As someone who joined the series during the World days, Monster Hunter has become one of my favorite gaming franchises to the point that I log in daily in Wilds for a quick hunt or to see if I can have a smooth Omega (Savage) run. And yet, despite my daily intake of Monster Hunter, I’m always looking for the next hunt, hence why I’ve been so excited for Monster Hunter Outlanders. Now, I finally had the chance to try it during its second closed beta test, and while it has the series’ familiar feel, it is also much faster-paced, grindier, and a bit limiting at times, which might be good or bad, depending on the player.
A New But Familiar Hunting Ground
I was finally part of the lucky few to jump into Monster Hunter Outlanders ahead of its launch, and as someone who has been eagerly waiting for it, I was counting the days to get into Aesoland, and the truth is, that every time I logged out, I felt surprised and satisfied, with only a slight worry, but more on that later.
In terms of story, I never spent too much time in it during a beta test, as I always prefer to experience it once the game fully launches. But since you need to progress through it to unlock certain features, here’s the gist of it: you’re part of an expedition with the mission of investigating a phenomenon happening in Aesoland, when things go wrong and an iconic flying wyvern attacks you. From there, you make your way to a village and start helping its inhabitants repel some monsters, investigate what is happening around these lands, and make a few friends while you’re at it. In short: a classic Monster Hunter experience.
What stands out here are the visuals, which, for a mobile Monster Hunter experience, Outlanders is way ahead of the curve. I played on a Samsung tablet and couldn’t reach the highest settings, but the lands, characters, and monsters all oozed style and boast some of the coolest Monster Hunter visuals I’ve seen.
When it comes to gameplay, I know many of us are used to the more methodical, slower pace of mainline MH games. Monster Hunter Outlanders, however, is all about thrusting you into the action alongside other companions who assist you and take down a monster as fast as you can. Combat can be done through its Adventure and Classic modes, of which I used the latter, as it felt more in line with what we see in mainline titles. It is, of course, simplified in many ways, such as having fewer combos and a defensive button ready for you to use. Yet what I loved were these QoL additions, such as targeting specific monster parts or triggering weapon mechanics more easily.
It’s truly surprising to see how well a mobile game can adapt the true Monster Hunter experience. While I do feel it might be divisive for some, I have to admit that I enjoy a game that allows me to hop into a hunt quickly without having to look for players who know when to dodge Arkveld’s attacks.
And now, to address the Gammoth in the room: the gacha system. Yes, Monster Hunter Outlanders is a gacha game, but don’t let that scare you. At its core, it is an excellent MH game. It even has a superb exploration system that lets you face monsters in the field without having to go to a counter. Still, you’ll be facing some of the gacha staples, such as level-gating, several characters to build, and companions like Palicoes who provide stat boosts for you and work like Light Cones in Honkai: Star Rail.
Regarding pulls, this might be a deal-breaker for some, especially since games like Neverness to Everness are making the gacha part easier for many, but Outlanders has the dreaded 50/50 system. Lose your premium character, and the next one is guaranteed, but you’ll be looking at spending around 100 pulls, and that’s if you’re lucky.
At this point, I can’t really judge the pull economy because it is a beta. One can only look at that once the game fully launches, and while the hard pity is similar to other gacha titles, any game with a 50/50 system needs to be somewhat generous with its pulls-per-update, so I hope TiMi Studio finds a way to make the system engaging, rewarding, and not so grindy.
Speaking of grind, it’s somewhat ironic that Monster Hunter Outlanders is the grindiest MH title of the bunch. Besides grinding for your weapon and armor-crafting needs, which feel extremely familiar to those of the mainline games and I appreciate, you’ll also need to be looking for leveling-up materials for you, your companions, and other party members. Even if the game makes hunting and farming much more accessible, this type of grind will feel overwhelming, especially to those who’ve never played a gacha title before.
Lastly, the level-gating. This is the same issue I had with Destiny: Rising. While I’m aware these games require you to reach certain levels to unlock something new, Monster Hunter Outlanders holds you back constantly. Looking at games like NTE or any in the HoYoverse catalog, I was able to enjoy the story for a long while before hitting a level roadblock. Here, it felt as if there were too many stops along the way, hurting the game’s pace considerably. I hope the developers fix that, because constantly slowing the player down for mandatory grinding is never a good idea.
Bridging Two Experiences
Overall, Monster Hunter Outlanders is an interesting Monster Hunter experience. While it moves away in some ways from the mainline titles, it still has some iconic MH things, such as your character who can wield any weapon, Palicoes, grinding monster parts, and that staple Monster Hunter narrative that many of us love. Yet, it also has several gacha systems that, for better or worse, affect the pacing of the game in ways that could halt someone’s hunt for a while.
And even if I have a few gripes about some of its systems, the truth is that Outlanders is one of the most accessible and gorgeous Monster Hunter experiences, and one that I see myself diving into, especially due to its beautiful visuals and well-designed characters. I only hope that some of these issues disappear before the official launch, because if they do, we could have the ultimate mobile Monster Hunter experience in front of us real soon.
