Now, here’s a topic that has everyone talking: Should Monster Hunter add health bars to its monsters?
It’s a growing debate within the Monster Hunter community, with some players calling for a Dark Souls-style UI that displays a monster’s health. It’s a divisive issue—one that has resurfaced time and again—splitting fans between those who believe a health bar would ruin the game’s hunting immersion and those who see it as a beneficial accessibility option. But what’s the right answer?
With Capcom continually refining the Monster Hunter series and adding accessibility features to welcome new players, why haven’t they introduced this option?
I consider myself a Monster Hunter purist, and I don’t think visible health bars belong in the game. Here’s why:
It Ruins the Game’s Immersion
Whether you like it or not, Monster Hunter excels at immersing players in its rich ecology and diverse biomes. Everything about a monster—its weak points, wounds, and current status—should feel organic and natural.
From the very beginning, it’s clear that Monster Hunter isn’t a series that holds your hand. Despite its complexity, it relies on visual storytelling to communicate information. Capcom takes pride in the intricate details of each creature, from their eyes and skin patterns to their movement and behavior.
Monster Hunter is all about the environment. As a hunter, you’re meant to study the ecosystem, assess your surroundings, and learn the behaviors of the creatures you face. Capcom’s love for monster design is evident, and their work deserves to be appreciated.
A visible health bar would take away from that experience. Slapping a massive health bar on-screen would pull attention away from the monster’s stunning design, reducing the experience to watching a UI element rather than truly engaging with the hunt.
Even without a visible health bar, the game already provides plenty of indicators—your Palico explicitly tells you when a monster is close to death, and there are a lot of visual clues that show when it’s limping or exhausted. There’s no need for an intrusive health bar when Monster Hunter already offers natural cues.
There’s No Thrill
The thrill of the hunt comes from watching a monster gradually weaken through sheer persistence. Monster Hunter is about strategy, endurance, and the satisfaction of outlasting a powerful foe.
Imagine fighting a Rathalos, its health bar flashing red, and your teammates simply calling out, “Its health bar is at 50%!” That wouldn’t feel rewarding. Instead, the moment should come as a surprise—the beast suddenly collapsing after a hard-fought battle, its defeat sinking in as you take in the victory screen. That’s what makes the hunt so satisfying.
It’s Not Monster Hunter Anymore
The franchise recently celebrated its 20th anniversary and remains Capcom’s best-selling series, with Monster Hunter Wilds already breaking records. Adding health bars would strip away a core aspect of what makes Monster Hunter unique—it would turn it into just another action RPG.
Part of Monster Hunter’s success comes from its refusal to follow conventional gaming formulas. Who would’ve expected a niche series to hit the mainstream market? Not even Capcom realized its potential until Monster Hunter World.
While Capcom has made adjustments for modern audiences, such as accessibility options and streamlined mechanics, they’ve held back on adding a visible health bar for a reason. The series doesn’t need it, and its longevity proves that.
Over the years, plenty of games have tried to replicate Monster Hunter’s formula—take Dauntless and Wild Hearts, for example, which also avoids health bars. Yet, despite these attempts, no one has successfully cloned Capcom’s masterpiece. Why? Because Monster Hunter stays true to what makes it great and that’s exactly why it remains unrivaled.
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