Monster Hunter: World Gameplay: Hunting the Fearsome Nergigante

A colossal franchise in its native Japan, Monster Hunter hasn't really managed to make the same kind of impact on western shores, but Monster Hunter: World is looking to change all that. How, you ask? With an accessible open-world full to bursting with mighty creatures to hunt and slay, alone or with a band of fellow hunters.

With the game getting closing in on its launch date later this month, we sat down to take on four monsters across a diverse environment that seamlessly segues from desert terrain into dense forest and dark caverns. Using glowing Scoutflies as your guide, you'll pursue your chosen monster, tracking its footprints and other tell-tale signs of its presence, closing in until you face a final showdown with the beast.

Playing with three other intrepid monster hunters, we faced off against the reptilian Great Jagras, rocky-hided Barroth, the dinosaur-like Anjanath and finally, the big kahuna himself, the ferocious and spiky Nergigante. You can see all of the highlights from our recent hands-on session in our gameplay video below, ahead of Monster Hunter: World's impending launch on 26th January for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

The third Monster Hunter: World beta also kicks off on PS4 from tomorrow.