2018’sMonster Hunter Worldis easily one of my most-played video games of the last generation. I spent hundreds of hours fighting its fantastic beasts, crafting the best gear possible, and completing co-op hunts with friends. Naturally, I have been excited to playMonster Hunter Wildssince it was first announced, with the new game promising to stay true toMonster Hunter’s core while simultaneously taking things in exciting but risky new directions. Not all ofMonster Hunter Wilds' new features will resonate with hardcore fans, but the overall package is a mostly satisfying experience.
What was once a dauntingly impenetrable series has become more streamlined and accessible than ever inMonster Hunter Wilds. Capcom has made dramatic quality-of-life improvements across the board, starting withthe Seikret mounts. Seikrets not only help players get around much faster than on foot, but they can be put in autopilot to take players straight to their objective. This completely eliminates the occasional annoyance in previousMonster Huntergames where players would get lost when chasing after fleeing monsters and lose valuable hunt time in the process.
Monster Hunter Wildsplayers aren’t totally passive when riding on the backs of their Seikrets; they can order the creature to take them to their next objective, all the while using their trusty slinger to gather resources. When using Seikrets to chase after fleeing monsters, players can use the time to heal and sharpen their blades.
The monsters inMonster Hunter Wildsare the stars of the show, with designs that range from terrifying to awe-inspiring to ridiculous, from the deadly flagship monster Arkveld to the returning pink hippo/ape Congalala that shoots poisonous farts.Monster Hunter Wildswastes little time settling players into the typicalMHgameplay loop of fighting these beasts, harvesting their materials, and then crafting better gear and weapons to fight even tougher monsters.
Monster Hunter Wilds is All About the Hunt
Monster Hunter Wildsmonster fightsare as exhilarating and cinematic as ever. In one hunt, a monster I was pursuing retreated up a waterfall and found itself beneath loose boulders. I used my slinger to bring the rocks crashing down on the beast, knocking it out and sending it floating down a river.Monster Hunter Wildsfeatures many wild watercooler moments like this, ensuring that the hunts are plenty action-packed from start to finish.
Monsters are inflicted with wounds that players can focus on using the new targeting reticule, offering even greater precision over exactlywhereweapons are landing on monsters. There are 14 weapon types for players to choose from that cater to various playstyles. A helpful change this time around is that players can actually bring two weapons with them on any given hunt, which encourages experimentation. I mostly stuck with a Great Sword, but I also brought along aHeavy Bowgunas a back-up in case ranged attacks made more sense. Extra weapons are stored on the Seikret, and swapping between them is a breeze.
Monster Hunter Wildsexcels in many categories, but it’s also a step down in some ways. For example, the graphics inMonster Hunter Wildsare a mixed bag. While many of the monsters look amazing, the human character models can sometimes look a generation behind. On Xbox, I experienced flickering and muddy textures from time to time and occasional lag. One of the game’s most-touted features is how it features large open zones for players to explore that are likemini-open worlds, and while the seamless exploration of these areas is impressive, there are times when they look ugly.
The game also stumbles when it comes to its story.Monster Hunter Wildsfeatures a greater focus on “story” than any other main seriesMonster Huntergame, but all this means is that players are subjected to more frequent cutscenes and talking. None of the human characters are particularly likable or interesting, and the plot is as bland and predictable as can be.Monster Hunter Wilds' storydoesn’t enhance the experience; if anything, it gets in the way of the monster hunting.
Use SOS Flares Sparingly to Keep the Game Challenging
Luckily, theMonster Hunter Wildsplayers can focus their attention on hunting monsters solo or with their friends. Hunts can be tackled in groups of four, as is typical of the series, but without the archaic system used inMonster Hunter World. Solo players can once again rely on theircustomizable Palico companion, but there’s a game-changing new feature this time around that is both a blessing and a curse.Monster Hunter Wilds’SOS flares have been tweaked so that if no one comes to help in any given hunt, NPC companions will fill the empty slots. These NPCs makeMonster Hunter Wildssignificantly easier, to the point where hunts are sometimes trivialized. On one hand, this ensures that solo players won’t hit the massive roadblocks that they may have in previous games, but on the other, the NPCs are perhaps a little too efficient, to the point where they completely rob the game of its challenge.
I feel like there could have been a middle ground with theMonster Hunter WildsSOS flare NPCs. As it stands, they can’t die, and there doesn’t appear to be any consequences for using them either. I seemed to get all the rewards that I normally would get for solo hunting, as opposed to when playing in co-op, where the monetary reward is lessened depending on how many players are in the party. So,Monster Hunter Wildsplayers have two choices. They can play solo or with real people, who may not necessarily be as good at the game, and have a harder time hunting monsters for fewer rewards, or they can summon overpowered NPCs and blow through every hunt like it’s nothing for greater gain.
I can’t stress enough how incredibly easy these NPC companions makeMonster Hunter Wilds. They fundamentally break the game, making it so players almost don’t even have to engage with the grinding or crafting in any serious way. WhereasMonster Hunter Worldconsistently provided a stiff but rewarding challenge,Wildswas like a walk in the park whenever I decided to shoot out SOS flares. I never failed a single hunt in the game, and the few times I fainted were easily avoidable. As a result, I didn’t have the need to grind all that much in my initial playthrough, though I did go out of my way to repeat one specific hunt to get the materials needed for a sword that had significantly more attack power. But that was out of want, not necessity, which is in stark contrast to my experience with otherMonster Huntertitles over the years.
I think it’s best forMonster Hunterveterans to approach the SOS flare NPCs as a sort of easy mode, only using them when the challenge gets in the way of having fun. And while I think that they make the game way too easy, I have to admit they’re better than having incompetent NPCs. Still, some rebalancing might be in order forMonster Hunter Wildsto hit the sweet spot between challenge and accessibility.
We’re in the Endgame Now
I rolled credits inMonster Hunter Wildson my first hunter in about 11 hours, but that was with SOS flare help and only doing a handful of optional hunts and side quests. While that is super short for aMonster Huntergame, playing it normally will likely double that playtime. Plus, the “real” game doesn’t even start until after the main story anyway. I don’t want to spoil anything by mentioning specifics, but rest assured that, like other games in the series, theMonster Hunter Wildsendgamehas new quests to complete, increasingly difficult monsters to hunt, and more to enjoy.
Even more content is on the way forMonster Hunter Wildsin the future, so the game should only get bigger and better from here. Capcom has already confirmedMonster Hunter Wildswill be adding new monsterspost-launch as part of free content updates, which should keep fans coming back.
While it may be a step down from its predecessor,Monster HunterWildsis still a great game with significant quality-of-life improvements, many of which shake up the formula for the better. But Capcom went a littletoofar in its effort to make the game more accessible to the masses, to the point where it risks alienating its most hardcore fans. Even so, what’s here is a meaty experience that scratches thatMonster Hunteritch, as long as you don’t rely too much on the SOS flare support hunters.
WHERE TO PLAY
Monster Hunter Wildslaunches on February 28 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X. Game Rant was provided with an Xbox Series X code for this review.
