A “somebody pinch me” moment came early in Monster Hunter Wilds.
The beginner decorations I received made it clear thatCapcomhas been paying attention.
Good and plentiful decorations are a small demonstration of what makesMonster Hunter Wildsgreat.
The timeless loop of fighting monsters and crafting gear has never been stronger.
In the 47 hours I’ve played, Monster Hunter Wilds has become a gallery of favorites.
So begins a decidedly more structured journey of chapters and missions and many lovely cutscenes.
Your initial goal is to find Nata’s people while helping the locals with their monster problems.
You’re joined by allies such as Gemma the smith and your assistant-like handler Alma.
(Playing on a base PS5, this was the only technical issue I noticed.
Monster Hunter Wilds ran great and never crashed in performance mode, nor did I get FPS dips.)
It’s important to have companions for support when tackling big questions.
Where do humans fit into this untamed world?
What is a hunter’s purpose?
A Hunter’s paradise
The characters are good, but the monsters are better.
Retouched fan-favorites are flanked by exciting newcomers who are now some of the best bosses in the series.
The diversity is immense.
Far from the same-y wyvern fests of some games, Wilds avoids overplayed monsters without missing the classics.
Hunts can be surprisingly quick.
I played solo and was able to clear most monsters in under four or five minutes.
Even endgame beasts went down in six or seven minutes on decent runs with suboptimal gear.
Oppositely, Frenzied monsters provide a different kind of intensity.
Some hunts could actually stand to be shorter.
A few monsters spend a long time running around the map.
Capturing monsters can be nice just to spare you the headache of fully killing them.
The monsters are great, but the weapons are better still.
This is the most satisfying combat sandbox in Monster Hunter’s 20-year history.
Focus Mode is always nice to have, and it’s transformational for some weapons.
I’m eager to try them all.
The pointy end
I can’t say enough good things about how weapons feel in your hands.
I will play Monster Hunter Wilds for hours upon hours just to savor the combat and practice matchups.
But I am somewhat less emphatic about how weapons fit into your build.
Monster Hunter Wilds introduces a hard divide between weapon skills and armor skills.
The same is true of decorations, which are weapon- or armor-exclusive.
Would Wilds be more fun if monsters were harder and builds allowed for more skills?
I think so, but I suppose that’s what the inevitable Master Rank expansion is for.
I’m divided on this system.
It has its upsides.
Set bonuses also feel more impactful, which I like.
These make the game smoother, which is better for most people than speedrun optimization.
High-level gear helps fit in more but there’s a relatively low ceiling.
All that being said, I don’tfeelunderpowered.
Monsters are most definitely dying.
Would Wilds be more fun if monsters were harder and builds allowed for more skills?
I think so, but I suppose that’s what the inevitable Master Rank expansion is for.
It does help that decorations are largely deterministic and easy to come by.
Investigation quests can guarantee rare rewards from specific monsters once you encounter them randomly in the world.
That said, it often feels like I’m missing some skills.
This does create compelling opportunity costs, but it can make High Rank gear feel even more underwhelming.
I see myself putting several hundred hours into this game.
The biggest problem I had with Monster Hunter Wilds is just how fiddly it can be.
When everything goes wrong at once, it can be frustrating.
The radial menu feels unresponsive.
Sometimes your Seikret takes much longer to answer your call.
Important NPCs can walk around, so they randomly won’t be where you want them.
Map notifications can delay your ability to pop crack open the freakin' map.
The game randomly forgot that I’ve already encountered some monsters and replayed their unskippable intro shots.
I see myself putting several hundred hours into this game.
It’s my new favorite Monster Hunter and an early contender for game of the year.
Monster Hunter Wilds was reviewed on PS5, with a code provided by the publisher.
