The Monster Hunter series is one of Capcom’s best, offering large-scale battles against memorable creatures in each game. However, with Monster Hunter Wilds, the fantasy of these fights has only leaned more into spectacle, taking away some of the grounded feel of the early titles in the series. Another Capcom game provides monster conflict without flair, instead relying on player skill mastery to overcome tough challenges.
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The many criticisms of Monster Hunter Wilds tend to reference the game’s lack of difficulty, citing that some monsters are simply too easy to hunt with all the overpowered tools given to players. This only grows as you grind for stronger weapons and gear later in the game. Thankfully, recent Title Updates have added Arch Tempered monsters and far stronger foes like Gogmazios and Savage Omega Planetes, but there is still a large portion of in-game obstacles that don’t take much effort to beat.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 Might Have Better Monster Hunting Than Capcom’s Flagship Series
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is another one of Capcom’s games where you have the opportunity to fight monsters, but mainly ones from fantasy stories, such as a Cyclops, Gryphon, or Medusa. Wielding powerful magic or specific skills surrounding different weapons, there are some similarities that can be drawn between Monster Hunter‘s combat and Dragon’s Dogma‘s. That being said, the second game in the latter series is far more detailed.
In Monster Hunter, your weapon defines your playstyle, but any tool has universal mechanics tied to healing or buffing your character during a fight. In Dragon’s Dogma 2, there are more restrictions based on your class, emphasizing party coordination far more than Monster Hunter does at times. For example, fighting a Harpy in Dragon’s Dogma 2 as a Thief is difficult, as they lack long ranged attacks that the Archer has. Using either AI-controlled Pawns you customize or a party of friends, combat in Dragon’s Dogma 2 requires constant synergy with your group.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 relies far more on realistic physics in its fights too, adding a level of realism to fantastical combat. Despite magic being heavily present, it only adds to the impact environmental changes contribute to monster battles. In Monster Hunter, the most your environment does is create small advantages through various hazards. Dragon’s Dogma 2 has combat defined by its landscapes, whether you climb a wall of ice your Mage created to mount a monster, knock an enemy into a ravine to instantly kill it, or jump into a lake to avoid hostile attacks.
Ever monster in Dragon’s Dogma 2 is different, with special weak points that you have to figure out without any initial information. This rewards creativity more, with a Cylops being blinded if you strike it in the eye, or a Gryphon losing its ability to fly away if you attack its wings. This makes monster combat feel slightly more dynamic than Monster Hunter at times, especially with the restrictions on your health and stamina in Dragon’s Dogma 2 making giving every hostile interaction far more weight.
Monster Hunter Provides An Excellent Power Fantasy With A Great Grind
When considering games like Monster Hunter Wilds, there is more emphasis on individual power than something like Dragon’s Dogma 2 provides. Mastering a specific weapon with a number of passive buffs from gear skills can help you take down most monsters in the game quickly, which is rewarding in its own way. Perfecting a character build is incredibly satisfying as well, even if it requires hunting down monsters multiple times to grind out the decoration gems or materials needed to craft specific weapons and armor.
Compared to other games with a lot of tedium, Monster Hunter is far less egregious. However, for those looking for more grounded monster fights, it has strayed from that idea in later iterations, especially with titles like Monster Hunter Wilds only adding bigger set pieces in some hunts. The biology of each monster still has nuance when it comes to their elemental weaknesses and vulnerable spots, but you can typically brute force your way through any fight with strong weapon knowledge and a powerful build.
Slaying Monsters In Dragon’s Dogma 2 Feels Like An Excellent Achievement Every Time
Even if you have a high level and every tool possible in Dragon’s Dogma 2, battles against larger monsters are still incredibly tense affairs. Some monsters can even invade hub areas, killing quest NPCs and causing you to fail missions through their mayhem. As a result, each encounter with them feels like an epic battle, where taking them down requires both ingenuity and skill with your class’ weapon and abilities.
Some monsters can change the rules of a fight mid combat too, such as a Gryphon’s ability to fly while your character is mounted to it or a Medusa using its deadly stare to turn you to stone. A lack of definitive patterns on monsters make them unpredictable at times, only encouraging an extra focus on your environment to give your party an upper hand.
When you do manage to beat a monster, it feels like a massive weight off your chest, as if you’ve succeeded where many would have failed. Defeating a monster in Dragon’s Dogma 2 takes longer than one from Monster Hunter, but the added difficulty might be more appealing for players looking for consistent challenges.
Do you prefer the monster hunting in Dragon’s Dogma 2 or Monster Hunter Wilds? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!
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