Summary
Monster Hunter Wildsis one of 2025’s most anticipated games, and that can be attributed in large part to the success ofMH World.Monster Hunterhas been around since the early 00s, but untilWorld’s release in 2018, it was a niche series. The franchise’s explosion into the mainstream is the result of a number of factors.Worldintroduced open zones, and its opening hours provided players with a better opportunity to learn its mechanics than previous entries did. The quality of life has never been higher for fans ofMHgames, butWorldmissed out on some key features thatMonster Hunter Wildsneeds to add.
Monster Hunter Worldsis a great game because of its fantastic environments, fearsome creatures, and excellent gameplay that has been refined over the course of decades. On the other hand,the story ofMonster Hunter Worldis lackluster and often tedious to sit through. With a long run time and unskippable cutscenes,World’s story often feels more like a roadblock to content than a way to encourage players to see more of the game. A forgettable story is par for the course for the franchise, and the most recent entry,Rise, was no exception. In spite of a poor track record with regard to crafting a compelling narrative,Monster Hunteris still a captivating experience.
Monster Hunter WildsNeeds Skippable Cutscenes
Their often shallow stories have never held backMonster Huntergames, as the appeal of the series is hunting large beasts. These beasts have consistent behavior and exist in the world much the same way actual animals might. The story inMonster Hunter Worldand other major games in the series often feels tacked on and isolated from the hunts themselves, seldom impacting the experience in a meaningful way. A compelling story would, of course, make Monster Hunter Wilds a better game, but what it really needs is skippable cutscenes.Monster Hunter World’s pacing was often held up by lengthy cutscenes that players couldn’t skip, meaning that players being able to skip over dialog and cinematics and move at their own pace is one of theadvantagesMH Risehas overWorld.
Monster Hunter Rise Gets Cutscenes Right
Monster Hunter Risewas the Switch-exclusive follow-up toMH World.It has since been ported to other platforms, though its environments and some other aspects are still a downgrade from its predecessor.The recent resurgence ofMonster Hunter Worldshines a light onRise’s limitations, butRise’s more aggressive pacing is one of the things it gets right.Riselets players mash through dialog, and the vast majority of its brief cutscenes are skippable. On top of this, the game has fewer superfluous quests designed to introduce different areas.Monster Hunter Riselets players get right to hunting and has a reduced emphasis on storytelling. This might make aspects of the game less beginner-friendly, but overall,Rise’s pacing and smaller story are improvements.
How Should Monster Hunter Wilds Handle Pacing?
Monster Hunter World’s emphasis on story and its unskippable cutscenes, while annoying, were there to help onboard new players to the franchise.Worldlaunched the franchise into the mainstream because it is decidedly more accessible and more modern. Both new and old players are returning toMonster Hunter Worldin 2024in no small part because it is easy to approach. Skippable cutscenes inMonster Hunter Wilds, alongside making some of the tutorial-esque missions optional, could allow for it to effectively welcome new hunters without making uninterested players sit through content they aren’t enjoying.
RecentMonster Huntergames have placed a greater emphasis on quality of life and accessibility than the series ever did in the past, and its rapid growth in popularity reflects the importance of these changes. One of thethings thatMonster Hunter Wildscan do to improve on MH Worldis to include the ability to skip cutscenes as well as other similar quality-of-life changes to improve pacing. Doing so will helpMonster Hunter Wildstake full advantage of the surrounding hype while pushing the series forward in new directions.
