Monster Hunter: World is out, and it supports three different visual settings on Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro. You can beef up the graphics, the framerate, or the resolution. The graphics option adds a ton of extra effects, framerate gets you around 60 frames per second, and the resolution gets a dynamic boost beyond 1080p. Beyond having the option to control the visual quality on a more granular level, this is a great way of handling the extra power of the mid-cycle console upgrades.
For my time with Monster Hunter: World, I first tried out the higher resolution. You can see the results of that in the video below, which I captured in 4K:
But I think I’ve decided to play the game only in performance mode from now on … or until it comes to the PC, and I can do graphics, performance, and resolution all at the same time.
I don’t have a lot of experience with Monster Hunter games, but I’m learning quickly that it is an animation-heavy game. Your character and the monsters you hunt all have to run through animated routines to complete actions like attacks, blocks, and reloading. Performance mode significantly smooths out those animations to the point that they are easier to manage during frantic combat, and it makes the entire game more responsive.