Capcom has just dropped the bomb on Monster Hunter Stories 3 players with its earth-shattering revelation of Yama Tsukami, the mountain-dead elder dragon, returning back to the game. And, honestly my first reaction was, “That Design is INSANE.” It’s a big, floating creature with tentacles, which seems to be its trademark; I was so impressed, but my enthusiasm was quickly sidelined by its price. The comments section just blew up. Again, the connotation is quite negative.
So what this about? It is the fear of paywalls surrounding the new content. Provided someone pays for the said piece, the issue is brewing. A member posted on Twitter: “@monsterhunter is yama gonna be paywalled too😐” this kind of lit the fire. Another said, “Neat but gotta say, not interested in anything story content locked behind a paywall.” All at once, “cool monster” had vanished, only to be replaced by, “wait, are they gonna charge us for this?”
They are not one in few. Multiple players are already railing against these scenarios via the comment section. “Get rid of your paywalled Story DLC now.” demanded one disgruntled player. “Is this paid DLC @monsterhunter? :)” queried another. Clearly they were showing the anger of many. Every single post had a frustrated undertone to it. We all were looking forward to an absolutely awesome monster, and now this!
It is not yet clear if it will be part of the base game or if it will cost extra. Capcom remains silent, and it is silence that makes people be more restless.
However, a treat on Yama Tsukami: the real legend in the Monster Hunter world just begs a short commentary on the monster. The very first time this big being was dug up, it threw quasi mountain-like giant elder dragon nuance off, as it floated. Therefore, the name. Some mad, gorgeous tentacles sway and a twisted kind of viney body….The challenge to re-envision Yama for Stories 3 is something fans should be hyped about. One user on Amazon wrote “THEY GOT YAMA IN THIS GAME??? HOLY PEAK”. It’s there… mostly.
Some players are already looking forward to a potentially similar situation around bringing back classic monsters. “If this thing can be in Stories 3 surely Dalamadur can too” was the word out from one. And a shout for Gammoth from another, “Capcom! Allow me to have Gammoth in MHS3, and you will have my life!” But the sky’s the limit when it comes to possibilities; the prevailing fear is that the finest stuff will be available only through separate paid DLC.
There are also speculations on how this could shape the process of future Monster Hunter games as a whole. Some players are asking whether or not Yama will be in the up-and-coming Monster Hunter Wilds. “When is this going to appear in Wilds?” wrote a user. And this is where observing how these different games become linked up in the minds of players throughout storytelling game play becomes fun. The Monster Hunter Universe grows in multiple added directions, and everyone wants to see its bastar’d associate pop-up willy nilly.
Money is, without a doubt, the major focus of the conversation. It is the mainstream topic of every discussion. The players feel suffocated and wrenched of everything because every little thing has to require their payment. And one wrote, “It’s awesome that y’all are bringing Yama back. But it’s not awesome with the story content being locked behind a paywall.” This is pretty much the epitome of the situation. The monster is freaking amazing, the creation is awesome; now the execution might be somewhat of a problem.
Verve would, in fact, change into melancholia before the community would even let out in an objective frame toward that primary Tweet. The Tweets thereafter increasingly turned toward the business model of the game. This indicates that players are now very conscious. The monster has been good, pitch perfect; the execution might become a problem. They’ve done this in the past, perhaps with the Mark of the games or maybe through their past practices with Monster Hunter DLCs; so, everything boils down to a certain skepticism: is this free content? Or is it going to cost me an extra $15?
There is still no word from Capcom as to whether Yama Tsukami will be part of the base game or if it will be a paid add-on. However, the community’s voice can’t be silent. They want this content for free as a condition to having bought the game. They don’t want any more story parts or wicked monsters locked behind payments. The upcoming PlayStation and Xbox releases continue to draw attention.
