Playing Monster Hunter again made me nostalgic, and there are things in it that I never got to experience in the past. I think they’re great and so I’m going to share them with you.

In my previous post, I wrote about my experience in Monster Hunter World and essentially explained how much I loved playing the game.

However, I don’t think I gave enough reasons as to how the game captured my heart.

In one way, this is just a rewrite of my previous article but I feel like I need to be concrete and straightforward so new and retired hunters can get enticed into playing Monster Hunter World.

So, in this article, we will take a closer look at five gameplay mechanics featured in Monster Hunter World that I loved.

Whether you’re a seasoned, returning, or beginner hunter, you will surely appreciate these mechanics that elevate your hunting experience.

1. Seamless World Design

I may have already harped on this so much, but it really needs to be said over and over again.

Monster Hunter World has one of the most entertaining, visually impressive, and intricately built worlds in video game history – at least in my opinion.

While not a complete open-world experience, Monster Hunter World definitely took inspiration from open-world games by making hunting locations large, vibrant, and seamlessly connected to the overarching world.

What I mean by this is that each location is thematically consistent, unboringly large, and cohesive.

I honestly think I’m doing a bad job of describing my point. So, let’s look at some hunting locations instead.

Ancient Forest

The first area you are placed in is the Ancient Forest, which is located at the edge of the “New World” island and is the first hunting location you will be in.

It features an abundant amount of vegetation, overgrown trees, rivers and ponds, a coastline area, murky swamps, and considerably large plains area.

The world-building does not end in the area’s immediate design; there are hints and references to neighboring areas outside the map.

In fact, you can actually see Astera, the hunters’ base of operations, on the outer Northern East area of the Ancient Forest.

While some players hate this map for its “confusing” loops and pathways, I personally liked it as it truly gives off the feeling of being “lost” and having to truly hunt down monsters.

It even eases you in the game, as the next areas are arguably easier to traverse.

Additionally, you will eventually also explore its upper level more often and it has one of the most exciting features: a destructible wall that gushes out a heavy stream of water.

When this heavy stream of water hits you, your fellow hunters, or a monster, they get sent down to the lowest level and hurts them in the process.

This mechanic should be its own separate point, and I wish to explore this more in the future.

Wildspire Waste

The next location is Wildspire Waste, which is located on the right side of Astera and the Eastern edge of the “New World” island.

It features large plains of deserts, and a lower level containing the nests of Diablos and Rathalos.

Despite being the most boring map in my opinion, it serves as a contrast to the complexity of the Ancient Forest.

While the Ancient Forest encourages you to travel by sliding, climbing, and swinging your way from one area to another, the Wildspire Waste will make you waste your time by walking to your objective.

2. No Loading Screens

Moving from a creative to a technical standpoint, I truly appreciate the way areas in hunting locations do not require loading screens.

You can easily travel from one area to another, making the hunting process feel more immersive and satisfying.

During my Monster Hunter Portable 2G to Monster Hunter Freedom Unite days, you cannot explore the world without interruption.

Chasing down a Rathalos from one area to another would require you to reach an entrance point, interact with it, and wait for the loading screen to finish.

With Monster Hunter World, everything is smooth and seamless.

3. Tracking, Scouting, Research, and Investigation

One of the first things I immediately noticed about Monster Hunter World was the tracking, scouting, research, and investigation gameplay mechanics.

These mechanics divided players as some people found it to make hunting an easy feat, while others, like me, appreciated it as a quality-of-life improvement.

For me, it was satisfying to have that added level of footprint or claw mark tracking in the early parts of the game.

As you keep exploring and investigating monster tracks, your hunter becomes more proficient in hunting the target monster.

The game recognizes your efforts and rewards you by having your Scoutflies direct you to it, or instantly placing you in front of the monster at the start of the mission.

The tracking mechanic was also great, as it allowed me to learn more about the monsters’ patterns and where to lay traps or expect them to go in future hunts.

Also, the investigation mechanic allowed me to track down their nests, making it an immersive and rewarding experience.

4. Wedge Beetles

The only Monster Hunter games I played in the past were Monster Hunter Portable 2G, Monster Hunter Freedom, and Monster Hunter Freedom Unite.

In those games, traversing obstacles and scaling verticals were very underdeveloped aspects of the world.

In Monster Hunter World, it was the first time I encountered better verticality in a Monster Hunter game with Wedge Beetles.

Wedge Beetles are one of the many new and exciting gameplay mechanics — at least for me, I don’t know if these are old mechanics — in Monster Hunter World.

They are small, beetle-like creatures that can be found all over the game world where you can aim at them and use your Slinger to immediately zip up and swing in a direction.

Their main use is to close vertical gaps quickly or swing from one Wedge Beetle to another for a boost in travel speed.

However, they can also be used to your advantage in combat.

I first got to use Wedge Beetles in combat when I was fighting a Jyuratodus in the Wildspire Waste.

In Area 10 of Wildspire Waste, the Jyuratodus lurks in a murky swamp area that hinders your movement significantly and improves Jyuratodus’ movements.

By luring the Piscine Wyvern near a Wedge Beetle, you can hang above it and drop down to easily mount or smash it.

Another area where Wedge Beetles are extremely helpful is in the Coral Highlands where you can fight the Kirin and Legiana.

While not extremely useful in combat, you can use Wedge Beetles to immediately go up from Area 12 to Area 15.

When the Kirin and Legiana are weak, they tend to run away and hide in Area 15.

The Wedge Beetles placed in between Area A and B can be used to let you sling in quick succession, even making you feel like Spider-man for a moment.

Again, I don’t know if there has been a mechanic in previous Monster Hunter entries that work the same way as Wedge Beetles do.

But as a returning hunter that missed a couple of Monster Hunter games in the past ten years, Wedge Beetles was a very exciting quality of life improvement.

5. Turf Wars

Finally, one of the most exciting mechanics new to me is the Turf Wars.

Turf Wars is an awesome way to change up the game, make things a little bit more immersive, and complicate hunting when two apex monsters meet each other.

Depending on how you look at it, things get easier or harder when Turf Wars happen since fights do not become straightforward.

On one hand, you can join in the fray and kill two monsters at once. On the other hand, you can sit back and let them hurt each other.

My preferred choice of action would be the latter, as I am a very bad hunter. So, instead, I much rather wait for the best opportunity to get back in the fight.

The most exciting Turf War I have ever seen is probably between a Nergigante and a Kushala Daora. Just seeing a Nergigante grab a Kushala Daora, smash it down, then throw it away looked so visceral and cool.