Summary
Monster Hunter Wildsis looking more ambitious by the day, innovating on franchise traditions thatMonster Huntersfans have become more than familiar with over the years. However, whileMonster Hunter Wilds' most notable broken traditions — like its fully voiced protagonist, weapon swapping, andnamed NPCs— are all new and welcome features, the game’s new Focus Mode should shake up the monster-hunting experience as a whole and redefine the way players approach combat. It is a mechanic that has arguably been a long time coming, and its implementation inMonster Hunter Wildsjust goes to show how the next mainline installment aims to bring the franchise to a whole new level.
Focus Mode seems to be one of those features that should have been included inMonster Huntera long time ago. Then again,Monster Huntermight not have had the reputation it currently has if Focus Mode were around any sooner. From the looks of things, Focus Mode should make hunts much more intuitive inMonster Hunter Wilds, likely opening the series up to even more newcomers thanMonster Hunter: Worldwas capable of drawing in. As such,Monster Huntershould consider keeping this new feature around for the long haul.
Focus Mode Should Become a New Series Tradition After Monster Hunter Wilds
An Overview of How Focus Mode Works in Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds' innovative Focus Modeis useful for several reasons, but it primarily serves as a way for players to have more direct control over what part of a monster they are targeting. While in Focus Mode, crosshairs appear on the screen to show where the weapon’s attack will make contact with a monster or where a monster’s attack will make contact with a weapon’s guard. Players need only then to position the crosshairs accordingly, whether they are aiming to harvest a specific part of the monster or simply need to have more directional control over a guard.
While in Focus Mode, weapons will attack or guard in whatever direction the camera faces, which should streamline combat and make it easier to manage. As monsters have been as vicious as the camera inpastMonster Huntergames, having one less thing to control during combat should make monster hunting a more welcoming experience for players.
One of the greatest benefits of using the Focus Modemechanic inMonster Hunter Wildsis that it allows players to highlight wounds they create on a monster’s body part by concentrating their attacks on it. Once Focus Mode is enabled, that wound will be highlighted in a bright, glowing red to make it more visible to players. From there, players can attack those wounds to deal more damage than they would normally be able to. This is essentially an evolved form of the Tenderizer mechanic fromMonster Hunter World: Iceborne. Finally, while in Focus Mode, players can use special Focus Strikes that deal extra damage to a monster’s wounds and weak points.
Future Monster Hunter Titles Without Focus Mode Will Feel Like a Step Backward
While the general public has not had firsthand experience withMonster Hunter Wilds' new Focus Mode, enough of it has been revealed so far that it’s safe to suggest it should become aMonster Hunterfranchise traditionfrom here on out. The series has needed something along the lines of Focus Mode for many years now, and should anyMonster Huntergames beyondMonster Hunter Wildsneglect to include the mechanic, it could feel like a massive step backward. It may even do well for futureMonster Huntergames to continue improving on Focus Mode, so long as it remains in the series.
