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After years without a mainline Monster Hunter game, I can finally take a deep breath and say, at last. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy World or Rise. I spent hundreds of hours in the former, and I still grab my Nintendo Switch some nights for a quick hunt, which works as a weird lullaby for me. But nothing will ever beat the excitement of a new Monster Hunter game arriving. And why? You ask. For some, Monster Hunter Wilds might look like World with a new coat of paint. But that’s where you are wrong. Wilds isn’t only a grander, better-looking, and more immersive Monster Hunter title. It is the ultimate monster-hunting experience, and Capcom has delivered it to us on a silver platter.
Licensed to Hunt
One thing that never stuck with me in World and Rise was their plots. They certainly had terrific moments. Some even made my jaw drop faster than a cluster of Bazelguese bombs. But looking back at them, I was more interested in unlocking the next hunt. I’d look at the story, see my character and Palico, and go, “Alright, who’s next on the list?” Wilds fixes this by delivering a top-notch story and, beyond that, the best and most badass representation of our hunter ever.
Right off the bat, Monster Hunter Wilds lets you know you aren’t a fledgling hunter. You’re that movie character probably resting between missions and got a new risky assignment. You and a few other monster-hunting experts leave for the Forbidden Lands to investigate the White Wraith, a creature who attacked Nata’s village. Throughout the expedition, the Monster Hunter formula remains untouched. You get a cutscene, see a new monster, hunt it, and progress the story. However, Capcom did something to shake up that formula: it added an old-school RPG feel to it. Let me elaborate.
In any old or even new RPG, especially those of high fantasy, you’re a hero who goes on an adventure with their party. Wilds emulates this flawlessly. Instead of going alone or having just your Handler around, you have the whole team with you. Olivia, a hunter from another unit. Gemma, the blacksmith responsible for the dating-sim tag on Steam. Your lovable and ever-helpful Palico and many more you’ll meet along the way.
Yet, beyond the growing cast of characters, it is the sense of adventure you get as you traverse through the Forbidden Lands. There is no Astera here. You have a base camp in every locale and then build smaller camps that serve as checkpoints. But since there isn’t an established hub, you feel that sense of discovery of going from one place to another. You delve into their culture and people. They teach about the dangers they face and how they solve them. These things add to the superb world-building, which we previously only saw during hunts but rarely in the story.
Last but not least, our hunter. I could spend hours gushing about how perfectly Capcom did justice to our main character. They are not just there to nod at every order they get. They are not a rookie hunter who got tied up in something larger than them. No. Our hunters are the cream of the crop, and everyone around them knows this. There were sequences where hearing my hunter talk and act gave me chills. Add all of this to the smooth gameplay of Wilds, and you have one of the most memorable plots we’ve seen in the franchise.
Size Definitely Matters
Story aside, I know many players out there just want to hunt. Fortunately, there are many ways to do so. All the same weapons from World and Rise return to Monster Hunter Wilds. Yet, they have new mechanics. Sword and Shield, for example, have a new attack that easily lets you sever parts. Capcom also fixed the weapon’s mobility and responsiveness, making it an excellent choice for all hunts now. The Long Sword, for instance, has its new Crimson combo, which makes the rotation more engaging and fun to pull off. While I didn’t try all weapons, Wilds’ combat is the smoothest we’ve had in years and will not scare new players away.
Combat has received many changes in its last two entries. World was all about timing, being tactical, and delivering that perfect blow to a monster after learning its moveset. Rise, however, felt more like a power fantasy with its highly mobile combos and traversal additions. Wilds falls somewhere between those two but leans a bit more toward World.
Wilds puts a lot of focus on its tactical approach. Learning a monster’s moves feels like learning how a soulslike boss attacks. They all have patterns you need to memorize to avoid or counter them. On top of that, the new Focus Mode is one of the greatest additions to the series.
Once you wound a monster enough, you can hit a glowing part by entering Focus Mode to deliver a deadly strike and break a monster’s part, obtaining extra materials. My only minor complaint about Focus Mode is that it doesn’t feel as smooth with all weapons. Hitting a wound with Dual Blades or Sword and Shield felt easy. Yet using larger weapons felt a bit strange, and sometimes the hit didn’t connect, even if I aimed at the right spot.
Other than that, Wilds strikes a perfect balance between a low-skill floor and a high-skill ceiling. Combat is highly approachable for new players who’ve never touched a Monster Hunter game before. Focus Mode makes even the most challenging fights more manageable because players now know where to hit the monster. However, veterans will have a blast facing some of the most formidable monsters because, as the difficulty ramps up, some new wild mechanics will come into play. And yeah, there are even deadlier monsters now than the ones we saw in World or Rise.
A Colossal Lineup
A Monster Hunter game wouldn’t be one without its titular monsters. Now, there are some I can’t talk about because it would ruin the surprise, but the lineup is one of the best out there. Players might encounter a few familiar faces, which might make them happy or anger them, depending on how fondly they remember those encounters. However, the new ones are some of the most creative and satisfying hunts I’ve experienced.
Yet, the creative part is not only on the actual monster and its moves. If there’s one thing I missed in Rise was how much you could use the environment in World. I remember how I used to destroy parts of the map to force Rathalos to land. Nothing will ever beat the satisfaction of leading a monster into a vine trap, shooting it at the right moment, and then going in for the kill. Wilds takes all of that and elevates it in ways I thought would not be possible.
Overall, I thought the monster lineup was the best in the series, both in terms of gameplay and design. Plus, there’s a lot to do once you reach High Rank, and many fights just become harder or get new gimmicks that will put your hunting skills to the test.
A few might miss the fact that you don’t have the monster tracking part like in World. In World, you used to collect fur, tracks, and other things until you could track the beast down. Here, that doesn’t happen often. Yes, you can find a few tracks that give you Guild Points, but that’s about it. Now, I’m not saying this is bad at all. Monster Hunter Wilds has that “start the hunt as quick as possible” feel that Rise had but keeps the depth of World‘s hunts, which, at least in my books, is the perfect balance.
It’s a Wild World
The other protagonist of Monster Hunter Wilds that deserves its own spot is the plethora of zones we have. I’ve talked about world-building in terms of immersion, characters, and even how each place has its own established culture. However, the design of each map is marvelous.
Some players already had the opportunity to test the Windward Plains, and that’s a perfect example of how map design works across the whole game. The Plains had a combination of open areas full of monsters, narrow corridors hiding insects in every corner, and vast dunes full of quicksand traps. But the more you delve into the Forbidden Lands, the better the zones will get. And, of course, exploring them is as easy as it gets, thanks to your Seikret, which has the best auto-pilot system in any Monster Hunter game. But in all seriousness, though, Seikrets are like Palamutes 2.0. They aren’t only there to get you from point A to B. They can save you from some monster attacks, keep a few supplies in their pouch, and, as many already know, carry a second weapon for you.
Yet, all this beauty comes at a price, and yes, now’s the time to address the Rathalos in the room: performance. You all might’ve experienced your own headaches during the beta in terms of performance issues and trying to find a workaround to run Wilds at higher than 30 fps. Since I played it on PS5 with all the new improvements, I believe the console is the best way to play Wilds. It offers three modes: balanced, framerate, and resolution. I played on balanced mode, and I feel it is the superior option.
Looking back at my playtime, I never really noticed the 40 FPS balanced mode was trying to hit. Combat felt smooth and flowed perfectly without any hiccups. Oddly enough, the only texture issues I had were in one cutscene, but other than that, I’d say everything worked perfectly. There were crashes, no noticeable frame drops, and no low-poly monsters. Everything was great.
A New Place to Call Home
After years of spending time in the New World, it is finally time to bid farewell to it and jump into Monster Hunter Wilds. And you know what? I was feeling nostalgic at first. World gave me some of the best moments I’ve had in the series. Its monsters, events, crossovers, and many co-op hunts are things that I will remember fondly. However, the high bar that Wilds brings will make World look like a thing of the past.
I never thought a new Monster Hunter entry would surpass the 2018 classic, but here we are. The story is much better this time around. Our main character feels like the deadliest hunter ever. And the lineup is the most amazing one we’ve seen in recent years. And you know what the best thing about it all is? Monster Hunter Wilds is just starting. It is breaking its cocoon to spread its wings and become the next home for all hunters out there, and yeah, it is one that I dare call flawless in every possible way.
Monster Hunter Wilds (PS5 Reviewed)
Monster Hunter Wilds takes everything that worked from World and Rise to deliver the ultimate monster-hunting experience. Combat improvements, an excellent story, and a giant lineup of monsters make this the hunter haven we were all waiting for.
Pros
- The smoothest combat in the series
- An amazing lineup of monsters
- A surprisingly great narrative
Cons
- Focus Mode doesn't feel great with a few weapons and in specific fights
