Monster Hunter: Wilds

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If you’re looking to shake up your life with an exhilarating experience, it’s hard to beat a little bit of travel! The world’s a big place and there’s no shortage of amazing things to see and do out there. If the real world isn’t enough for you, the world of gaming has plenty to offer as well! Capcom’s Monster Hunter games really drive this home with their variety of settings, each packed with totally docile and not-at-all-murderous wildlife, and the majestic Eastlands of Monster Hunter: Wilds are no exception.

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When an enigmatic child is discovered, lost and alone, after a monster attack in the Eastlands, the monster-hunting Guild gets involved. The child needs to return home, and this opportunity to do some good might represent the first steps of a diplomatic treaty with the East. Naturally, things won’t be as simple as bringing the kid back and asking nicely where he’s from – the Eastlands are packed with novel and dangerous monsters. The expedition team is going to need protection, and you’re just the Monster Hunter to do it. With that, you’re sent off with the rest of the team to the Eastlands, seeking the tribe of Keepers from which the child hails and uncovering the mysteries of the wilds.

Monster Hunter: Wilds is the third entry in the modern series of Monster Hunter games that began with Monster Hunter: World and Rise a few years back. This is a more cinematic, story-driven take on a series that had focused on a streamlined gameplay loop since its inception: pick a weapon and kill some monsters, obtain materials from those monsters to make better gear, use that gear to kill tougher monsters. That’s not to say that things are any different here, of course, there’s just a new level of glam and glitz in the modern Monster Hunter games that really sells them as an AAA experience.

Case in point: the main story in Monster Hunter: Wilds is about as good as it’s been in this series. The search for the Keepers is fraught with danger and plenty of battles with the monsters of the Eastlands, and it’s all played up with the proper amount of gravitas and excitement. New foes typically merit bombastic entrance cutscenes, action-packed chases and stunts are commonplace, you’ve got the works here. Fans of the modern style storytelling the franchise has taken are going to enjoy the 15 or so hours of main story on offer here, and this might be worth the purchase price of Monster Hunter: Wilds all by itself.

Of course, plenty of fans aren’t coming to a Monster Hunter game for the story. They’re here to hunt monsters, and Wilds excels. There’s a number of new monsters to battle and gear to make from their meaty bits, of course, and fan favorites like Congalala return as well. Taken as a whole, the lineup does feel a bit sparse, but the same could be said for World and Rise as well. Given some time for updates, there’s bound to be all manner of prey that’s worth hunting, and a likely future expansion would really help this experience sing.

As for how all that monster hunting plays out, we’ve dropped the Silkbind mechanics from Monster Hunter: Rise and returned to a somewhat more straightforward take on Monster Hunter gameplay. Victory still relies on preparing items and meals in advance to give yourself the best possible odds, attacking with precision to strike monsters in their most vulnerable areas and properly dodging to avoid becoming monster mash yourself. Wilds’ new mechanic relies on wounds, glowy-hurty bits that show up on monsters’ bodies when they’ve been smacked around enough in a manner somewhat similar to the Clutch Claw from Monster Hunter: World – Iceborne.

Each weapon has a special attack that can break these wounds, dealing massive stagger and damage as well as spawning extra loot. Wound-breaking attacks look spectacular and really lend a sense of power to your character, so this is a pretty enjoyable mechanic. Other welcome changes are the ability to carry a secondary weapon for the first time in the series; this is stored on your Seikret, a bird mount similar to the Palamute of Monster Hunter: Rise that also offers mobility and parkour capabilities.

As the latest entry in one of Capcom’s heaviest-hitting franchises, you’d expect Monster Hunter: Wilds to look and sound great. It does! We’ve returned to a more gritty and realistic look at the Monster Hunter setting after Rise anime’d things up a bit, which is going to hit different players in different ways. There’s no question this game looks great, though, and in particular many of the settings where you’ll be doing your hunting are jaw-dropping on computer and console alike. If there’s anything to complain about, its the stringent requirements for PC players. Even top-end hardware can struggle a bit from time to time during more dense moments.

Performance concerns and the relatively brief length of the main story aside, Monster Hunter: Wilds is pretty easy to recommend. It’s a gorgeous adventure packed with action and excitement, but beyond that, it’s the latest refinement of a series that knows what it does and does it well. Come for the cinematic adventure in the Eastlands, stay for the dozens of hours you’ll spend after that battling high-rank monsters and crafting new armor. Better yet, do it with friends. Book a group trip to the Eastlands – you won’t regret it.