Those familiar with the title will love the changes it’s made, and new players will get sucked into its gameplay, which is relatively simpler than previous entries. For newbies to the franchise: if it isn’t clear, the game is about hunting for monsters. You hunt and kill, and craft armor and weapons out of your victims’ remains to strengthen yourself, then go hunt for stronger monsters. Add lots and lots of crafting hours in between all that.

Repeat.

First off, World, available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, feels like it moves faster than its predecessors. Developer Capcom puts more ease on players progressing throughout the game, making it clear what tasks need to be done. To be clear, the game is still an open-world RPG at heart; it is just a little easier to figure out where the monsters are — for instance, by tracking them down through their tracks instead of stumbling around (fun as it might be!) and hoping you’ll meet one by chance.

Another bigger change is also how the game puts more focus on the monsters than the process of running around getting ready to battle one. The result is not only viscerally more appealing (certainly for newer players wanting a quick taste of hunting monsters, as the title suggests) but also lends itself to more distinct creatures. Each one is embedded with strong characteristics — their looks, their attacks, the way they move and try to destroy you all offer strong gaming moments. The artificial intelligence (AI) also serves up cool unpredictability, with the monsters conjuring up their animalistic instincts by chasing you down no matter if you try to escape, or hopping onto a battle you’re having with another beast. These aspects bring even more liveliness to a series that certainly never lacked it.

Veterans who fear that these changes may have sacrificed the complexity they’ve no doubt grown accustomed to shouldn’t fear. The game is still multilayered with sometimes overwhelming complexities, including combos that require a huge dedication to master (YouTube tutorials come in handy plenty for cases like these).

Then there is the huge amount of weapons to choose from and master, with 14 different weapon classes in total and types of armor to craft, many of which players will have a chance to obtain every time they slay a monster. The classes all pack a good amount of individuality, which makes it worthwhile to wade through, and sure to add hours to your gameplay even if it is relatively easier than in past Hunter titles. The charge-blade and hammer are particularly effective for heavy attacks. The bowgun and hunting horn also work charms. There’s no lack of items (hundreds!) to harvest and create newer materials with, and old-school RPG addicts know how well the Hunter series has triumphed in this regard.

The controls also make it a bit easier to navigate the myriad of menus this time. The radial menu lets players select through a window of items, while the left analog stick gets characters to sprint. A particularly effective system change is also how damage done to the monsters is shown as hit points, unlike in prior entries, making it easier to decide which attack strategies work best for particular enemies.

The multiplayer mode also provides a massive amount of fun, with four players in total able to cooperate in hunting down monsters, assisting each other in a variety of ways of killing monsters while working together.

The main story isn’t great. Essentially players are on the hunt for an elusive, legendary old dragon on a new continent. It’s a straightforward excuse to really just go hunting around an area filled with monsters. And that’s really good enough.

While reasonably friendlier toward players than its predecessors, World still requires plenty of dedicated hours of managing weapons, armor and many other things. Those not accustomed to the harder spectrum of RPG gameplay will no doubt still find this “toned down” version of the series overwhelming. But those who are eager to join the ride, or to continue the one they’ve been on, will find a game rich with adventure and details. Monster Hunter: Worldreally does live up to its title.

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