Monster Hunter Wilds is a peculiar beast that is not easy to describe. Since its beginnings in 2004, the entire series has proudly worn the title of a hardcore Japanese game that demanded order, work, and strict hunting discipline from its players. The last few games have brought a somewhat different Monster Hunter, more open and accessible to new players.
In that segment, no title has been as friendly and accessible to amateur hunters as the latest game. Monster Hunter Wilds is a fun and attractive game that strives with all its might to preserve its hunting tradition while simultaneously trying to become a title for a mass audience.
Given that my first encounter with Capcom's series was through MH Rise, the increasingly softened formula in Wilds felt natural. Wilds is a perfect game, but the essence of a reviewer lies in their ability to approach something with a detachment from subjective opinion. For newcomers like me, who spend entire days telling hunting stories, Wilds will represent the pinnacle of Capcom's work. However, for seasoned masters who hunt by putting salt on monsters' tails, this might feel too mild and lacking some of the old characteristics of almost all previous games.
If you want to play something completely different, check out our Arken Age review!
Monster Hunter Wilds A Quick Hunt
The meat of every Monster Hunter is its gameplay, and in Wilds, it is faster and more attractive than ever before. To start, besides the faithful Palico, players have received another animal companion, the Seikret. Secrets are your means of transportation, and they are agile creatures that resemble raptors and griffons in appearance. Besides being extremely beautiful and fast, Seikrets are essential to the gameplay formula. For example, Seikrets have a pretty good sense of smell and will always lead you unerringly to the monster you are hunting.
Secrets are your means of transportation, and they are agile creatures that resemble raptors and griffons in appearance.
Furthermore, you can draw your second weapon from their saddle, opening up countless new possibilities. While riding, you can collect various resources and sharpen your weapon, and in battle, you can call it every time you are on the ground to quickly get back up. While riding a Seikret, you can also attack, which is especially useful when hunting a retreating monster or changing location.
Suppose you are still not convinced of the usefulness of this raptor-like creature. In that case, I will say that during encounters, it automatically avoids specific monster attacks, which means you can peacefully open the interface and rummage through your pouch in search of health potions, roasted meat, or crazy mushrooms.
Major New Features in Combat
A significant novelty in combat is the wound system and focused attacks. In focus mode, a reticle appears that allows you to aim more precisely at each attack, and the main thing is that you can see the current wounds on the monster. Wounds are opened by repeatedly hitting the same spot, and you can destroy them by performing special attacks that are available only when using focus. Destroying wounds automatically collects valuable resources from the monster. Besides dealing a large amount of damage, you put it in temporary shock, which allows the player to perform slower but more devastating attacks.
Destroying wounds automatically collects valuable resources from the monster.
The game has also added clashes between monsters and hunters, which are activated by timely blocking with certain weapons. Clash opens a quick-time sequence that allows you to repel the monster's attack and temporarily turn it off. Specific attacks can also pierce the beast's charge, stopping it in its tracks, which breaks the offensive rhythm when your character is tired.
Hunter (Not) Prey
One potentially controversial thing could be sending SOS flares or requests for other players to join the hunt. Let's be clear: Monster Hunter is practically synonymous with multiplayer gaming, and there is nothing wrong with always having the option to call friends. The system generally works so that the game first searches for all available players when calling for help, and only after an unsuccessful connection do hunters from the famous NPC dimension come instead. Again, there is nothing wrong with this; it is quite the opposite. It is nice that a system has been developed for those who want to experience Wilds as a single-player game.
Your AI companions are simply too good, to the point that they even kill the feeling of fun.
But your AI companions are simply too good, to the point that they even kill the feeling of fun. I am glad that they are not just primitive rag dolls that run into walls, but if I have companions who set and activate traps, watch over my and their health to the point that it is practically impossible to die, regularly destroy wounds, and to a lesser extent even use more advanced coordinated hunting techniques... what do I even need them for? Why not just go for a drink and let them handle everything?
For the purposes of virtual natural sciences, I passively run around with my Seikret during one battle and let the AI companions do their jobs as best they could—the result: a dead monster in just under 20 minutes.
But How Are 1-1 Battles in Monster Hunter Wilds
While I can let that one go because you choose whether to call anyone for help, I must admit that one-on-one battles are not challenging enough. Here, it is certainly worth noting that the reviewer is only a casual player of this series, not an experienced veteran, which makes the matter even worse. For example, during about 15 hours it took me to complete the primary campaign, I can count on the fingers of one hand the situations where the enemy sent me to eternal hunting grounds, and not once did it happen that a monster trampled me so much that I had to go shopping for a new pair of dragon skin pants or gloves.
Hand on Heart, I have heard from fans of the series more than once that the "real" fun in Monster Hunter begins only when you enter the endgame content. It should also be said that Capcom's monster hunters often receive additional content in the form of new or enhanced monsters, balancing specific stats like health, damage amounts, and so on, not to mention the infamous G ranks. As things stand now, Wilds has a solid amount of endgame content at the start, but Capcom wants us to keep quiet about it and keep you in suspense like geese in the fog, which is also the only opportunity in this text to throw in some shameful hunting phrase!
As things stand now, Wilds has a solid amount of endgame content at the start.
The AI Companions Are Just Too Darn Good
The AI companions are too capable. The hunt has become too simple, no matter how exciting and attractive. The monsters become powerless with all the enhancements in Seikrets, more responsive controls, wounds and focused attacks, improved weapons, and simpler interfaces. When I play Monster Hunter, I want to be a wise and tactical hunter hunting a much more powerful and superior giant, not a pretentious enthusiast shooting at Bambi.
Despite everything said, the hunt in the Wilds is still a top-notch adrenaline experience. The monsters, more detailed and impressive than ever, are still imposing and fun to take down, guaranteeing you hours and hours of good fun with that authentic feeling of pride and achievement, just in a slightly smaller dose due to the more straightforward gameplay.
Monster Hunter has not precisely excelled in terms of story this time, either. Each part has some formulaic "In medias res" where you create your character and faithful Palico and, together with your squad, travel to an unknown land where new and old monsters, mysterious disturbances in nature... Such is the case here, where you save the local population from attacks by various beasts with which they had until recently lived in a balanced and relatively peaceful circle of life.
Unexplained Aggression In Monster Hunter Wilds
The unexplained aggression is linked to a sudden disturbance in the changing of seasons and the arrival of a new and mysterious alpha predator that somehow affects the state of the world around it. The game will patiently guide you by hand during the primary campaign, which will significantly help new players as it will teach them many fundamental concepts and key mechanics.
Wilds presents its wilderness in a semi-open world, a welcome novelty in the series. You have several different hunting grounds, ranging from forests and deserts to underground areas, volcanoes, and plains. The solid verticality of the regions provides additional layers, so expect some to stretch across several levels. On each, you can set up mini camps that, besides classic functions like preparing for the hunt, serve as fast travel points and places to start hunting again if the monster in that region sends you to rest. It is worth noting that monsters can destroy your camp in your absence, and it is fun that they can do the same even if you are in it, which was quite a shock to me when it happened.
In this open world, you can move around in different periods, which, besides significantly changing the appearance of the regions, also affects the behavior of the monsters. For example, during periods of scarcity, the forests will be gray and rotten, and there will be no herbivores, but there will be hungry carnivores that will be more aggressive in search of food.
In the open world, you can move around in different periods, affecting the monsters' behavior.
The Monsters
The monsters are by far the biggest stars of the game. Fans of the series will rejoice at the return of some old names like Congalala, a pig-like water buffalo with poisonous farts. Besides the old aces, there is an impressive lineup of about a dozen new monsters about which I do not want to tell you anything. Still, I will say that you might notice a particularly nasty octopus, if not a spider-like flamingo with the moves of a Russian ballerina—you figure it out!
The monsters and environments look beautiful at times, while at other times they look like something from the middle of the last generation.
Regarding technical aspects, the PS5 version offers you the choice between two modes of play, depending on whether you prefer a higher frame rate or visual presentation. The performance is generally stable, but the amount of object pop-in is concerning, and some textures, like rocks in underground regions, look so blurry that it is tough to believe this is a title for current-generation consoles.
The audio design in Monster Hunter Wilds is immersive, especially when using our Panther series headphones. Every roar, rustle, and environmental sound is meticulously crafted, pulling you deeper into the wild and making you feel like you're stalking your prey. The dynamic soundscapes and monster cues are so precise that you can almost predict their movements by ear alone, adding a thrilling layer of strategy to the hunt.
Things look nice in directed scenes during the campaign transition, especially with various plays of light and shadow. However, outside of that, the presentation leaves a very "meh" impression, sometimes even ugly.
In Conclusion
It is hard to summarize Monster Hunter Wilds in just one text. I still want to write about many details, but I do not want to drag on too long. The in-game interface is simpler than ever and allows you to customize it as you wish; the cooking system and its effects on your hunter or huntress have been improved, optional quests can now be accepted from any position, and if you encounter a monster in the wild, you can immediately start the assigned hunt for it...
Not to mention the various small changes within weapons, armor, and other stat boosters. The same text could probably be written about the changes in each of the 14 available weapons.
Monster Hunter Wilds belongs to that group of games that does not need any wise concluding comment. It is a new installment in a long-running and recognizable franchise where you know exactly what you are getting, especially if you are a seasoned hunter. But even if Monster Hunter is entirely unknown to you, Wilds is ideal for you, as it is the mildest and simplest installment in this long-lived hunting story.
Rating: 8.5/10
Monster Hunter Wilds is a fantastic entry for newcomers and veterans, offering a more accessible and streamlined experience while retaining the core hunting mechanics. However, the overly capable AI companions and slightly simplified combat may deter hardcore fans seeking a more significant challenge.
Recommended Age: 12+
Due to its moderate complexity, strategic gameplay, and mild violence, Monster Hunter Wilds is suitable for kids aged 12 and up. It encourages teamwork, planning, and problem-solving, making it both engaging and educational for younger players. Monster Hunter Wilds has an ESRB rating for T food teens.