For the uninitiated, a gameplay loop is a "mechanic" in video games that keeps you coming back. As a living medium they have an opportunity that books, movies, and tv shows don't get.
Jump to heading What is Monster Hunter?
Monster Hunter is like Pokemon, except instead of cute little monsters, you fight giant ones. And instead of capturing them, you hunt them.
Jump to heading What is the gameplay loop?
This is what I'm having trouble with. In a "Souls-like" game, the loop is very tight. Fight the boss, die, try again, die, succeed, find the next boss. The Metroidvania genre is much the same, but with a heavier emphasis on exploration and back tracking through old areas to find new things. Call of Duty and other shooters are simple free for all or team based shooters, who ever got the most kills wins.
Jump to heading What about Monster Hunter?
Disclaimer
I have yet to convince my friends to pick the game up, so I will not be speaking on that social aspect of going out hunting with your friends.
When booting up Monster Hunter (I am playing Rise), you are congratulated on becoming a "Hunter" for the town you live in. Then you go out and hunt monsters. Come back to the village, earn some rewards and then pick up a new quest and get hunting.
That loop is kind of befuddling for me. The story is all but nonexistent, and the main motivators seem to be:
- Complete quests to improve the town
- Complete quests to improve the Quest Hub
This loop is circular. Get a quest, go hunt a monster, return for rewards, improve weapons and armor, go on another quest. Do more quests to get better stuff to go on more quests.
Jump to heading Is that a bad thing?
I don't think so, and they keep making the games so they must be doing well. The loop isn't a call to action, like Legend of Zelda, or story driven, like Last of Us, it is an endless loop of hunting and questing.
It's in the title, so I'm not surprised. It isn't bad either, it's a good game!
There is a satisfaction when you get wrecked by a monster and are forced to return. But you visit the black smith, review some stats, double check your skills, and find out you had serious weaknesses left unaddressed in your kit. Time to go hunting for that weird fire bird monster so you can make the dual blades you need.
Then you get to the monster that beat you, and it is like atomic bomb vs. coughing baby. It is satisfying. I don't get how that continues, what is bringing me back to the game.
Despite all of that, I'm going to play it again tonight.