Is 'Monster Hunter: World' worth playing five years later?

Monster Hunter: World is a game that was released in two halves. The first being the base game- released back in January 2018, and the second being Iceborne, a massive DLC that tripled the game's content in one quick move- released in September 2019.

While two more entries have been released in the franchise (Monster Hunter Rise and Monster Hunter Stories 2) World is still by far the most full and cohesive package you can buy right now.

For those unfamiliar with the franchise, the core hook of the game is that you go out and fight a few small dinosaurs, you carve materials from them to make armour and weapons so that you can go and fight even bigger and more deadly monsters. And repeat.

While this may sound repetitive it is in fact quite the opposite. The armour and weapon trees grant you unique skills and abilities and can be mixed and matched into thousands of combinations. As you progress towards the end game you also unlock jewels which allow you even further customisation to what you want your character to be.

The game keeps things fresh with a weapon system that can parallel some other games' “choose your class” function with each of the 14 weapon types completely changing how you approach a fight. The slow but devastating Great Sword user will play vastly different than the quick and nimble Dual Blades user.

Through the armour and weapons systems (as well as an extensive character creation screen at the start of the game) you can truly create a character unique to yourself. Not one person will have the exact same experience with this game as another and that is special.

Now the best part… the monsters themselves. Monster Hunter: World had a total of 31 different large monsters within it which was brought up to a whopping 71. Some of these were released during special updates and seasonal events to keep the game fresh during its first few years. Every monster in this game is incredibly well designed and unique not just in looks, but in the way they fight, the locale they may be found in, their behaviours and habits. In other words, the wild electric-powered ape Rajang differs from the sleek ice-blasting Elder Dragon Velkhana. The world really feels alive and everything has its role in the ecosystem.

The semi-open world structure of several mini maps being explorable play host to completely different locales and endemic life, from a vibrant jungle to a sweltering desert. These locales all have unique monsters that look like they do belong there. Even with the game being five years old, the graphics still hold up on their own due to an FPS boost on newer consoles and PC.

This is amazing as it means every single fight is different and must be approached from a different angle. After a while of playing, you may start becoming familiar with a monster’s patterns making it seem more like a choreographed dance than a fight.

The game does have a few minor downsides. Since the game is five years old, as of 2020, the content editions to the game are finished meaning there will be no newer content added. On top of that, some players have moved on to some of the newer games. The Monster Hunter community is one of the friendliest and most helpful communities out there, but you may have to look to online forums to find some people to join you on your hunts now.

To sum up, should you get Monster Hunter World 5 years on? Absolutely. There is so much content and fun to be had with this game, plus it is often on sale now, so there is no better time to take on the New World than right now.