The game director of Monster Hunter Wilds says that the beta's missing 'hitstop' has already been tweaked thanks to'very good feedback' from veteran hunters who are hitstop-hungry

Something was off in the open beta of Monster Hunter Wilds. No, I'm not talking about the inconsistent framerates and the sudden appearance of polygonal origami creatures. I'm talking about the bizarre decrease in hitstop, an animation technique that intentionally pauses the combat animations when an attack makes direct contact with the screen to add a sense of impact. Yuya Tokuda, the game director, said that Capcom has already re-adjusted the amount of hitstop in preparation for Wilds's February launch.

Many people who have cool, good opinions believe that Monster Hunter's liberal usage of hitstop has been a key component in its combat formula. It provides delightful jolts dopamine when you find an opportunity to land an attack in the lizard-battling dance. In the Wilds Beta, however, the hitstop was noticeably reduced across all 14 weapon types in Monster Hunter, affecting the visual feedback during combat.

Tokuda, who spoke via interpreter at my Monster Hunter Wilds hands-on preview in Osaka, said that "some of the changes to hitstop are obviously intentional." Tokuda explained that in some cases, the hitstop reduction is due to the beta version being built from an older version of the game. Some of the intended triggers for hitstop simply weren't implemented yet.

However, the deliberate reductions of hitstop were made in response to complaints by Western players of Monster Hunter: World. Tokuda stated that "when Monster Hunter: World came out, many users from overseas complained that the hitstop was too [intense]." It made it hard for them to play.

Capcom has received a lot of feedback from hunters who felt that these reductions were too harsh. Tokuda saw these responses as a confirmation of Monster Hunter’s appeal.

Tokuda stated that the feedback from [beta-players] was very positive. They said that they missed experiencing the hitstop in previous titles. "It is a unique Monster Hunter experience to be able experience this hitstop. It's a very positive feedback.

In my five hours with the updated preview build of Monster Hunter Wilds I felt a little more of the old magic when my hammer hits hit home. Tokuda confirmed Capcom has already made more hitstop tweaks and that there will be more before launch.

Tokuda stated, "In the current version of the game that I believe you guys played today, there were obviously some adjustments compared to the OBT." "And there will also be adjustments for the full version of the product." "For example, finishing moves will also have adjustments to hitstop."

Monster Hunter Wilds will be released on February 28, 2025.