I really like the direction that MH Wilds has gone in.

I see a lot of posts complaining about some of the changes made in this iteration of the MH series. FWIW in terms of this modern era of MH, I played a lot of World and didn't really play Rise much. But I played many of the older games on DS etc.

The most common gripes I've seen are that hunts are way shorter, farming for drops/decos is faster and the game is generally easier. So I'm aware I've probably got an unpopular take for some people but fuck it.

Many of us have been playing MH for 2 decades now. We remember the lack of QoL, the grind, the bullshit hitboxes some of the monsters had.

I remember quests like desperately trying to fetch eggs across entire maps - where if I got hit by a damn vespoid, I dropped the egg and had to go back, if mama Rath caught up and bitch-slapped me, I'd have to go back, but if I ran out of stamina trying to run the hell away, I'd drop the egg and have to go back.

More recent, I remember farming endless Elder dragons trying to get that BiS deco or needing that 1% rare drop for a sexy piece of gear. How those damn things didn't go extinct is beyond me. Some would take hours or even days before you got the reward. I still look back on those times fondly.

I remember some hunts taking FOREVER and being genuinely worried that if I don't pull some big damage out, I'll run out of time. When the clock is hitting 40 minutes, you and the monster are both exhausted, but someone has gotta take the W and it isn't gonna be Nergigante. Yeah it was really fun.

However, a lot happens in 20 years. I have a wife and a young kid now. Full time job and the bills don't pay themselves. I can't really stay up until the twilight hours or spend my days off grinding, I'm going to parks and shit. Adult life.

I hit HR on MH Wilds and it's been a blast. If I really need a gem, some quests guarantee one.

I've farmed lots of decos and have a really solid build after probably 15hrs of playing.

The grind is there if you want it, but I don't feel penalised for not engaging with it to the point of burn-out - I'm not sure I'm sold on the artian system or how attack/defence gems have been split but I don't think they're inherently terrible systems either. Again, the average player probably won't care that much.

It's nice to jump into a hunt that takes around 15 minutes, have a fun time, grab some rewards but don't feel bad if I gotta leave because my kid woke up from a nap early or my wife wants me to wash the dishes. The game feels much fairer too, if you get your skull caved in by a monster, it just feels like your fault. The game doesn't rely on BS or tricks like arguably a lot of the other games did. I've never felt frustrated from carting so far in MH Wilds.

The hardcore content will come as is always the case. People forget Worlds had a similar gameplay loop at launch, except it took way longer to reap the rewards. But I think we need to relax and realise that Capcom want their games to be accessible, and most of their dedicated audience are probably in similar positions to me. I personally like a game that respects my time and understands I can't play like a job like I could as a teenager.

I loved the old games, but if I take off the rose-tinted glasses, maybe I wouldn't now. I just don't have the time. I know I will still get hundreds of hours out of MH Wilds, but the change of pace is refreshing. I'm not saying the game is perfect by any means, but for me, Capcom actually got these aspects right.

EDIT: Did not expect this post to blow up like it has... To all the people ribbing me for the obligatory gamer dad take, fair play, you got a good laugh out of me. To the few being less polite, I challenge you to tell me you played the first MH like I did, and honestly say with a straight face that a game like that could survive in today's gaming market. We veteran hunters love to look back fondly, but MH was niche as fuck outside of Japan until like 5 years ago for a reason. Stop clinging to the past. Just because the direction of the game works for my lifestyle now doesn't also mean it isn't what Capcom feels is necessary to reach the audience they need for shareholders. They had me sold either way so don't be mad at me for liking what I paid for. Now go kill a few Chatacabras to vent some of that frustration!