Monster Hunter Wilds Review

by

Monster Hunter Wilds refines the series by streamlining its rougher aspects intelligently, minimizing obstacles that might interfere with your enjoyment of the game’s engaging weapons and embedding them deep into monstrous hides. However, in its pursuit of making Monster Hunter more accessible, Wilds has trimmed back some of its challenges excessively, leaving me with little need to delve deeply into its intricate equipment system this time around to reach the top of the food chain. The series’ combat feels more fluid than ever, providing a blast, but unfortunately, it doesn’t last long before Capcom introduces tougher endgame monsters to test our mettle. In other words, Monster Hunter Wilds is as beautiful and intense as a desert lightning storm – shining brightly but only for a short while.

In 2018, Monster Hunter: World drew in a massive new fanbase, and Monster Hunter Rise introduced Wirebugs for swift navigation in 2021. It’s logical that Capcom would strive to bring this newly gained audience into the next phase. That’s precisely what Monster Hunter Wilds accomplishes, streamlining the process of transforming fearsome dragons into whimsical hats, making it more effortless, agile, and uncomplicated than ever. On the flip side, Wilds seems to lack significant challenges, even at launch, failing to demand strategic thinking about equipment. Yet, refinements in combat mechanics make cutting up monsters a more satisfying experience than ever before.

A notable attempt by Capcom to draw in new players is demonstrated through the revamped storyline in Wilds, which offers more depth and character development compared to previous games. Instead of a generic quest to eliminate everything in sight, you and the Hunter’s Guild embark on an expedition to explore an uncharted territory with the objective of solving an environmental enigma. Although the plot may not be entirely original, the characters that populate it are well-developed and engaging. From the energetic engineer Gemma, your compassionate handler Alma, to the eccentric biologist Erik, the team is filled with likable personalities whose character arcs unfold beautifully in the beautifully animated cutscenes. This level of character development has made me more invested in Wilds’ campaign than I’ve been in any previous Monster Hunter campaigns.

In simpler terms, the new layout of Wilds has made the game shorter than anticipated, with credits rolling at just 15 hours. Throughout this time, I didn’t have to replay any monsters and had enough resources from initial encounters to maintain my gear. This allows me to move smoothly from one mission to the next without much hassle. Compared to the over 40 hours it took to finish World, it’s evident that the aim is to make Wilds more accessible for newcomers. As an experienced player, I can understand the appeal of this change. However, since I didn’t face a single challenge that required strategic equipment planning or a tough battle to overcome, I found myself a bit underwhelmed as I never felt truly tested.

After the credits roll, there’s plenty more to explore, and that’s when Wilds truly reveals its unique take on the Monster Hunter formula. Instead of constantly going back to a separate town between hunts, then following a set list of tasks before moving on to the next one, most resources and tools are now accessible right in the field. Plus, each location smoothly transitions into others, so you can quickly travel from a fiery oil pit to an icy mountain peak without long loading times.

Gone are the days of returning to town between every single hunt.

In modern gaming like Wilds, systems similar to cooking for survival are still present but have been updated. Food now lasts a certain duration post-consumption, lasting until the timer expires – even while in camp, eliminating the need to constantly replenish resources. This streamlines the experience, reducing repetition and improving game flow without diminishing the strategic depth it added to hunts. Various user-friendly enhancements throughout the game have significantly reduced the initial friction that used to occur when starting and stopping between each encounter. Now, you can simply consult your map for monster details, mount up, and embark on a hunt directly.

The vast, untamed landscapes are breathtakingly beautiful as well. Each region experiences three distinct weather patterns with varying conditions based on location. For instance, a barren desert transforms from a hazy, desolate scene to an intense sandstorm complete with spectacular lightning, eventually leading to a lush and verdant phase of abundance. On the other hand, forests undergo similar transitions but with heavy rain instead. Although these seasonal changes may not significantly impact your hunting activities in reality, they do influence which monsters emerge, making it fascinating to witness each hunting ground metamorphose according to when you visit. However, a couple of late-game areas on the PS5 Pro’s Balanced setting had annoying texture pop-in issues, but overall performance was smooth apart from that.

In your adventures, the creatures you encounter are often impressive, whether it’s a familiar powerhouse like Gore Magala or a fresh arrival such as Lala Barina, who dances flamenco-style. Even though Arkveld, the main attraction, is among my favorites due to its chain-like limbs, Nu Udra stands out as truly stunning. Its octopus-like tentacles can be as tricky to manage as one might anticipate (particularly when they’re ablaze), but there’s no beating the thrill of cutting every last one during a hunt. It’s an unparalleled feeling.

As a seasoned gamer, I’d say the thrill of battling any monster in Wilds is perfectly balanced for an exhilarating fight. The allure of Monster Hunter’s combats has always been about wielding flashy moves and powerful attacks, but mastering when to strike, where to position myself, and predicting the monster’s next move is equally crucial. These monsters are colossal and unpredictable, so being a hunter, not just an action hero, is essential to efficiently take them down by learning their patterns. That’s true in Wilds too, but the combat system allows for more flexibility, making it less likely that a misjudged attack with a lengthy animation will leave me humiliated, swinging at thin air without losing the precision these powerful moves demand.

Wilds never challenged me with any real threats, even in the endgame.

In simpler terms, the game Wilds introduces a new feature called Focus Mode which enhances its philosophical aspects by allowing players to zero in on particular parts of monsters more effectively. By inflicting damage on specific areas such as limbs, heads, or flanks, you create Wounds. These Wounds can be utilized strategically in every battle, acting like a resource that is depleted and restored over time.

Dealing more damage to Wounds will cause them to ‘break’, but not too much at once as they’ll eventually heal. Each weapon comes equipped with a Focus Strike, a move designed for quick execution, which deals a large amount of damage to an open Wound and instantly breaks it. The challenge lies in keeping a Wound open for as long as possible before using the Focus Strike, creating a mini-game within the main combat system that adds an interesting layer to gameplay.

If Wilds ever presented a genuine challenge that required strategic thinking, my gameplay experience would be similar. Regardless if I was playing with others online, using the new AI Support Hunters or just my Palico assistant, no mission lasted beyond 20 minutes. In contrast, Kirin in World gave me quite a tough time initially, forcing me to reconsider and craft an armor set focusing on thunder resistance, which made the struggle more rewarding. It seems that Capcom’s aim to make Wilds more welcoming has smoothed out some of the challenging elements I found enjoyable when facing genuine threats in Monster Hunter.

The action picks up a bit after the game ends, but even then, I’ve only had to focus on enhancing my armor or lagging behind in damage occasionally during the content available at launch – and that includes against the more challenging Tempered variants of monsters. It took me 15 hours to complete the campaign, followed by another 15 to finish every side quest (excluding fishing-related ones), and just 5 more before I had my desired armor set and weapon, along with a decent collection of skill-enhancing Decorations. To be honest, there’s still more equipment I could grind for, but the usual urge to obtain the top-tier weapon of each element type and create specialized outfits for tough battles isn’t present this time around – simply because those battles aren’t included to fuel that drive. In fact, I was able to defeat what is currently the hardest monster in Wilds quickly and without trouble the very first time we met, so it seems there’s not much more for me to grind for other than for the sake of it.

In simpler terms, I believe much of this boils down to basic statistics that could potentially be adjusted in future updates. However, certain aspects that make the game easier seem to be inherent in Wilds. For instance, frequently using Focus Strike on a Wound often triggers a brief but significant stagger animation on monsters, which offers an advantageous moment, and you’ll find yourself breaking Wounds quite frequently, so these instances accumulate. On the crafting side, I found my search for the best armor to be much quicker than anticipated because scarce materials can sometimes appear as guaranteed rewards when examining the monster list on your map. This hunt can then be repeated up to four times, allowing you to farm supposedly hard-to-find items as if they were common hides. While this is extremely convenient, it’s also what led to the loot chase ending almost too quickly.

The easier tuning will probably get more people through the door.

In simpler terms, initially, I expected that the challenging tuning in Monster Hunter Rise would attract more players, but for me personally, it resulted in my enthusiasm dwindling before I reached the 40-hour mark, unlike my previous reviews which continued up to 50 to 60 hours. (To clarify, my review time for Monster Hunter Stories was longer than this.) However, let me emphasize that there is still a substantial amount of game here by most standards, and I must say it has been one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had with the series so far.

It seems longtime fans might think, “We’ll just need to hold on for updates, G-Rank, and so forth for the true test.” However, Capcom’s update schedule has raised concerns about how long that might take: There’s only a single new monster announced for all of Spring, with just one more listed for Summer afterwards. This is in stark contrast to Rise, which added six new monsters a month after launch and three more the following month. Currently, Wilds appears to be lacking in endgame threats like Monster Hunter’s powerful Elder Dragons to truly test its limits. If it only receives one returning monster in the initial few months following launch, the wait for a potential Iceborne- or Sunbreak-style expansion could feel particularly long and impatient.

To put it simply, Wilds stands out among games I’ve played, not just in the Monster Hunter series, but across the board, for its exceptional level of customization. It allows you to switch between two weapons instantaneously during gameplay, offers a multitude of accessibility options, lets you tailor your user interface to your preference, provides extensive control over menus and radial wheels, and even enables you to modify minute details such as your mount, chat stickers, and fast-travel tents. To top it off, you can now wear any version of each armor set, effectively doubling the cosmetic choices available, particularly when it comes to fashion, a key aspect of the game towards the end.

Engaging in multiplayer gaming online has become smoother and more efficient, allowing you and your friends to traverse various maps together (even with cross-platform compatibility) and transition effortlessly from one mission to another. This seamless progression ensures you receive all rewards without needing to reassemble at the camp after each battle. For those primarily opting for a solo experience, there are several enhancements as well. Features like AI-controlled Support Hunters that fill empty positions in your party when an SOS Flare is activated (before being replaced by real players who respond) are among them. Additionally, a new “Online Single-Player” mode has been introduced, which enables you to call for help but temporarily pause the game before doing so. This feature could potentially inspire developers like FromSoftware to incorporate it in future Souls games.

Read More

2025-02-24 19:15