Monster Hunter Wilds Review – The Hunt of a Lifetime

Monster Hunter Wilds on PS5 Pro

When a franchise has been staying strong for decades, it can be difficult for studios and developers to find new ways to excite the invested audience. Sure, newcomers will always be getting what is supposed to be the culmination of every good idea from the past, but for veterans, it requires much more nous to shift the needle. And based on the 50-odd hours spent on Monster Hunter Wilds, Capcom has once again outdone itself.

Like a majestic monster making its first appearance, sinking its claws into you, and never letting go, this adventure will have players constantly yearning to jump back in to help the Hunter’s Guild. That adrenaline rush never stops, with Monster Hunter Wilds delivering hit after hit as you progress in this new world.

While narrative will probably never be the strong suit of the series, the initial setup in this new entry has enough intrigue and, more importantly, a selection of memorable monsters and creatures that will keep any hunter geared up for the ride. What begins as another survey expedition soon unfolds into a larger mystery of a land beset by unnatural weather events, strange new monsters, and, ultimately, humanity’s role in an ecosystem.

The clear themes of nature, nurture, and the circle of life ensure that this is one of the more memorable storylines of a Monster Hunter game, backed up by a strong supporting cast of characters who bring more life to the proceedings. While you will still be hunting down beasts and crafting new equipment, there is much more to see and hear in Monster Hunter Wilds, with tribes and groups of people that find themselves at the heart of everything that is going on. Even if a story is predictable, how it all shapes and the various perspectives make it more about the journey than the destination.

Where the developers have made the most significant strides lies in the gameplay of Monster Hunter Wilds and how it all comes together. This is easily the most accessible entry in the series yet, providing players with a more convenient experience while still upping the challenge in areas that make sense. Streamlining things isn’t always about catering to the masses, especially not when it allows you to focus on what matters most: hunting.

The Seikret is one such example, a speedy, versatile mount that can track, packs an arsenal of tools to help hunters be more efficient out in the field, and gives you another option to begin combat. Need help tracking a particular monster or resource? Tag it on the 3D map and let the mount get you there. Fancy changing to your alternate weapon of choice? The Seikret lets you do just that, in addition to accessing supply items to replenish what’s mission-critical. You can also use it to make a quick getaway and start healing or restoring your weapon’s sharpness, or leap off it and get an early jump attack or mount attempt on your target.

As Monster Hunter Wilds drops players into much larger play areas for each region with no loading screens, including the Seikret means more verticality has been infused into the world design. Not only are you getting much more varied environments that live and breathe on their own, but through different levels and paths, they become much more intricate territories, encouraging exploration and discovery more than before. Pop-up Camps extend this accessibility further by becoming points for fast travel and replenishing supplies, shortening your travel distances.

That said, it helps that players can, more often than not, stay on their Seikret, using the new and extremely useful Hook Slinger to forage resources from a distance. This becomes invaluable when taking on monsters and using the environment to your advantage, making it possible to heal up, craft, and activate environmental hazards to hurt or trap the unsuspecting beast when the opportunity arises.

Speaking of the titular prey, Monster Hunter Wilds has put together an excellent list for players to try their luck against. As per usual practise, a bevvy of new faces are complemented by returning ones, a robust test of your mettle and skill. However, the story structure emphasises surfacing new monsters, which is always exhilarating, and the way the game then brings back older monsters via the narrative is quite well done as well.

The way they fit into their homes and the natural order of things is quite remarkable on Capcom’s part, with such environmental storytelling a nice bow on top of the present that is the various well put together regions. Witnessing a turf war between two gigantic beasts is a marvel, and it should always be thanks to the attention to detail on the developers’ part.

When you do decide to get involved, no matter the target, players will have their work cut out for them if you plan to just button-mash your way through. Every encounter remains a tactical affair, with monster and hunter feeling each other out in terms of moves and behaviours. This back-and-forth is fundamental to the fun to be had out in the wild, and with everything else built to help players focus on these bouts, it has never been better.

Monsters are ferocious and terrifying, with offensive and defensive capabilities that are a joy to discern with every first encounter. Are there weak points to attack, parts to severe, or armoured joints to avoid? Once you get to grips with this formula, then Monster Hunter Wilds gets elevated to the next level, especially as all 14 weapon types have been refreshed with new actions and combo options.

Regardless of your choice of weaponry, learning the ins and outs will aid in becoming a better hunter. This could be sacrificing the ability to guard for pure damage builds or prioritising speed over power that will keep you in the pink of health during fights. As usual, there are many options, and there is no right or wrong; it is just your preference for how to play and enjoy yourself, and that’s the DNA of this series in full flow.

My initial experiments with the Gunlance and its heavy-hitting artillery soon gave way to the swiftness of the Longsword, before I settled on using the Greatsword and Bow combo to cover both melee and ranged combat. It took some harsh lessons, but it wasn’t long before I could easily soften up targets using the right kind of moves, combos, and even ammo, before heading in and pulverising them with a giant blade.

The new Wounds system also incentivises players to be aggressive, with Focus Strikes dealing massive damage while being extremely pleasing to the eye; try destroying a wound while mounted on a monster. Having the Focus Mode is a literal game-changer, too, making controlling the direction of your attacks much more manageable than before. Add to that Offset Attacks that serve as counters to knock back monsters, Power Clashes that reward well-timed blocks, and even Sneak Attacks for an early advantage, and every battle is a whirlwind of satisfaction.

And if the going gets too tough, you will always have the option of calling in help from other hunters. Co-op play with a coordinated team has always been a great experience, and it is no different in Monster Hunter Wilds. But for those less inclined to deal with people, the NPC Support Hunters that you can utilise are no slouches either.

The AI driving the NPCs has undergone serious upgrades, helping create teammates that provide precious help in all sorts of situations. They know when to hang back and survey the surroundings, when to press the attack with mounting and traps, and even buy you time to breathe with heals and distractions. These Support Hunters were not necessary during the main story, but once you get to the endgame and hunts become more than just the singular targets, then having more help than just your trusty Palico will always be useful.

Indeed, while plenty of well-cooked meat is already on the bones of Monster Hunter Wilds‘ main campaign, the true experience comes once the first credits roll. More side and optional quests become available, tougher monsters start to appear with better rewards in High-Rank encounters, and the dynamic weather and environmental conditions play even bigger roles in affecting gameplay.

It all feeds into the loop of hunting, gathering, and crafting, only to rinse and repeat as you climb the Hunter and gear ranks. The designs of armour and weapons have also improved considerably this time around, just like their utility, further contributing to the drive to get the next best thing on your list. As far as the RNG goes for monster parts, Capcom has achieved a nice balance so that things do not get too grindy, and this is vital as the endgame’s difficulty spike can be an unpleasant surprise for those unprepared for the challenge or the min-maxing required with skills.

Yet, for all of the improvements made and the evolution of its fundamentals, Monster Hunter Wilds still suffers from familiar issues that many have already accepted as part of the package. The sheer volume of information newcomers must contend with will put some off, and the game can better explain certain mechanics like Affinity or skills. You can find that out on your own, of course, but the game already has tutorials and a tip list, and it won’t hurt to go more in-depth for those who need it.

The camera still has trouble when monsters take up too much real estate on the screen, which can cause whiffed attacks and losing sight of your target. Focus Mode helps in this respect, but it’s not always a foolproof method when speedier monsters take to the field. Another area of improvement is the 3D map, which provides a comprehensive look at everything a region offers, but it is a lot to take in and unwieldy to use while travelling. The minimap can also be too cluttered, adding to the frustration when navigating.

Playing Monster Hunter Wilds on the PlayStation 5 Pro means that there are three performance modes to choose from, and the game runs great without any framerate drops, no matter the target. However, when choosing to prioritise resolution, which delivers 4K visuals and raytracing, the game can suffer from the occasional texture pop-in. This isn’t just restricted to the terrain while exploring, with the monsters themselves looking worse for wear at times, and that’s not because I have been slashing at them for minutes. These are not game-breaking issues by any stretch of the imagination, but are just things to consider when you are considering jumping in for the first time or looking to continue your hunt as a returning veteran.

Capcom knows the importance of Monster Hunter Wilds and the franchise, and it shows. The seven-year gap between Worlds and Wilds has been put to excellent use, with the latter easily grabbing the crown as the best mainline game, no mean feat considering the storied origins it comes from. Whether it be the world-building or the visual quality, the monsters and the combat, or the chase for the next big hunt and improved gear, fans will have to prepare themselves for the hunt of a lifetime with Wilds, and there’s nothing better than that.

Monster Hunter Wilds will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on February 28.