Summary
After months of speculation and potential leaks regarding the existence of a newMonster Huntergame, the Tokyo Game Show came and went without so much as a mention of anythingMonster Hunter-related except for the new Niantic mobile gameMonster Hunter Now. Still, one can only assume that a new mainline entry in theMonster Hunterfranchise is currently in development, as the roadmap for updates toMonster Hunter Riseand theSunbreakexpansion has reached its terminus. While there’s plenty of speculation regarding what the nextMonster Huntermight include, one crucial component for Capcom to nail down will be its multiplayer functionality.
TheMonster Hunterseries is no stranger to multiplayer modes, with cooperative play and online multiplayer functionality being a part of the series dating all the way back to its first entry. Still, the format that these multiplayer modes have taken over the years has shifted from entry to entry, with each game offering more than just cooperative hunts for players to tackle with friends. While PvP isn’t necessarily a great fit for theMonster Hunterfranchise (hence why fans haven’t seen it sinceMonster Hunter 2), a PvEvP mode similar toDestiny 2’s Gambitcould be an excellent iteration on the tried-and-true multiplayer experience in theMonster Hunterseries.
How a ‘Gambit’-Style Mode Could Work in the Next Monster Hunter
While the preferred competitivemultiplayer experience inDestiny 2is facing off against other Guardians in The Crucible, the Gambit mode (introduced as part of theForsakenexpansion) adds a unique wrinkle to competitive play by changing a pure PvP experience into a PvEvP one. There aren’t many games that attempt PvEvP (or, Player versus Environment versus Player) and those that do are more typically MOBAs or MMORPGs. Even though the concept hasn’t found strong footing inDestiny 2, it could be a perfect fit for theMonster Hunterfranchise.
Rather than two squads of Hunters facing off against one another in an arena setting,Monster Hunter’s potential Gambit-style mode could see two teams drop in at opposite ends of the map. After the match begins, each team needs to race to an assigned location to hunt the same monster, where the ultimate goal is still tocapture or kill one ofMonster Hunter’s titular beasts, but players can also distract and hinder the other team’s success to be the victor. The end result being that both teams are dealing damage to the same monster, but only one team walks away with the spoils from the hunt.
Destiny 2’s Woes With Gambit Might Not Translate to Monster Hunter
The addition of the Gambit mode to Bungie’s live-service powerhouse was meant to add something that sat between the cooperative PvE play of missions and raids and the competitive PvP matches in The Crucible. Unfortunately, a series of disappointing updates and changes to the mode have left fans convinced thatGambit is on its way out inDestiny 2, with Bungie choosing to focus its multiplayer resources elsewhere in the title. The mode may have ultimately been a flop inDestiny, but there’s every possibility it could find greater footing in theMonster Hunterfranchise.
For starters,Monster Hunteris already built around using traps and other various forms of subterfuge to help debuff and eventually take down its giant monsters. It would be a natural fit for the game to introduce new traps or change the effects of existing ones in combat to where, in a PvEvP mode, they effect not only the monsters but the other team of Hunters attempting to eliminate them. Further, the addition of such a mode would potentially be the only type of competitive play available in the game, giving players greater incentive to engage with it rather than view it as an afterthought in the face of other, better optimized modes. Regardless,the nextMonster Hunterwill undoubtedly feature multiplayer functionality, and a Gambit-style mode seems like it would be an absolute blast.
Monster Hunter Riseis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
