Field Survey: Play Game for 3 Hours
I bought this game on 30% off and it is absolutely worth the price.
Monster Hunter World came out a few months ago, and I was absolutely ready to play it. But the price tag was just too steep. With the $20 off original price this Black Friday and the break this week, I was able to put about ~20 hours into the game. And? It’s worth it.
Players are free to choose to form multiplayer teams or to tackle a mission alone — and the game is not terribly difficult as to need teammates. Sure, the first time hunting or traversing a map can be confusing, but the learning curve is not difficult enough as to need to Google a tutorial. One thing I do have to gripe about is the clarity of information and how they present it for new players. When new content appears for players, a veritable instruction booklet pops up on screen, and I have to read a whole essay and watch a video to see how a mechanic functions. Surely there are better ways to explain the mechanics of battle than making players read a full page research paper.
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Otherwise, the dynamics of the game are simple to pick up. Keep your health high, keep your inventory well stocked, dodge attacks, and hit when there’s an opening. Maps can be explored and are separated into different numbered sections. Different monsters appear in different areas. Some can be found in the dark undergrowth of a forest, others traverse the dark caves in the cliff sides, and airborne creatures can be found in the canopies of large trees. Resources such as crafting material can be found from hunting monsters and scavenging the wilderness.
Outside of combat, players can prepare for expeditions and missions in a central hub where they can practice with a variety of weapons, manage their storage, buy and sell resources, and craft weapons and armor. This area also serves as a lobby for people to find and create teams to tackle a mission together.
Game Dev Challenge
An arena made of blocks like a chessboard, but each block contains different setups. Some can be just open, others will have obstacles or choke points. The blocks can be moved at will by the player controlling the level, but only in specific patterns. Other players start in different rooms and must find each other and escape together. The player controlling the arena can release monsters or block off paths. Certain controls in random rooms allow activation of a teleportation portal that leads to another block for players.
