Monster Hunter Wilds Review

The answer I found, in my approximately 40-hour game, is a resounding no. As I had noted in my preview, the devs have done an excellent job at balancing the new things they wanted to add, refining/streamlining the core gameplay, and providing an experience that will ring true for years to come.

But let’s not go over all of it just in the introduction.

Monster Hunter Wilds Is a Step in the Right Direction With Almost No Hiccups

Is It Too Easy?

Having invested a significant amount of time (but merely a fraction of what I will over the next few months) in MH Wilds, the one thing that kept on bugging me is – has Capcom dialed down the difficulty of the latest entry in the series? The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this is not a straightforward question and one that probably veterans of the series will be more adept at answering. Nevertheless, I will address this matter before diving into the gameplay and story. 

I am sure there will be a lot of commotion regarding Monster Hunter Wilds being easy. If memory serves right, we saw a similar flurry of sentiments when MH World dropped. A popular comment back then was that World was merely made too easy for casual fans just to maximize profits. Quite a harsh statement, if I am being honest, and one that does a disservice to what the devs have been doing with the series. 

The experience that comes from having played a previous MH title, or even any MH title, cannot be discounted when we talk about the difficulty a new entry in the series possesses. My first Monster Hunter stint was with World and what I learned there and in Iceborn definitely impacts how I go about my hunts in Wilds. I am more wary about how the monster is moving/attacking, of committing to a combo, and of the environment in which I am fighting. All these mean that I am having an easier time than I did in World for the early game. 

Another factor to be considered here is that Capcom has done a great job of making the gameplay mechanics, the UI, and the movement more fluid and streamlined. You don’t feel like a fish out of water dealing with the menu or trying to understand what’s going on if you are a newcomer to the series. The jank that many MH veterans are well aware of from yesteryears is getting addressed here and this experience is something I appreciated much more. Add to that fact the existence of the Seikret, support NPC hunters, and the Hook Slinger that can gather materials from a distance – and you have an experience that is not unnecessarily/artificially difficult. The support NPC hunters will come in to help if you fire a SOS and no one arrives. The AI is well-polished for these support hunters as they can deal decent damage to the monster while also helping with traps or applying buffs.

So, is Monster Hunter Wilds easier than previous titles in the series? I wager that it is easier, only if slightly so, but that it isn’t due to the developers turning down the difficulty dial to accommodate people. It is rather an amalgamation of everything that I mentioned before. Does this take away anything from the experience? Absolutely not. This is the best Monster Hunter experience I have had to date. And as veterans will tell you, wait for the expansion to arrive if you want monsters to treat you like ragdolls. 

Monster Hunter Wilds’ Story: Who Is a Hunter?

With MH Wilds, I feel Capcom is trying to address who a Hunter is and the nuances added to that role. The very existence of this class is meant as a balance in the ecosystem. It is not merely to rampantly kill whatever creatures one encounters (irrespective of what players will actually be doing during their playthroughs). 

You are in the shoes of a hunter who is not a newbie but one who is well-known and is more of a loner. Given your expertise, you are assigned to investigate the proceedings in Forbidden Lands. Yet, the very essence of the Guild is present throughout. Apart from the help from your own unit, you are occasionally helped by the other unit headed by Olivia. You are not alone when you travel to new locales but are accompanied by Nata, Alma, Gemma, and others too from time to time. 

The NPCs and the story don’t feel like forgotten add-ons placed merely to facilitate one hunt after the other. In my preview, I mentioned that they were not wooden pegs upon which Capcom has hung generic dialogs after playing the first few hours of Monster Hunter Wilds. Now that I have completed the main story, I am doubling down on the sentiment. MH Wilds shines through and through with the story it tells, the characters it employs, and the way it chooses to present the narrative.

I will probably talk in depth about the story once the game fully launches. Here, I am trying to avoid putting any spoilers lest it rob you of what you would otherwise experience while playing the game. But what I must emphasize is – do not skip the cutscenes (Tsujimoto and Fujioka mentioned the same) to rush to the next monster hunt. If you do so, you will miss out on the why of whatever is happening and the immersion that the devs have crafted.

In my experience, the overall arc of the story isn’t something that has not been done before. But the way the narrative unfolds, its pacing, its twists/turns, and the Low Rank’s finale, all of it pay off in a grand manner. Monster Hunter Wilds is aware of the threads that exist within its story and largely weaves them through without leaving them hanging or unfinished. 

With the Hunter having a voice, their presence in the scenes is much more pronounced and properly felt. This was one of the biggest changes for me and one that played out extremely well. Along with this, the portrayal of the other NPCs is also in tune with who they are, their roles, and their characteristics. Not just that, the game also fleshes out the backstory of the major NPCs that don’t feel out of place with whatever is going on.

As I mentioned early on, Monster Hunter Wilds focuses on the theme of “Who is a Hunter?”. When you finish the story, you will have a deeper appreciation. Many would be quick to say that Monster Hunter games aren’t played for their stories. But the latest entry is one where you should pay attention to the narrative that unfolds. Does this mean the gameplay has taken a backseat?

Monster Hunter Wilds’ Gameplay Shines Through It All

Absolutely not! With a more streamlined approach and the addition of a few other mechanics (like Focus Mode, Focus Strike, Seikret), this is the most fun I had in a Monster Hunter game, especially being a Great Sword wielder. Using Offset Attacks and Focus Strikes are the bread-and-butter of my playstyle as I try to contend with what the building-sized monster is throwing at me. While not all mechanics are available with each of the 14 different weapon types in-game, rest assured all weapons provide distinct playstyles that will dictate how your hunts will go.

Special mention should be given to the Focus Mode. When I initially came across it in the beta back in Gamescom Asia, I must admit that I was unsure of it. But with time, and especially in the final build, I don’t think I can imagine my hunts without this mechanic – in Wilds or in future titles. Focusing on specific wounds and parts of the monster’s body seems much more intuitive and synonymous with what a hunter would actually do. Instead of wildly flaying my weapon at Arkveld, I can try and be more precise to break the White Wraith down – success or defeat be damned. 

The presence of the Seikret here has a massive impact on how you play Monster Hunter Wilds – a positive impact, to be clear. Wilds’ open world is big, significantly so. Even if I am considering one region, the Windward Plains, the expanse is massive, and I would have absolutely not liked running the distance chasing some monster. That’s where the Seikret comes in and fills the gap perfectly.

With the press of a button, this raptor-looking creature will pick you up, be it while you are merely exploring or just before the Doshaguma slams down on you. It allows you to switch out to your secondary weapon (which is an absolute delight and opens up how you approach hunts) or check out items that are added to its pouches. Once you are atop your Seikret, it will beeline toward the marked destination or the monster you are hunting. 

Your Seikret may not have a similar emotional impact as Roach or the horse in Red Dead Redemption 2, but I definitely got attached to it over the hours. Quest Complete animations will have the Hunter, Palico, and the Seikret interacting in a playful and cute manner. You can also customize how your Seikret looks, making it more personal. Seikrets are a step in the right direction and one that perfectly fits the world of Monster Hunter Wilds.

The addition of Pop-Up Camps also allow you to break down your expeditions and hunts. They are little places of respite (that may be destroyed by a monster that found it) where you can restock, change your loadout, or cook a meal. That reminds me, the option to Grill a Meal with the Portable BBQ Grill anywhere on the map is a positive quality-of-life update that will surely resonate with the player base. Given the focus Capcom has given to cooking in Monster Hunter Wilds and delightful animations of the various ingredients you can use, there’s little, if anything at all, to dislike about these.

There may be some complaints about how “easy” it is to get materials from monsters. I am not wading into that debate, but I really enjoyed weapon/armor crafting in Monster Hunter Wilds. The UI felt much easier to grasp, and I could easily tinker with the afforded options to augment my build. The Smithy is available in the base camp in every region, making the entire process much easier than having to teleport every time back to one location. 

A quick mention for the OSTs of Monster Hunter Wilds that absolutely elevate your experience during these hunts, as MH soundtracks have always done. Be it the new take on Proof of a Hero, the Rey Dau fight, or the Arkveld one (and yes, I am intentionally not mentioning some of the other ones), you are truly in for a treat.

Monster Hunter Wilds’ Open World Is a Living, Breathing Ecosystem

One of my colleagues who is an MH veteran was worried about how an open-world gamespace would work out. Now that we have sunk almost 100 hours into the game collectively, both of us echo that Monster Hunter Wilds perfectly reflects a living, breathing ecosystem, especially with the introduction of the weather mechanics and how they impact monster spawning. 

Each map/region is painstakingly crafted with none feeling like an afterthought, cramped, or underutilized. They are not mere spectacles either. The devs have made sure they fit the overarching world and the game’s narrative. All of this adds positively to the player immersion. Be it the Scarlet Forest, the Windward Plains, the Iceshard Cliffs, or the Oilwell Basin – your experience in each of them will be different and yet fulfilling.  

This doesn’t mean that the game cuts down on how many monsters you end up encountering. The monster spawning will intensify once you step into High Rank, with one of my fights in the Scarlet Forest ending up involving three monsters. While I do understand some players will be upset if their favorite creature doesn’t appear, the Wilds’ roster does feel great. I only hope Capcom adds some solid monsters through Title Updates. 

The open world structure also makes it feel more like exploring, investigating, and hunting instead of just a closed-loop of gameplay that can grow tiresome after a while. The endemic life is a joy to watch as they also shift with the weather and it’s clear that the developers have invested a lot of time in creating a world that is not merely revolving around the player character. Instead, the world exists with all its nuances and everyday actions of both monsters and people alike. We, the players, are just another part of it. 

Monster Hunter Wilds’ Only Major Blemish 

The main concern that I think players will have with Monster Hunter Wilds is how it performs on PC. Rest assured, the game runs significantly better than it did during the Open Beta Test. But, as my colleague noted on his setup of AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and RTX 4070, the game struggles to hold 60 FPS. Fights that involve significant graphical elements (like the one with Arkveld or Rey Dau) can have a major impact on the FPS you get. Lower-end PCs will struggle with this game at launch. Post-launch updates will hopefully further address this matter.

On PS5, I faced no such issues thankfully. Both during my preview and the final build, I was able to run the game without any glitches and in all its glory. 

To Sum It Up

Monster Hunter Wilds is one of the best examples of how to introduce a new direction to a series without diluting its core tenets. This is still a Monster Hunter game, through and through. We have exciting monsters to tackle, both new and old, in regions that are intricately crafted. Your weapon choice dictates how your playstyle will go; you can choose any and still come out on top. The old has been polished, streamlined, and rid of its “jank,” but nevertheless has all of the Monster Hunter-goodness. 

And with all of that, the developers have a story that hits all the right chords at the right points. When you are done with it, you come off with a deeper appreciation of what a hunter is and the role they play in the ecosystem. The new mechanics seamlessly play into how you go about your business in Wilds, so much so that you won’t even remember they were new once you have sunk a few hours into the game.

This is one of the most fulfilling experiences I have had in a game in some time. And I say this fully aware that there might be a lot of nitty-gritties that can polarize the fanbase. Nevertheless, Monster Hunter Wilds will go down as one of the best MH titles, with TUs and an inevitable expansion yet to come.

---

We provide the latest news and create guides for Monster Hunter Wilds or MH Wilds. Meanwhile, you can check out the following Monster Hunter articles or catch us playing games on Twitch and YouTube:

• Monster Hunter Wilds: 5 Basic Things To Keep in Mind Before Jumping In
• All Monster Hunter Wilds Weapon Types
• Monster Hunter Wilds NPCs: All Characters Guide
• Monster Hunter Wilds Focus Mode Guide