Throughout the years I've played a good amount of the Monster Hunter series. For whatever reason, it never seems to be something that pops up in conversations or lectures. Overall the franchise has stuck to the same formula. Hunt, gather, craft, repeat. These elements have been iterated again and again, however. New weapons, new items, new monsters and a host of new features. One thing that has remained the same is the level of detail put into the environments. None of the games provide a large and open world by any means. Each one is broken down into individual rooms that require loading some extra data before you hop into another area. Every area feels big, though. The landscape is as monstrous as some of the high-end creatures you can encounter.
Gathering. To get anywhere in these games you have to do it. The parallel with gathering things from creatures and your surroundings is emphasized by the music. Fighting a large dragon? Intensity. Gathering some honey? A hush of cascading water can be heard in the distance. Birds chirp. The air hums. The atmosphere changes in an instant.
After the dust settles, or you find your precious bounty, it is time to head home and prepare for the next venture. This 'home base' you return to changes from game to game. A seaside village. A snowy mountain pass. A hot spring resort. Each one is accompanied by a little theme song that trickles its way into your head. One of my favorites:
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