Thinking back on how I first started playing Monster Hunter, in terms of time spent at least, I could very well consider myself somewhat of a veteran of the series. No, I never dabbled with it on the PSP, where those who tried it there had to develop the infamous “claw” technique, but I did get into the nitty gritty on the 3DS with Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. That was after I already had a good time getting my bearings with Tri on the Wii, which eventually led me to completely devour Monster Hunter 4 and Generations. And with World, well, you guys know how much I loved that.
After a quick detour with Rise, Capcom is at it again! Monster Hunter Wilds is the next evolution of the now fan-favorite but previously incredibly niche franchise, and it’s more or less exactly that. Some slight issues aside, most of them purely technical, Wilds can be considered even more approachable than World, while retaining what long time fans love about the series. It’s the game with by far the biggest emphasis on story out of all of them, and thanks to its big maps and quasi open-world nature, provides some of the most exciting hunts I’ve yet to see.
The Hunters Guild are now making a move towards the East, which up to this point has been considered a forbidden zone, where no humans dared to live. Things change when they arrive, though, and meet a boy in peril who they quickly rescue and come to know that he’s part of a tribe who’s been on the low for a millennium. Their journey changes its focus into helping him find his way back, and through it, get knee-deep into one of the best kept secrets, one that’s intrinsically tied to the nature of the monsters in the region.
Don’t get too excited, my friend. Even though there is a story, and it’s one filled with somewhat personable characters and all, it’s merely a vessel that carries you from one fight to the other. Not that there’s anything particularly wrong with that, after all this game is called ‘Monster Hunter’ for a reason: we want to hunt the damn things, right? And that we do plenty here throughout its 25-hour run. The new monsters are all excellent and extremely fun to fight, as per usual, and without delving into spoilers, the reinterpretations of previous hits are also a blast to square off against.
Monster Hunter Wilds builds upon what was first introduced in World and somewhat tweaked in Rise. Instead of having a third team member in the form of your mount like in the last entry, this time your raptor works as pretty much an Uber ride, automatically chasing down feeling prey or directly to your next objective. In its stead when it comes to fighting are the NPCs that play a role in the story, and they can be called down the same way you do other human players, by throwing down a flare.
That means you can basically play through Wilds in single player with the help of the surprisingly smart computer-controlled characters, or, if you prefer, only having your cat friend at your side, who can now speak English. Along with it, your own character has plenty to say along the way, a change from the stern, silent type that we’re so used to seeing.
Other changes are somewhat more systemic. Weapons are a little bit easier to handle thanks to some slight changes to attacks and combos, but the more advanced ones are still a challenge to master, like the insect glaive and hunting horn. If you are a newbie, there’s a quick questionnaire at the beginning that pushes you toward a weapon based on your answers, but, and I want to make sure to emphasize this, you should find the one you like most by experimenting.
This time, I opted for the Gunlance, a great mix of defense and offense I’m enjoying a whole lot. Sadly, there are no new weapon types in Wilds, but I still hold out hope that they’ll implement a medium/long range melee alternative I’ve been dreaming of for a decade.
Also, you now have the ability to swap out between two weapons while riding around, which gives you more options when out hunting, a convenient feature for sure. I tend to keep a ranged one for emergencies, but the choice is yours for what to take along, plus it’s a good way to push you into not relying too much on a single type by allowing you to easily practice on the go if needed.
Your ride also lets you sort through the mission-exclusive items while riding around instead of the usual camp chest, a seemingly small but substantial addition that certainly helps expedite things. The slinger can be used while mounted and is now a means of grabbing materials as you speed through the map between objectives, which is heck of handy!
But perhaps the biggest inclusion is the way Monster Hunter Wilds deals with damaging monsters. Wounds were already something present in previous entries, but now you can apply them and directly attack by using Focus, giving you a chance to destroy them and gain materials during the fight. Before, destroying parts had you aim and hope for the best, and you can still totally do that, but by applying Focus, it’s a much more streamlined affair that does not take away from the overall difficulty of the game, since after all you still have to find openings before attacking with that feature.
Getting to play with others can still be a little finicky. Capcom did their best to try and make it simpler, but there continue to be a menu too many between you and your friends. At the outset of every login, you’re given the chance to pick from recommended lobbies or create your own private one so you can play with those you know. The incentive this time around is to build connection to other hunters by having you add them to your list, going as far as having a trophy/achievement for visiting a number of profiles as you play.
The elephant in the room with Monster Hunter Wilds is the state it’s been released in. This is the first time that a Monster Hunter has had a simultaneous release on all platforms, but there are a host of problems hounding the game on just about every one of them. The worst victim is the PC port which is pushing even the highest of specs to their limit and not providing excellent results graphically, with low res textures and egregious pop-in, not to mention slowdowns, hard crashes, and progression-breaking bugs towards the endgame.
Ironically, some users have discovered a workaround for some of these nags by editing a file in the game’s host directory and fixing a typo. I have tried this fix and it does indeed make the game run a little better, but it remains in a dire need of a patch, one that Capcom promises to release soon. On console, it’s been reported that even the almighty PlayStation 5 Pro is having a hard time hanging on, so in just about every avenue there’s lots of room for improvement with the latest Monster Hunter.
Nonetheless, setting these aside, Monster Hunter Wilds feels like more of an improvement in the grand scheme of things. The handful of new features help make hunting the quickest and less hassle as it’s ever been, and like World, it’s as good of an entry into the franchise to newcomers as it’s likely to be. With the technical side in good order after much-needed TLC from Capcom, Wilds is set to be yet another incredible way to pass your time. Let’s just pray that it comes hopefully sooner rather than later.
