I am very torn on this subject as I really love realistic survival games and I prefer magic being kept at a minimum, because it often removes my immersion or the game "forces" me to use it in order to progress. However, I also feel like the monsters add a fear element, that realistically speaking could represent our ancestors' fears of entering caves and going out in the dark. This fear element is really important for the game as it slows our progression down. Wolves are super scary as well, but I feel like they act as a great situational threat rather than a lower and more constant threat.