![]() ![]() Fully configurable keyboard and mouse controls are as cozy as any controller, and extensive graphics options will get it running just fine on older rigs with enough tweaking. But it is stable, and built with PC users in mind. You can read the full rundown in our performance analysis. Not quite a perfect port, World is a deceptive resource hog that likely won’t run at the high framerates you’d expect it to. If the intent of crafting and gear management (the usual downtime activity between hunts) is to make you feel as if you've cultivated food, curated your looks, and performed the proper research required to take down whatever big boy is next on the list, then abstract menu interactions aren’t the most inventive or satisfying way to go about it. And when you can walk the line and land a rare, righteous combo directly on a Rathain's scaly dome, the feeling is euphoric.īut so much gets in the way of that crunchy feedback loop. Remember: this is not your house, and you are very small.Ĭombat isn’t fun in the way it is in Dark Souls or Devil May Cry, which reward constant, fluid combos and perfect timing, but it is always tense, and often hilarious. For example, if you jump while sprinting to dodge an attack, your character will always leap forward and fall flat on their face. Swings and shots from your friends can interrupt your own, and your every attempt to exhaust your movement abilities will also exhaust your character. Big sword or not, you can and will get poisoned, paralyzed, burned, stunlocked, put to sleep and become subject to every attack your quarry can muster while you're helpless. It still looks tiny to a burrowing sand wyvern or electric flying squirrel lizard. I’m partial to the switch axe, a weapon that stores elemental damage in axe form and releases it in explosive bursts after transforming into a glowing sword the size of a teenager. Swings with the greatsword take literal seconds of animation, the hammer requires getting too close for comfort, and even the mobile ranged weapons feel like unwieldy, clunky machines. That’s OK because World’s combat is strongest when it feels like a struggle. When you can walk the line and land a rare, righteous combo directly on a Rathain's scaly dome, the feeling is euphoric. Knowing your environment, where the monster might be headed, and the fastest way to get there only comes with experience. At certain intervals, they’ll make a break for it and try to find a place to sleep or prey of their own to eat in order to build HP and stamina, turning hunts into frenzied chases. Monsters have no visible health bar, but they’ll appear tired and increasingly scarred the weaker they get. It's like ASMR, but with swords and dragons. Do you try to lure an Anjanath beneath a massive boulder strung up by vines above? Loosing it with your slingshot could flatten you too. Environmental hazards complicate hunts further. Letting them duke it out while you hide can work in your favor, sure, but staying out of the way isn’t easy. Problem is, biomes are populated with monsters besides your target, and they’ll probably interrupt your fight. Scoutflies, sentient compass bugs, will point you to nearby crafting materials and monster tracks, always nudging you towards an inevitable fight. ![]() From there, you’ll wander an intricate environment in search of your monster. You ‘post’ a quest in Astera, the busy hub area, eat a quick meal to buff your stats, and if you’re playing with friends, you and up to three others embark to a particular biome. ![]() Gods or dodos, hunts work the same throughout the entire game. ![]() Somehow, they get bigger yet, with creatures that resemble fallen, very grumpy gods. Hitting one until it stops moving for the first time is an immense, sad accomplishment.Īnd then a Rathian plunges from the sky and captures an Anjanath in its claws, flailing your former final boss monster around like a ragged teddy bear. The Anjanath, a fire-breathing, chicken-winged T-Rex, would be the final boss in most games. The Kulu-Ya-Ku is a big dodo bird that uses big rocks as its first line of defense. My favorite, the Paolumu, is a fuzzy pink and white bat creature that balloons like a blowfish when threatened. All 30-something monsters (with more on the way via free updates) have distinct personalities brought to life through realistic animation, observable behaviors, and detailed models. ![]()
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