Also, you should look stuff up online if you don't know what to do, rather than rely on the game to spoon-feed you all the information on everything. It's generally pretty good about telling you how to do stuff, but it does expect you to learn some things on your own, like where to find everything and how to learn the nuances of the weapons.
My favorite weapon is probably the Dual Blades. Everything is equally viable and they did a great job of balancing it all, but some weapons are more technical than others, and I found the Dual Blades pretty accessible for someone who doesn't quite know what they're doing yet. Plus, I love how fast they are and how mobile you are with them. You really have to be aggressive with them, though, due to the fact that they rely on aggressive and frequent combos to dish out damage, rather than only a few slow attacks at a time like some of the other weapons. You have to be on that monster as much as you reasonably can be without dying. The hammer, sword and shield, greatsword, and longsword are also pretty accessible for beginners, but all the weapons in the game do require skill and know-how to wield them to their fullest potential.
Also, if a monster falls asleep, please don't run up to it and smack it right away, because your teammates are probably setting a bunch of traps and explosives for it, and you should be too. Consider setting traps for it before you actually engage it as well, because I've found a lot of the larger monsters tend to ignore you until you attack them.
I played the beta, and as a gamer who's first Monster Hunter experience is with MH World... I have to say I am deeply overwhelmed by everything... and I take this as a good sign
@KirbyTheVampire Actually... it’s low rank... and Low Rank is kinda easy specially when you have competent teammates... now Soloing that’s where it’s more
Can you beat the clock?
@Derpie1 I didn't say the low level stuff was gonna be super hard, but I've heard complaints that it's too easy, which is why I said they lowered the difficulty.
@KirbyTheVampire ah..
Missed the beta - not keen on the online components but the game itself does look pretty ace from what I hace seen!
I'm assuming we have to pay to play this game online?
I was pretty disappointed tbh and I went in super excited. Across all games I've sunk about 400 hours in, but this is not the huge revolution I was expecting.
It's just more MH with a shinier coat, open areas, and the ability to get points from foot prints <shrugs>
This was my first go with a MH game. I was interested at first based on Sammy's write up, but this has become a day one buy for me based on my time with the Beta. The game is flat out fun to play either solo or with friends.
I used the Feathered Bladed Spear most. Once you get all the bug buffs going and manage your flying about ability, it was really fun and powerful. Once of the easiest weapons to get your dino rodeo going! Dual Blades was a close second. The spiked war flute was fun to use and buff the party. Made me think of the EQ bard class.
Odd people complain about not beating a monster on the first try. Gamers are a fickle bunch. I would hate a game that was too easy and just rolled through. Timed events are not my favorite, but you are meant to fail as you level up your gear and craft materials then go back. It's an RPG/Action game.
@Derpie1 it's very counter-intuitive and since they are appealing to a wider audience they should think about it
I'm so excited for this game. The greater focus on story is much appreciated and it'll be great to play MH at a resolution higher than 400x240 and at a framerate that doesn't commonly dip below 20.
@ExsMacaroni If you mean you have to pay for PlayStation Plus then yes.
@AFCC I really don’t think it’s needed tbh but if you needa jump
Master the Insect Gliave...
@Matroska MH4U was actually targeting 60 and is at least over 30 on NEW 3DS and is about near 30ish on reg 3DS. Generations drops to 30 and actually is somewhat stable but is only 30 because of the arts...
@AhabSpampurse Well, we did only see a small sliver of the game. And plus, I don't think they were ever trying to reinvent the wheel with World. They just wanted to take what was already there to the next level, and I'd say they 100% suceeded. This looks and feels like a top-quality game.
@Derpie1 Mounting the monsters is really fun! Should be available in a much easier way!
@KirbyTheVampire yeah, I think the fault was mine for having expectations too high. I think calling it a beta was a bit misleading though. I was expecting something meaty, but it just struck me as pretty much identical to any one of the demos that the 3DS has had in the past.
And yeah, I'm in agreement that MH demos cover a miniscule portion of the final product, so here's hoping the final product will be more satisfying. As mentioned above, I'm a fan of the franchise so they'll get my money regardless
@AhabSpampurse Yeah, calling it a Beta was just pure marketing, to make people feel like they were being hardcore or whatever. In reality, it was just a demo.
But yeah, it'll be interesting to see the final product, especially for me, since I haven't played MH since Tri. I'm beyond pumped for it.
I'm downloading the demo now, planning to play with a few friends if possible.
the real test is going to see how grindy the game is going to be
Do we need to change weapon when facing different beast? I have problem defeating barroth (mission 2) using sword and bow, I finally defeat it using blunt weapon (rock club).
I still can't defeat anjanath, my weapon damage is not enough so my time limit already expired before I defeat it. I have fun using bow but the damage is too small
@bbtothe Monster hunter is a loot based game like diablo, so it will be grindy. But like diablo, it should be a fun grind
So is this game an online only game? Or just for beta purposes
@RoyalGuard Just for the Beta. They wanted to test the servers out.
I made the transition from Switch to PS4 for this franchise and after playing the demo I can honestly say it was the right decision.
@wiiware No, you can use any weapon for any monster. Blunt weapons are good for Barroth in the sense that you can strike his head, whereas most other weapons tend to bounce off, but you can still attack the other parts of his body perfectly fine.
And you're probably just not very good with the bow yet, which is why you're not having success with it. It's a pretty technical weapon, and it requires combos to be effective just like all the other ones.
Would this game be enjoyable offline?. Or do you need to play co-op to enjoy and complete.
Would this game be enjoyable offline?. Or do you need to play co-op to enjoy and complete.
@brendon987 It's the same exact game offline, except that there's no other people playing with you. I think there's a full story mode, too, if I'm not mistaken.
As I read this article, I feel like I've played an entirely different game. Never played MH before, so was excited to see what it's all about. The only thing I liked were the monsters which looked cool. Aside from that, combat felt clunky, the monsters don't react to attacks in a realistic way, the UI gave me sore eyes with its small icons and text, all mechanics felt hidden, nothing was explained well even in the weapon training part, it was all too easy: I beat the final mission in 10mins while just spamming triangle circle without any strategy or depth. Even though it was just 3 missions, I found the pattern where i pick up smell/tracks > attack monster and damage to a certain point > runs away to a different area and other monsters get involved > attack and damage again > runs away to nest > attack and kill > repetitive and boring. Maybe fans of the game are used to this and maybe the final build be better!
@KirbyTheVampire This is my first monhun, I tried the demo on 3ds but didn't like it, but I like this one. I hope capcom upgraded the bow damage for the full game, using dragon piercer on monster is bad ass lol
Also I hope the full game has proper weapon training for newb like me.
Played a couple of quests/missions did not enjoy it. Found the combat to be lethargic. I was hyped after seeing the trailer for the game made it look like the combat would be fast and exciting but it was the exact opposite.
I've been pretty busy the past few days, but I've been able to play the beta now and then. Today I played 4-5 hours straight with a friend. So far, I absolutely love the new combos they've added to each weapon. The Switch Axe, my favorite, has really become such a fluid weapon, even more so than what it was in 4U.
Probably the only suggestion I would give anyone would be to change the camera settings from Lock-On to Target Cam like it's been in the past games. I find that it helps to be able to have the camera look at the monster whenever you need it to, but also have the camera constantly free for you to control manually as you move around.
@GodOfPie I don't quite get how to use both the switch axe and charge axe. They'll a little bit to confusing for me.:/ So far I've been range weapons and the hammer.
Edit: I think I understand how the Switch Axe works now.
@dryrain I think we've been spoilt by Bloodborne in that regard, fast a terrifying fights with huge nightmare monsters. But I think this game has a lot to offer, it's just a very different beast. I think planning ahead and having a strategy in place is going to play a big part in this.
Played and beat all three missions with buddies yesterday and I honestly don't see what the hype is about. The monsters are absolute sponges,there is no feedback when attacking them it literally feels like you're hitting air,a time limit that is absolutely not needed which gets even more annoying when because the monsters have no health bar you never know if you're close to beating them or not when time runs,the graphics aren't really impressive at all and I was playing on a pro capcom def touched up those screenshots where the game looks absolutely beautiful and tons more problems big and small I could name. I don't see how anybody could think this a goty contender it's just not polished enough to even be considered imo.
@dark_knightmare2
The monsters are sponges because this game is supposed to be hard. This isn't a game where you can just run in and slash them to bits immediately.
While the feedback doesn't exactly jump out at you, it's definitely there. And besides, little numbers shoot out showing how much damage you did, so that should be enough of an indicator, regardless.
The time limit is probably there to force people to actually play the game and not slowly chip away at the monsters. You can craft many consumables in the wild, and thus people would be able to slowly grind away at it until you finally killed it. With the time limit, you have to actually fight the monster and be skilled.
Monsters have many visible cues that show how damaged they are. If they start limping, stumbling, slobbering, have visibly damaged body-parts all over them etc, then you'll know that you've got them on the ropes.
The graphics aren't the best ever, but they're very serviceable IMO, and I don't really know why you're gaming on PlayStation if graphics are that important to you. There are better platforms out there for that, like PC.
@dryrain This is more like a game of chess than a hack and slash. Not for everyone.
@Jorjk Like I said to the other guy, this is sort of like a game of chess, so the combat's not gonna be super fast and flashy. You have to be very methodical in your approach, at least when you start fighting harder monsters. Not every game needs to be a super flashy game where you just charge in spinning all over the place and wreck the monsters in 5 seconds.
I'm not really sure what you're referring to with monsters not reacting to attacks realistically, but this is a game where you're hunting monsters and people are swinging around weapons that weigh hundreds of pounds. I don't think realism is really the point of the game.
I didn't find the UI bad, but I guess it just comes down to getting used to it. There is a lot going on in Monster Hunter games, so there is definitely a lot of text on the screen.
The story mode in Tri explained everything pretty well, so I imagine it'll be the same thing with World. Either way, you can always just Google your questions.
The Beta has a lowered difficulty, and these were low level monsters, so things will get a lot more interesting in the full game.
I've tried a few times to get into MH but I'm just not digging it at all. For a game all about slaying big monsters you'd think the combat would slick and satisfying but I just found it dull and couldn't even see or feel if my sluggish feeling button taps were connecting with beasties. Maybe it's just not my bag but I don't get why many are swooning over this.
This will be the game that probably makes forget all else exists gaming-wise for a few months. Preordered and ready to go. Didn't even want to spoil a second by playing the Beta last weekend.
@KirbyTheVampire
First of all, thanks for the reply! I want to love this game, I want to hunt big monsters, and I know this franchise is beloved so I'm happy its coming to PS4 (my only gaming platform).
If the developers want to give this franchise a new home on big screen TVs and among western gamers, they need to make the UI more intuitive and more accessible. I understand their has been a dozen of MH games, so returning players probably won't have an issue knowing how to make the maximum of the gameplay. However PS only gamers like myself will have a hard time accepting the UI as it is in the Beta. I love JRPGs and non western games, but this one seems out of my reach. I hope the final game will include either a tutorial or a clear UI thay won't give me sore eyes.
As for the tactical approach of combat. I didn't find any tact in spamming triangle and circle while hiding under the back legs of 3 different monsters. It was enough to take them down. I didn't find any strengths/weaknesses neither to the monster nor to the weapons (maybe hidden in the painfully small UI). Timing the attacks for combos also felt clunky so I eventually stopped trying. All 3 monsters followed the same pattern in terms of starting to use thrust attacks, escaping to different areas, then escaping to nest. As for reaction to my attacks, the only 2 things I got were limping towards the end, and occasional lying down exposed to more attacks. Blunt attacks with those hundred pound weapons to different body parts produced zero reaction from the monster as if Im hitting a wall of reinforced concrete. The monster just keeps doing whats its doing, attacks or animations never got interrupted. And every X amount of damage, I get the same animation where the monsters falls and gets exposed to more attacks for a brief time.
PS i do not speaking native english so in many places I fail to find the correct word.
I want to love this game, maybe I will rent it when it releases.
Thank again for taking time to reply.
@WanderingBullet Well, you know, the Switch Axe is an ax that can become a sword or something. What I think it great about it is that there is a set of attacks that you can do with it in Axe mode and another set of attacks in sword mode. The main thing about the Switch Axe is that you can chain these two move sets together.
For example, in ax mode, the main way I try and begin a combo is by pressing Triangle-Circle to do an upswing. The best attack that ax mode has is where after an upswing, you mash Circle and your character swings the ax left and right over and over while you keep mashing Circle until you either run out of stamina, or you go into doing another attack. That's usually what ax mode is about: swing the ax a bunch of times, which uses your stamina. Then when you are low on stamina, do other ax attacks until your stamina is back.
You can also begin your attack combo other ways, and still mix in the upswing then left-right slashing into it. You can, for example, press the left stick forward and press Triangle to stab forward with the ax, then press Circle to a sweep with the ax, then go into Triangle-Circle (or I think you can just press Triangle in this case) to begin upswing land.
For learning such a weapon, I'd recommend you try using it only in ax mode until you are comfortable with the ax move set. After that, try using Sword mode by pressing R2 to switch into Sword mode.
In Sword mode, your axe becomes a sword - pretty kewl. While using it like this, it consumes energy stored in a phial, which is shown in the top-left of the screen. Every time you swing the weapon around in Sword mode, you use a bit of this energy. There are various slashing combos that you can figure out by just mashing Triangle and Circle in different patterns, so Sword mode isn't very difficult. Once you run out of Phial energy, you go back into Axe mode. You can wait for the Phial energy to re-charge on its own, or you can reload it using R2.
Once you can use both modes individually, you can experience the the glory of the Switch axe. You can switch weapon modes mid-combo! If you are doing some fancy combo in Ax mode, then press R2 during an attack, you can usually switch into Sword mode and immediately do a Sword attack. This also works the other way, where you can switch back to ax mode while swinging the Sword mode around.
Also, in Sword mode, you can do a burst attack by pressing Triangle-Circle. This makes you stab your Sword axe into a monster and you have to mash Triangle for a bit, then your ax releases all of its Phial energy into the monster as an explosion.
Anyways, I know the beta is over, but if you have any interest in MH and maybe even have a 3DS, I'd suggest trying Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. While the combos for each weapon in that game aren't as fancy as they've made them in World, 4U is where they also made a few improvements to the move sets moving on from 3 Ultimate.
(Why 4U and not Generations? idk I don't like Generations as much)
It seems that I've written a mini-guide about Switch axes lol. The Charge blade works similarly, where you attack in one mode, attack in another mode, and can switch between them mid-combo.
Charge blade is about charging your weapon with energy by doing attacks in sword and shield mode. Once your phial gauge glows, you can press R2+Circle to charge the phials in the blade. Then when you switch to Axe mode, your attacks are charged and each hit uses one phial of energy.
There are also more advanced things about the charge blade, such as that you can first put your phial energy into the shield instead, then charge the sword. This makes your attacks really strong. And if you think the charge blade is pretty neat, look up "Charge Blade Guard Points".
If you care to know, I've sunk 2000+ hours into MH3U alone. I think that I have 1500 in 4U, but a measly 400 in Generations. idk.
@Jorjk Fair enough. I'm used to the UI because I played Tri, but it is pretty confusing at first. It generally does click with most people after a while, though.
As for the difficulty, this Beta really was just meant to give people a taste of the game. It is much more easy than the full game, and thus the more technical aspects of hunting like traps, poisoned weapons, foraging for extra gear to craft etc basically weren't necessary at all. It just came down to the basic weapon combat, and due to the lowered difficulty and the fact that we were facing low level monsters, using big elaborate combos, timing your attacks, utilizing the environment to your advantage etc wasn't really present either.
And I think the fact that the monsters don't react to every swing just comes down to the fact that combat lasts much longer than it does in most other games, so they can't just be flinching every 2 seconds or it wouldn't be a fight at all.
Ultimately though, I'm not the best one to sell you on the game, because I've only played Tri, and pretty casually at that. I just know that the full game will be much more interesting than the Beta.
@KirbyTheVampire
I hope so, I will be checking reviews and will rent it.
@GodOfPie Thanks for info. I actually played a few more sessions using only the Switch Axe before the beta ended yesterday and got a better understanding of it before reading your message. I will give a Charge Blade a try again when the full game releases.
I didn't play the beta, but I looked at gameplay vids. After fighting Thunderjaws in Horizon the gameplay just felt so slow. But I know MH is just a very different kind of beast, so still looking forward to this game.
@Jorjk Don't worry about your English. It's pretty good anyway! Really dug reading your impressions on MH, so feel free to stick around on here. (I'm not a native speaker of English either, by the way.)
@Kidfried thank you! This forum seems to be filled with nice people
@WanderingBullet That's great! I hope you enjoy your time with the game. MH isn't a game about being the best at it; it's about having fun smashing monsters with your friends.
@GodOfPie Yeah, co-op in MH games are fun.
Tap here to load 77 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...