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Twelve years ago, my journey as a hunter began with Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, a game that tested patience, skill, and sheer determination. From the cramped hallways of the Great Forest to the ferocious roars of Tigrex, I forged my skills in the harshest of environments. When Monster Hunter: World was announced, bringing the series back to mainline consoles, I was ecstatic. I poured countless hours into it across PS4, PS5, and PC, relishing in the refined combat and vast ecosystems. Now, with Monster Hunter Wilds, Capcom has raised the bar yet again, delivering an experience that feels both nostalgic and ground-breaking.
A Living, Breathing Wilderness
Graphically, the game is good, but where it excels is the environment, effects, and animation. The new regions are not just visually stunning but alive in ways that demand adaptation. The environment is wonderfully crafted with shortcuts and secret areas scattered around every area. The weather effects and night/day differences stand out, altering not just the visuals but also the behaviour of monsters and even the landscape itself. Also some monsters will only appear in certain places at certain times or conditions which makes the world of wilds feel even more alive. These dynamic changes result in fantastic visuals while also keeping hunts fresh for longer.
The one big complaint I have is that there is no player home apart from the tents you can set up across the areas for fast travel, re stocking and equipment changes. they’re useful but the lack of a player home mean all the endemic life and huge aquatic life I fished out cannot be displayed anywhere. Although I have no doubt it will be added at a later date as a free update.
Combat – Blunt, Sharp or ranged, It’s now better
The essence of Monster Hunter combat remains intact—precise, methodical, and deeply satisfying. Weapon rebalancing ensures every playstyle feels smooth, and new mechanics like terrain-assisted attacks and seamless mounting add layers of depth. I usually switch up the weapons I use and started this journey off with a gunlance which felt great and powerful to use. I then played around with the glaive and eventually spent a lot of time with sword and shield. Across all these and many more I found every weapon feeling better than ever, with smoother transitions between counters and special moves.
From my time with the game, I’ve used all melee weapons, and each has new or refined attack moves, making every weapon feel good to use. The animations truly bring Wilds to life. Monster attacks and weapon strikes are detailed, theatrical, and smooth, making every hunt an absolute joy. regrettably I haven’t hunted with ranged weapons since I simply had too much fun with melee, but with some playing around at the beginning of the game they have also been given the same treatment as other weapons.
Performance – Mostly Smooth Sailing
Performance-wise, I had a few crashes early on, but they subsided completely later. The crashes only seemed to happen when I started an optional quest from a very specific location, occurring three or four times before stopping entirely. Frame rates have been stable, with no noticeable drops apart from a brief dip just before a loading screen when a quest starts, but it lasts for only a second as the hunter flies off.
Story and Progression
The game starts with extensive character customization for both the hunter and Palico, before throwing you into the world where the beta began. Without giving away spoilers, I can say the story seems far more prominent than in previous Monster Hunter games. While the game opens up rather quickly, the ‘Guild’ restricts hunting monsters outside of your progression, allowing you to kill and carve them but without extra rewards. This prevents fast-tracking armour sets early, making grinding inefficient for those looking to jump ahead. The way starting hunting quest works is you no longer have to come back after every hunt. After a quest is complete, you’ll receive your rewards and you may carry on from where the monsters last stand took place. You can then find another monster, deal enough damage and a quest will start resulting in farming monster parts, not being interrupted by conversations with the handler.
Endgame content is plentiful, ensuring hunters have more to do after completing the main story as is monster hunter fashion. I finished the story in about 20 hours at a medium pace, I still took my time to upgrade my arsenal and wander around the beautiful environments. After reaching the endgame, there are plenty of additions to keep hunters going. At the time of writing this review, I have spent around 70 hours in the game with no plans to stop. Of course veterans will know, that’s where the monster hunter experience truly begins.
Monsters – A Perfect Blend of Old and New
One of the biggest highlights of Monster Hunter Wilds is its roster of monsters. With a roster bigger than any title on release and of course with the promise of more on the way. There are a lot of returning monsters that genuinely put a smile on my face, bringing back nostalgic battles with fresh animations and behaviours. At the same time, the brand-new monsters fit perfectly into the series, feeling like natural additions rather than forced newcomers. I won’t spoil any specific monsters, as I know some players prefer to experience each one for themselves, but rest assured, there are plenty of surprises in store for both veterans and newcomers.
Difficulty and Exploration
Going back to the environments, I wasn’t as compelled to explore as much as I was in World. That was mostly due to not much being needed for success. There is no Palico equipment to be found as it was in worlds. But there is still a way to expand your felyne friends arsenal. Resources can now be gathered with the clutch claw so you’re always collecting as your sekriet auto runs to your target. That of course is less and less necessary with every title which is a shame but I do understand the tediousness of crafting whetstones is not for everyone.
The game is easier in my opinion—even now, in the endgame, I’m not struggling with most hunts. Throughout the main story, I think I only fainted three times, and all were due to me getting too hasty and not taking a few seconds to heal. The main reason the game seems easier is the wound system. It allows for some spectacular scenes, with every weapon having its own focus attack, but the damage output combined with frequent monster knockdowns results in high damage with little risk.
I played through the game Solo, and I hope the multiplayer scaling is enough to not make the hunts trivial. Though I found you can now call in an SOS flare in offline mode to get backup from various characters you meet along your journey.
These guild members have plenty of other benefits, through side quest you can build up your relationship with characters which results in bonuses such as item collecting, new palico moves and equipment and said NPC’s appearing around various locations to help in hunts with their inventions.
Conclusion – A Near-Perfect Evolution
Monster Hunter Wilds isn’t just another entry in the franchise—it’s an evolution. It embraces the core identity of the series while pushing boundaries in ways that keep veterans engaged and newcomers welcomed. Every hunt is an adventure, every battle a test of skill, and every moment in the world a story waiting to unfold. While the difficulty may not be as punishing as past entries, the fluid combat, stunning world, and refined mechanics make it a joy to play.
