Monster Hunter Outlanders: A handheld hunting experience

Hyderabad: Monster Hunter and mobile gaming are two things that are simply not supposed to go together. The former is a franchise of games that is all about the challenges of hunting larger-than-life monsters, whereas the latter is all about small screens, short windows of time, and portability.

Therefore, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if most of us were skeptical about the just-released Monster Hunter Outlanders, a free-to-play (f2p) Monster Hunter experience with gacha mechanics.

Despite the lack of marathon fighting sessions and the obviously smaller screen on which the game is to be played, Monster Hunter Outlanders works surprisingly well.

The combat is smooth, and dodging incoming attacks is a bit too simple but still realistic, with everything happening without much input delay. Outlanders isn’t just a mobile game; it is a complete experience and, in many ways, a handheld Monster Hunter. This means it includes all the RPG elements and the unique fighting styles that come with the many weapon choices the game offers.

In terms of the story, you are the captain of a team of monster hunters that fight a behemoth-sized dragon in the sky and land in the unknown world of Aesoland to continue the fight.

Aesoland is home to unique resources and new monsters – monsters that need to be taken down so that the other species of the land can live peacefully. The story isn’t much, and the overall plot is a simplistic, but since we are all here for the combat anyways, there’s no point dwelling on it.

The RPG elements are where the f2p dynamics emerge: hunting monsters and studying them rewards you and levels you up. Taking down new monsters also unlocks new kinds of weapons and armor at the forge. The more kinds of monsters you take down, the more versatile your gear gets, and the game also offers other members in your party to help you.

The RPG and skill aspects here are very detailed and will be a lot of fun for people who love to grind. Similarly, there is enough room here to experiment with the many weapons the game offers to identify your favorite playstyle too.

However, the game is hampered by its weak story and aggressive reliance on resources. There are too many in-game currencies, and the microtransactions are quite aggressive.

The weak story and aggressive microtransactions aside, Outlanders is a solid f2p experience and could be worth your time if you are not put off by its many in-game currencies.

Sneak Peek:

Title: Monster Hunter Outlanders

Developer& Publisher: Level Infinite, TiMi for Garena and Tencent Games

Game Type: Action Role-player with multiplayer and co-op elements

Platforms: Android, iOS, and iPad OS

Price: Free-to-Play with Gacha mechanics andin-app purchases

Verdict (all scores out of 10):

Innovative Gameplay: 7

Game Handling & Quality: 8

Value for Time: 7

Potential Progression without in-game purchases and ad viewing: 7

Overall: 7.25

– What Stands Out

This isn’t a mobile version of Monster Hunter; it’s a handheld version. Monster hunting is just as detailed here as it is on console versions.

The world is gorgeous for a mobile screen, from the beautiful skies to the detailed terrain. This is altogether an immersive experience.

– Fails to impress

The gacha mechanics don’t work too well with Monster Hunter. The summoning of heroes and support characters, while attractive to look at, isn’t too practical in combat.

The overall story and plot are poor, but there are also too many kinds of currencies to keep track of.