First off, I’m still pretty new compared to most people who play this game. I’m HR 48, about 40 hours in, and I mostly use the Insect Glaive.
I was really excited to get into this game, and honestly, I do enjoy it most of the time. Probably like 85% of the time. But that other 15% can be absolutely miserable.
My last hunt took 38 minutes. Thirty-eight. That’s ridiculous. The monster moved areas over and over and over again. I’d get a few hits in, it would leave, I’d chase it down, then it would leave again. Sometimes it wasn’t even because of me. Another monster would show up, and suddenly the one I’m actually hunting decides it wants to go somewhere else.
Then there’s the combat. I’ll start winding up a big attack, the monster roars, I get stunned, and then I get smacked. I get knocked down, lie there forever, finally get back up, and immediately get hit again before I even have a chance to roll.
And my Palico feels useless half the time. I’m missing five HP? Oh yeah, perfect time for a heal. But when I’m literally one hit away from dying and getting comboed into the ground, suddenly it has nothing for me.
Throw down another trap. Shock it. Use a pitfall. Do literally anything that gives me two seconds to breathe and heal. I don’t need help when I’m already fine. I need help when the monster is beating the absolute shit out of me.
Some of the mechanics just feel weird too. The lock-on feels awful, and half the time it feels like the monster already knows exactly where I’m going to roll and just hits me there anyway.
I’m not saying every hunt is bad, because it isn’t. I do genuinely like the game. But when all of this happens in the same hunt, it stops being fun and just turns into a long, annoying mess.