Monster Hunter series has exploded in popularity ever since the 2018 release of World. That game delivered a much more accessible version of the gameloop than past offerings, which was a massive move by Capcom. Since then, we have seen the series jump from that hard-to-get-into Japan-centric experience to a much more mainstream property. This formula has continued ever since and the latest instalment Monster Hunter Wilds, which continues what this new fan base have grown to love.
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While its technically not a sequel or follow-on to World, Wilds can be seen as the next big chapter in the Monster Hunter series since World.
Hunting Monsters
If you have played a past game in the series, you know the tale. The hunter’s guild head to a new far-off land, the Forbidden Lands to do some scientific studies. To nobody’s surprise, the Forbidden Lands is packed with big beasties that want to rip you apart.
You are on the hunt for a mythical White Wraith, following a lead from a young survivor, Nata, that you meet on your journey. On top of that, events seemingly linked to legendary monsters of the Forbidden Lands are unfolding just as the guild arrives.
Telling Different Tales
What starts as your standard Monster Hunter tale, does grow in new and often unseen ways. Wilds even throws up questions about the environment, your role as a hunter, and the impact you have on the world.
Convenient acquaintance Nata also gets a coming-of-age sort of story arc. Other supporting cast members, like Alma the guild handler and Gemma the skilled blacksmith, all get their own tales. These side stories do a great job or breathing life into the monster-chasing story that the series generally tells.
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Mission-wise, Monster Hunter Wilds is a bit more open ended than you would expect. There are fewer set pieces in Wilds to push the tale forward than in previous entries, and players are offered a few choices to make the journey their own.
Forbidden Lands
The Forbidden Lands is a mix of fun and engaging biospheres. From lush plains to dust filled deserts and dense jungles full of water ways – each one feels different. And each of these serves as the perfect stage to do battle with the monsters within. The biospheres tend to house monsters that suit their environments. Weaknesses and strengths make sense, and this only adds to the immersion.
Monster Hunter Wilds also has a dynamic day and night system, as well a weather which does keep everything feeling fresh moment to moment. Small elements can change an area drastically as certain things only happen at set-times. No spoilers.
A Monster Hunter
Of course, we are all here to do one thing – team up with your mates and hunt down evermore deadly monsters. And, this is an area where you will not be disappointed. Monster Hunter Wilds features a host of series favourites who are joined by some new and challenging friends.
Monster Hunter Wilds features 50 to hunt down at launch. From legends like Rathalos to newcomers like Chatacabra and Quematrice – they all fight differently. Up-close brawlers, hit-and-run or battling at range, there is plenty of variety to keep the hunt fresh. Some monsters even some mix things up mid-fight.
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Each fight will demand you to adapt to the challenge, and no two monsters will be taken down the same way.
Combat is very slick, and Wilds might just feature the most refined action seen in a Monster Hunter game to date. There are 14 different core weapons to master – swords, axes, hammers and everything in-between. As is the Monster Hunter way, each has pros and cons so finding the one that clicks with you will take time.
New Assault Options
New to combat are ‘wounds’ and ‘focus’. During battles, wounds will appear on certain monsters and these act a bit like weak points. Attacking them earns you a bit of extra damage, as well as stunning sometimes.
Focus, on the other hand, lets you unleash a focused strike that will destroy a monster’s wound. This causes massive damage but seals the wound completely.
This new system feeds perfectly into the parts system, where you have to break set parts of monsters to break them off, which in turn can then craft armour.
All of this builds on the rock-solid foundation set by each instalment, where parts that work stay and parts that don’t are let go. With the overall aim to craft an ultimate Monster Hunter combat system and Wilds comes pretty damn close.
More the Predator
The overall game feels like it’s been dialled down quite a bit on the difficulty front. This opens the game and the series up to newer folks, but the hardcore fans may be upset that there is little challenge until the latter half of Wilds. That, or Capcom have absorbed that long-running joke that the 10-hour campaign is actually just the tutorial.
The gameplay loop remains mostly in spite of the reduced difficulty. Take down monsters, craft new stuff, tackle harder monsters.
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Te game comes to life when teaming up with your mates for hunts, or being that hero and answering an SOS call from a hunter who is in a pinch, with the online side being a mostly smooth affair.
Savage Art
Monster Hunter Wilds is very pretty at times, mostly thanks to its strong art direction. The world itself, the titanic monsters and the cast of characters feel more grounded than past games. Sound is similarly epic, and sets the stage for each showdown.
Monster Hunter Wilds serves up a truly refined experience. The game brings something new to the series, while leaving a few elements on the bench this time. Wilds is not as challenging as Worlds, and the end game may not keep everyone happy. Some of you may be better off waiting for an expansion to add true challenge back into the equation. That all said, I did enjoy my time with Wilds and I would consider myself to be a gristled, experienced hunter.
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If you’re a newcomer, Monster Hunter Wilds is a perfect stepping-on point. It’s even more accessible than Worlds in many ways, and will open the thrill of the hunt up to an even greater audience.
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