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Monster Hunter titles are some of the best role-playing game franchises of all time. These games boast an unprecedented level of freedom in their gameplay and combat loop, with numerous weapon types and countless armor sets to craft.
However, Monster Hunter titles are known to be notoriously grindy. This means these games require players to replay the same hunts ad nauseam to get enough materials to craft certain weapons, weapon upgrades or armor pieces.
Grinding is a natural part of progression in these games. The grind in Monster Hunter games, for the most part, is fairly enjoyable due to the stellar combat mechanics. However, after tracking and hunting down the same monster for the tenth time only to get an item drop, it gets really tedious and frustrating.
Fortunately, there are some titles that can provide a similar experience to the Monster Hunter games without the need for grinding or farming for rare items or crafting materials.
These games can be a breath of fresh air for players tired of grinding in Monster Hunter. They are also great for those who want to try something else before going back to Monster Hunter with the upcoming expansion, Sunbreak, for Monster Hunter Rise.
So without any further ado, here are five incredible games that players can try if they are tired of grinding in Monster Hunter.
Note: This article reflects the author's opinions.
Five great games that players tired of grinding in Monster Hunter games should definitely try
1) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is basically the poster child of western role-playing games. One of Bethesda Softwork's most successful creations, Skyrim is quite possibly one of the best games of the last decade. It gives players a lot of freedom both in terms of gameplay and narrative; all this without ever forcing players to farm or grind for levels and loot.
The previous games in the Elder Scrolls franchise, Morrowind and Oblivion, required a certain amount of grind due to their dense leveling system. This essentially handicapped progression for players under-leveled to partake in certain quests.
Skyrim, on the other hand, massively improved on this by streamlining the leveling system. This was done to ensure that players can focus on exploring Skyrim and experience the rich narrative of the game without the arbitrary hindrance of gaining artificial levels.
Skyrim is all about letting players be creative with how they want to tackle the story and side quests, combat encounters and exploration of its vast open world. The game refrains from holding players' hands and forcing them down a set path.
Best of all, Skyrim features an abundance of dragons and similar beasts to slay, so players coming fresh from Monster Hunter titles will feel right at home.
2) Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Dragon's Dogma is another monster-slaying role-playing game from Capcom. The game is basically like Monster Hunter but has a more focused story and less emphasis on grinding.
Coming from Hideaki Itsuno, the creator of the Devil May Cry games, which are known for their over-the-top action, Dragon's Dogma shares a similar action-packed combat. However, it also has Monster Hunter mechanics.
The game shares a similar progression style as Monster Hunter, with a plethora of craftable weapons, upgrades and armor sets. It sees players go toe-to-toe with beasts of legends like Hydra, Griffin, Chimera and the fire-breathing monstrosities called Dragons.
Dragon's Dogma isn't an easy ride to victory as the monsters littered around its open world are ruthless. However, the game never forces players to grind for levels or better gear as the combat here is centered around skill, timing attacks and dodges than out-leveling the monsters.
3) Dragon Age: Inquisition
It is hard to imagine that the same Bioware that created classic role-playing games like Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins also developed titles like Mass Effect Andromeda and Anthem, two of the worst games of the eighth console generation.
The Mass Effect series has gone downhill with the confusing and borderline insulting ending of Mass Effect 3 and then the broken launch of Andromeda.
However, Bioware's fantasy role-playing series Dragon Age saw a massive revival from the abysmal and unfinished Dragon Age 2, thanks to their most recent entry in the series, Dragon Age: Inquisition.
The game is a great role-playing game. Bioware's signature form of storytelling takes into account all the choices made by the player during gameplay to deliver a unique narrative experience. It puts heavy emphasis on the many characters that players interact with throughout their journey.
Dragon Age: Inquisition highly incentivizes its storytelling and character interactions over grinding for levels and gear upgrades that most role-playing titles are guilty of.
Yes, there is a wide range of weapons and armor for players to craft and upgrade, but the strength of the players' loadout takes a backseat to the strength of their party members.
Instead of the typical action RPG combat, Dragon Age: Inquisition follows a somewhat tactical approach to combat. This approach requires careful use of weapon strengths and party members to overcome various otherworldly obstacles.
As the name suggests, Dragon Age: Inquisition also features the titular fire-breathing monster for fans of Monster Hunter games.
4) Final Fantasy VII Remake
Final Fantasy 7 is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best game in the franchise by a long margin.
The original Final Fantasy 7 was released in 1997, and it was the most cinematic role-playing game for a while. The game is chock-full of fun and interesting characters that, by the end of the game, leave a very lasting impression on players.
The remake, by all standards, is a faithful recreation of the 1997 classic with breathtaking graphical fidelity, courtesy of Unreal Engine 4 and modernized controls and gameplay enhancements.
The game takes a few liberties with the narrative of the original title as it only covers the Midgar arc of the original Final Fantasy 7. However, it features all the characters and scenarios from the 1997 original.
The gameplay is a hybrid between the fast-paced combat of Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy XV and the turn-based combat of the old Final Fantasy games.
Final Fantasy VII Remake features a plethora of side content like arena battles, fetch quests, etc., but none of it is mandatory for progression.
The game never forces players to grind multiple side quests in order to progress in the main campaign. Players will organically level up Cloud and his party without ever needing to go out of their way to grind for experience points.
Final Fantasy VII Remake is one of the best recreations of an old classic role-playing game. The game, while staying faithful to the source material, deviates a little to keep the experience fresh, even for hardcore fans of the original game.
5) Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
FromSoftware is well-known for creating games with bone-crushing difficulty. Their titles rarely play by the traditional conventions of a video game, challenging players every step of the way with relentless enemies and unforgiving bosses. Yet, games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring allow players to grind levels to overpower the game's many challenges.
The grind is very much optional and not at all required. However, for most first-time Soul-like players, the grind, more often than not, is the difference between life and death. It is due to this very notion that FromSoftware's decision to create a game like Sekiro, which actively discourages grinding, is so intriguing.
Sekiro is an action-adventure game with mild role-playing mechanics and the developers' signature difficulty curve. The game ditches the traditional leveling system in favor of a skill-based progression that rewards players with new skills for their victories.
Sekiro, more than any other FromSoftware title, demands players to learn the game's various combat mechanics like deflecting attacks, counters and timing sword strikes.
The lack of a leveling system can feel a bit jarring at first, given the steep difficulty of the game. However, once players get the hang of the intricate and fun combat system, the game becomes the best showcase for player skill.
Sekiro is a lot like the Monster Hunter games, where players must learn about the full potential of their weapon of choice and their enemies' weaknesses to maximize their chances of winning. The only difference is that Sekiro actively discourages incessant grinding to stand a chance against the many adversities in the game.
Grinding and farming in video games are often used by developers to pad the game time, artificially increasing the length of the game. Not all games that incorporate grinding are bad; it's only bad if the game goes out of its way to make the grinding necessary to progress.
Monster Hunter games are a great example of grinding in video games done right. Yes, to get the best armor sets, players will need to grind the same hunt a number of times, but it's not at all imperative to complete the game.
Moreover, there are always games like the ones mentioned above that are devoid of any form of grinding for players who might be tired of doing it in so many games.
