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No, you’re not imagining Monster Hunter Wilds' beta combat feeling off - there’s a good reason for itEarly door hunters say animations lack showmanship
Early door hunters say animations lack showmanship
Image credit:Capcom
Image credit:Capcom
If you felt like the combat in the MHWilds beta felt “off,” it’s not just you! As this short comparison video shows, Capcom seems to have reduced hitstop on most (if not all) weapon types in Wilds, leading to some weapons 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 worse than they did in prior games.pic.twitter.com/PRIbkdEFTP— Blue Stigma (@Axelayer)November 3, 2024To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Manage cookie settings
If you felt like the combat in the MHWilds beta felt “off,” it’s not just you! As this short comparison video shows, Capcom seems to have reduced hitstop on most (if not all) weapon types in Wilds, leading to some weapons 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 worse than they did in prior games.pic.twitter.com/PRIbkdEFTP— Blue Stigma (@Axelayer)November 3, 2024
If you felt like the combat in the MHWilds beta felt “off,” it’s not just you! As this short comparison video shows, Capcom seems to have reduced hitstop on most (if not all) weapon types in Wilds, leading to some weapons 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 worse than they did in prior games.pic.twitter.com/PRIbkdEFTP
The Oxford English Above Video defines ‘Hitstop’ as a brief animation pause the moment a weapon connects with an enemy, meant to sell you on that weapon’s weight and power. The more frames in the hitstop, the more exaggerated the impact of the attack - up to a point. Blue Stigma uses the switch axe in Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate as an example. The hitstop for its overhead swing lasts eight frames. The game runs at 30fps, so Blue Stigma reckons that’s about a quarter of second you’ve got to register how “pretty damn strong” the attack is.
So, what’s the problem in Wilds? Comparing the same attack across different entries, Blue Stigma offers similar results: A quarter of a second in Rise, and one fifth in Monster Hunter World. In the Wilds beta, however, there’s a grand total ofzero framesof hitstop, causing the axe to feel puny in comparison. Some weapons and attacks in Wilds do have hitstop comparable to past entries, says Blue Stigma, but many have reduced hitstop, or none at all. The result is much limper and less satisfying combat across the board.
I should add that I personally have no expertise in this exact area, preferring to use much fluffier terms when talking about combat, so there might well be more - or less - going on here than the clip suggests. “Slow bonk make bonk feel good” certainly scans to me, though.
Blue Stigma makesYouTube videos under ‘Blue’, so do go show them some love if you found the breakdown interesting.
