Primal the Awakening vs Monster Hunter World
That is, a game in which we hunt big beasts and a game in which we hunt big beasts. For my comparison, I used factors that I think are very important in such games. Therefore, I invite you to a real board game battle.
Plastic is fantastic
Both Monster Hunter World and Primal the Awakening have really great monster figurines. Although the beasts in Monster Hunter are a bit larger, and you can feel the difference when you put them next to our little hunters. However, the monsters in Primal have terrain elements on the base that make them look a little more alive. As for the hunters themselves, their figures are at an ok level in both games.
This will be a tie in terms of miniatures.
World building
Monster Hunter World has the advantage of being a board game based on the PC/console game. I had the pleasure of stepping into this world and somehow felt more involved as I fought the fire-breathing T-Rex both on the screen and on the board.
Another strength of Monster Hunter is the hunting phase, which allows us to get even more immersed in the world of the beasts. In Primal we have some story, but it is only a background for the battles with the giant figures.
This battle is definitely won by Monster Hunter World.
Who reads the rules?
Primal the Awakening greets us with a 124-page book detailing all the actions, rules, and literally every detail of the game. In terms of learning the game, that’s great. However, a lot of the small information is scattered throughout the manual. That’s why we had to download some special hints from BGG.
The gameplay itself is not difficult either, but there are some of those micro-rules considering the different states, type of terrain and overall handling of the round. On top of that, you still have to remember all the triggers that serve us through monsters, our cards, equipment and heroes. Just before this comparison, I played Primal a few times myself to remember the rules of the game. It wasn’t bad, but we accidentally forgot some little rules.
In Monster Hunter, the gameplay is simple. You draw a monster card, play attacks, read an event, and repeat until you win. The manual doesn’t have too many pages either, so we were quickly able to sit down and enjoy the game. Even after a long break, remembering the rules is literally a moment.
Monster Hunter World definitely wins in this aspect.
Combo all night
The most important factor for me and I can immediately say that Primal the Awakening wins this one. The gameplay is just awesome. We play cards, they combo with other cards and our inventory. All these synergies we can do make me so euphoric and mega excited. That’s what I’ve been looking for in games. For me, this is the ideal.
The system of playing cards in Monster Hunter and fighting with the stamina bar is also good, but not as much as in Primal.
Can the plastic on the board be alive?
This is where Monster Hunter World has a slight advantage. Mainly due to the fact that both monsters and hunters move around the board. The beasts can even push us around, and their varied behavior makes us feel that these characters are truly alive.
Despite the fact that the boss in Primal is constantly spinning in circles while standing in the middle of the board, its movements are also meaningful. Because some monsters will attack from different directions, and the positioning of our hunters will be more important.
Surprisingly, I will say that there will be a tie here as well. In both games, the monsters are alive, although they have slightly different mobility. Because each of them has its own soul through these different behaviors and through their special attacks.
Cooping
Monster Hunter World doesn’t offer much in the way of cooperative play. Sometimes your teammates can be helped by our palico or how we position ourselves on the map. But that is about it.
Primal the Awakening, on the other hand, has a lot of ways to help each other. In particular, all characters have cards with the Assist ability, which helps us with card draw. Many characters can also support us with attacks by giving us special tokens or protecting us from a boss.
If we like to work together and coordinate our attacks effectively, I recommend Primal the Awakening.
Crafting development
Crafting in Primal gives us a lot more options to choose from. Although we can craft similar weapons in both games, the number of items and types of items is much greater in Primal. Our equipment also has a greater impact on all the combos we can perform throughout the game.
The same thing happens with the development of our deck. Because in Primal, I really feel like I’m building my attack deck. Considering that I will be upgrading it all the time after going through each scenario. I also have multiple ways to evolve it, and most importantly, I have the ability to discard cards that don’t work for me.
For that matter, in Monster Hunter World, when we get a new weapon, it’s cool, but it really only changes a few of our cards in the deck. So we’re left with these weak attacks that we don’t want to play. It’s even worse with armor, which always stays at the same level and doesn’t have the kind of progression that Primal gives me.
If you want to min/max and refine your hero under the perfect build, then only Primal The Awakening.
Preparation and gameplay time
Setting up Monster Hunter World is really quick. I pull out the figures, hero cards, some tokens, set up the board, and I’m ready to play. In Primal, on the other hand, I have to hunt a bit for individual cards and tokens. But considering the size of the game, that’s not too bad.
However, if we look at the playing time, Monster Hunter wins in this category. Because a battle lasts about 30 minutes and we can play again quickly. In Primal, you have to fight at least twice as much, and changing monsters takes a while.
Summary
Although Monster Hunter World has some advantages in terms of gameplay time and ease of use, I think Primal the Awakening is the better game. The combat in Primal is really excellent. The fights are exciting, all the combos we can do are just sensational. The monsters, even though they circle around, also give the impression of living plastic. Fighting them is much more interesting and challenging than what we get in Monster Hunter. Crafting in Primal also gives us many more options and intensifies all the combos we can do. The icing on the cake is the customization of our attacks, which allows us to make different builds that don’t look like they come from some preset.
So what is the point of having two games with the same theme?
Well, the reason is that Monster Hunter World is a lighter game. I can sit down at the table, set up the game, and have fun without breaking a sweat. There are literally very few rules, and I don’t have to flip through the manual all the time to see how some special rule works that I rarely use. By the way, the solo gameplay is also more enjoyable given the handling of our characters.
Final verdict: Why not both, but I prefer Primal the Awakening.
