Capcom Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds review: the most beginner-friendly spin-off’s still really complex
The hunt in Monster Hunter Wilds is more varied than ever before. The monster fights keep me glued to the screen for hours. The other aspects – including the story and menu navigation – less so.
Since my review of Monster Hunter Wilds, I’ve spent many more hours on the virtual hunt for monsters. My initial verdict was mixed. I enjoyed taking down the huge beasts – navigating the complex menus wasn’t as fun, though. More game time only confirmed my first impressions – both positive and negative.
A beautiful start to the vast adventure
When you start Monster Hunter Wilds for the first time, you have to click through an intensive setup session before you can jump into the action.
First up are refreshing accessibility options like arachnophobia mode – which turns small spiders into blobs – or convenient presets for people with motion sickness, which minimise screen shaking. Then you can choose the perfect look for your Hunter.
Thanks to the many possibilities for fine-tuning, creative minds have at least as much fun as pragmatists who want to create a pretty player characters without many clicks.
Source: Cassie Mammone
Time spent in the character editor’s worth it. Lots of armour decorates my face instead of covering it completely. And I often see my character in the stylishly staged story sequences. Unfortunately, the cutscenes are nothing more than superficially stylish. As crazy and lifelike as the various monsters appear in them, the cutscenes don’t bring enough tension and hardly any emotion to the generic story.
The premise is simple: the Hunter’s Guild assigns me the task of exploring the unknown Forbidden Land. Shortly after my arrival, a little boy named Nata falls at my feet. He’s looking for his people, the Keepers. In keeping with our good nature, I and my expedition members – field expert Alma and locksmith Gemma – take on the search straight away. Coincidentally, this gets me into a lot of fights against monsters.
Source: Cassie Mammone
I searched in vain for a thrilling, profound plot in Monster Hunter Wilds. The purpose of the story’s main missions is primarily to gradually introduce me to the complex game system – like a kind of overly long tutorial.
Speaking of tutorials: monster hunting’s supposed to be more accessible than ever before in this spin-off. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
The hunter’s craft is wide-ranging
As the story progresses, I gradually learn the hunter’s craft. To start with, I choose one of a total of 14 weapons. The Great Sword delivers blows with a real punch, while the double blades are characterised by their speed. The bow’s used for long-range combat.
On the useful training ground, I learn the moveset for my desired weapon. It’s helpful that combos are shown on the screen. As I delve deeper into the game, I discover further pros and cons. The hammer, for example, causes fractures more quickly than blades, which are useful for cutting off limbs.
Source: Cassie Mammone
The combat system’s been refreshed a bit – including with a new Focus Mode. If I hit a spot on a monster enough times, it’ll eventually show in red. If I then focus attack it, I inflict a lot more damage.
Changing weapons is also a new feature. For the first time, I can take a second weapon with me on the Saikrii – the bird that quickly transports me through the open areas. This allows me to switch back and forth between close and long-range combat, for example. There’s a lot of variety in terms of weapons alone.
Source: Capcom
While choosing the right weapons is important, preparing thoroughly for the hunt is even more important. Before accepting a quest, you should definitely pay a visit to your tent, where you can cook meals to increase hit and stamina points or move items between the chest and portable pouch. You can also buy useful items or make them yourself.
Having to do this before every single hunt is tiring. The complicated menu and inventory management feels like an outdated gameplay element that I don’t want to see in 2025. Thankfully, the actual hunts almost make me forget the tedious preparations.
Source: Cassie Mammone
The open areas and their monsters are even more diverse
As soon as you select a (side) quest from field expert Alma, you go to one of five open areas. Their biomes aren’t just extensive; they’re different too. You could head to a lush jungle, a barren landscape of ruins or a mystical desert, among other things.
Extensive preparation pays off by laying out traps from your inventory bag to keep the beasts trapped for a few seconds and do as much damage as possible. Alternatively, you can catch them using patience and tranquilliser bombs to bag even more experience points. If, on the other hand, you have explosive barrels with you, you can make the most of them when the monsters are sleeping. This not only scares them; it also inflicts a lot of damage.
Source: Cassie Mammone
In battle, you can also make use of the environment. Monster Hunter Wilds introduces the extremely practical grappling hook. You can use it to grab a lot of collectibles while riding or trigger beetles that restore life or briefly stun the monsters.
Despite good preparation, you still have to be prepared for long fights: they often last around ten minutes. The monsters also use the game environment to their advantage. For example, many beasts retreat to their nests to heal when they’ve been significantly weakened. Sometimes my target runs into another monster by chance while fleeing and starts a territorial fight. As a third party, I’m happy to watch them weaken each other.
It’s impressive how many factors come together. They make the hunt feel realistic and rewarding. When I kill a huge specimen for the first time after a lot of preparation, it’s very satisfying to gut the monster at the end of the mission for better equipment. This is the Monster Hunter gameplay loop that enthrals millions of fans around the world.
Source: Cassie Mammone
The grind is real
In addition to the story missions, I’ve taken on side quests at my own pace to improve my equipment. The real grind only starts after the end of the story. Die-hard monster hunters would even say the game only really starts then.
Essentially, I’m trying to improve my hunter rank. This not only tells you something about my strength, but also determines the missions I can take on. As your hunter rank increases, you unlock more missions, equipment and game content. Even when you’ve unlocked everything, you can keep increasing the levels. This is a sign for the other hunters to recognise me as a veteran.
Source: Capcom
The online mode is an important component of the Monster Hunter series and makes a positive impression in the Wilds version. The only sticking point is that I have to click through various menus again before I can meet other players.
You can join hunting groups to connect with other hunters and accompany them on their active quests via field expert Alma. Alternatively, if you just feel like playing a quick game with someone or want to support newbies, you can specifically search for what are called emergency beacon quests. This function also allows you to look for help in difficult fights. If no real people can be found for this, NPCs come to your aid.
The online game works perfectly smoothly for me. In an action RPG of this calibre, I’m amazed I don’t experience any restrictions in the gameplay. The monsters behave as usual, even when up to four hunters are beating them up. This not only makes hunting easier; it’s especially fun with friends. Ideally, they also have experience with Monster Hunter and can pass on their knowledge. This even works in crossplay, i.e. across different platforms.
Source: Capcom
The world’s more colourful and alive than ever before
If you don’t mind multiple menus and you’re committed to the grind, you’ll find what’s probably the most extensive and beautiful world in a Monster Hunter game yet.
Among other things, the new game has a dynamic season and weather system. The two seasons alternate between wasteland and filling seasons. So, either the fauna’s thriving or it needs to recover after a drastic weather event. The monsters react accordingly. For example, they’re driven away from home by a lack of food or they show up during a storm to make life particularly difficult for you. This not only offers many opportunities to observe them; it’s also a factor I can incorporate into my preparation.
Source: Capcom
The visuals, however, aren’t brilliantly new. On the PS5, the performance mode (60 fps at the expense of graphics) was satisfactory, but Monster Hunter Wilds doesn’t set new standards. I also repeatedly stumbled upon textures that loaded later.
Both the open areas and the monsters are well done. The people look great too – common characters such as Alma and Gemma are much more detailed than other NPCs. The monsters’ fluid, varied movements make me feel like I’m fighting truly epic battles against them. And that’s where Monster Hunter is at its best: hunting monsters.
Monster Hunter Wilds is out now for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Capcom kindly gave me a copy of the PS5 version to review.
In a nutshell
Authentic monster hunting with all the extras
Monster Hunter Wilds offers a greater scope than all the previous spin-offs in the series and it’s still more accessible than ever before. Experienced hunters rave about the new content and innovations, such as weapons handling or the living ecosystem.
The fights against monsters are the highlight. There are so many options available that newcomers can choose their ideal play style. The fights feel rewarding and make you want more. Unfortunately, getting there’s exhausting. Multiple menus and inventory management eat up an unnecessary amount of time.
The same can be said about the story. Its many main missions are useful for introducing you to the complex gameplay step by step. But if you’re expecting deep characters or a gripping plot, you’ll be disappointed.
Pro
- The gameplay loop of hunting, crafting equipment and hunting again is addictive
- Elaborately staged monsters in convincing ecosystems
- Online mode – hunting with other hunters is even more fun
Contra
- Unspectacular story
- Exhausting menu avalanches
Header image: Capcom
12 people like this article
Cassie Mammone
Freelance Editor
cassie.mammone.freelance@gmail.comI wrote my first text about video games when I was eight years old. I haven't been able to stop since. The rest of my time is spent on my love for 2D husbandos, monsters, my cats and sport.
