User blog comment:Mckrongs/Monster Hunter 4 for the Nintendo 3DS/@comment-5091195-20121002215714/@comment-4212769-20121002220411

The problem about a open world in MH is that you don't know when you got away from a monster. For example you are almost dead and need to sharpen your weapon and so on and maybe even need something to eat, how do you know when you can take it safely? Or when you fight a faster monster how should you get away from it? Normally you would search for the next area but in a open world map you cannot escape (but in little caves at a mountain or hill or something, but how often can you find that in a sandy desert?).

I think that's an important for MH to not be too stressful. I think this will not change in closer future.