Monster Hunter Wilds Beta Has Shown Me The Series Needs A Good Story Now More Than Ever

screenrant.com:

It may be a bit of a controversial take, but I feel strongly that needs a story. It's not that I believe every game needs a narrative, even if I admittedly prefer games with strong, emotionally charged stories. Rather, whenever playing a game, the absence of a good story — beyond the series' typical vague excuses for venturing out and collecting resources that pass as its narrative — is really felt. It hurts the game, not just because it robs it of an emotional core, but because it makes the experience less memorable.

I'm fully aware that most of the series' core audience likely disagree, and I can understand why. Putting a story in would be a huge strain on resources that would ultimately detract from the foundation that has made thegames the incredible series they are today. However, after sinking dozens of hours into the record-breaking second beta and coming away from it feeling somewhat conflicted, it became very clear that now is absolutely the right time for the series to embrace a strong narrative.

I had heard that story played a much bigger role in the overall experience, but I struggled to believe it was true. After all, outside the incredible spin-offs, the stories in this series have always disappointed. However, color me surprised when I booted up the beta, got comfy, and was taken aback as my character — which I spent an inordinate amount of time customizing — began talking. A voiced protagonist in a game? Maybe pigs really can fly.

I'm being facetious, but it was the first indication that was breaking my expectations, offering an experience unlike anything I'd had before with the series. It wasn't just watching as my custom character quietly watched as others talked about and for them, offering little input about the vaguely world-ending conundrums I couldn't care less about. Then, as the fairly compelling backstory came to a close through a smooth transition — the cutscene direction has gone above and beyond — I was thrust into an exciting set piece