Monster Hunter has long graced Capcom’s upper echelon of video game franchises. Prominently spearheading Capcom’s Nintendo offerings since its inception, however, has left many gamers and fans on other platforms wanting. Thankfully, the publishing giant started righting their ways with the PC release of Monster Hunter World in 2018, whereby platform parity had finally been reached after many years of exclusivity. Monster Hunter Wilds sees Capcom’s generation leading franchise enter the current era of gaming as it releases on all platforms, all at once, ushering in an era of equality and jolly cooperation between hunters from all walks of life. Along with this newfound accessibility also comes a brand-new design mantra, where Capcom attempts to offer a new generational title while also making it as easy for newcomers to join as possible. The result: an amicable middle ground between the grindy nuance of Monster Hunter World and simplicity of Monster Hunter Rise.
Like the game before it, Monster Hunter Wilds attempts to welcome new players into its ranks. It does so by simplifying many long-standing aspects of older titles, while also keeping things equally as laborious for veteran players. It is a strange, yet intriguing, balance not appreciated by many. In the Vamers review of Monster Hunter World , I stated how extensive the gameplay mechanics could become, melding beautifully the nuance of a grindy gameplay loop with a story running parallel to all newly introduced mechanics. Conversely, Monster Hunter Rise had very little story, with a faint narrative about rampaging monsters and the hunter’s guild needing to quell some numbers; where gameplay, simplified to such an extent, was the only shining star of the title. Monster Hunter Wilds, on the other hand, brings back a lot of that gameplay nuance, once again melding it with the narrative resulting in a scenario where players slowly come to grips with the gameplay as they follow the story… and the story is, most definitely, the shining star in this title.
While timelines are never mentioned in Monster Hunter games, it seems the expedition the player-character is sent on in Wilds may take place at about the same time as the A-list hunter from Monster Hunter Worlds travels across the sea to the New World. Taking place in the Forbidden Lands, Monster Hunter Wilds thrusts players into a vast and undocumented land back east. Players take on the role of a renowned hunter known for their remarkable aptitude at finding their mark. As always, players can customise their hunters from hairline to heel by making use of a powerful character creator.
Due to the renewed focus on storytelling and Capcom’s emphasis on narrative storytelling (seemingly pulling a total 180 from what was done in Rise), it is not possible to say much more about the narrative without spoilers. With that said, it is a stellar story worthy of the title. Once players have created their hunters, they will be thrust right into the action – where players will be informed that the Forbidden Lands have harboured life all along! Gamers will learn of entire villages evolving into full fledged civilisations, along with the perils that come with it. One such peril is none other than a mysterious white wraith hellbent on ravaging every other monster it comes into contact with. This dilemma causes the hunter’s guild to establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with, quickly allowing the guild to embed itself into the lives of the people and its monsters of these lands.
Naturally, however, the threat of the white wraith is not the only worry players will come across. As one problem is dealt with, another crops up; and in true Japanese Role-playing Game fashion, players end up saving not only the Forbidden Lands, but possibly all of life elsewhere. In so doing, gamers will become the best hunter the Forbidden Lands has ever seen, however, not without learning some new ropes.
Monster Hunter has always been grindy and it is no different this time around. Players will spend hundreds, if not thousands, of hours learning entire new systems! Gameplay was the focus in World while movement and mobility were the biggest focus in Rise. This time Capcom have decided to focus heavily on narrative and the way it weaves in with gameplay. As such, players will find themselves slowly learning all that needs to be learned over the course of a strong and beautiful (albeit quite short-feeling) 20-hour narrative… and then continue to master all of those gameplay mechanics for another 1980. #IYKYK
While series staples such as learning monster routines and moves are still present, Monster Hunter Wilds has implemented two major new aspects to take into account: a vast open world, and a dynamic weather and time system – both of which effect monster availability and the way they act!
Unlike previous Monster Hunter games, Wilds features a seamless open world without loading screens between areas. This allows for more immersive exploration and dynamic interactions with the environment. It also serves as quite a unique way in which monsters can interact with their environment and with players. While monsters will not travel between biomes, they will chase players from one area to another if agitated. Similarly, thanks to the weather systems, monsters will change their behaviour in ways previously unseen. While that means players will possibly have easier bouts with some large monsters at times, player actions (such as hunting and capturing the thunderous Rey Dau) will cause environments to change drastically, possibly causing havoc at different times and parts of the lands. This means players have even more aspects to study and take note of during hunts, whether they have triggered any one of the established quest types, or simply just exploring the Forbidden Lands and taking on the large monsters as they arrive.
Thankfully exploration and movement have also been reworked. Players finally have the ability to ride mounts! While the ability has been there all this time, the mechanic makes a full-fledged return from Rise, where players can now use it as a default means of transport to reach their targets quicker. Players can allow their Seikret mounts to go toward any waypoint (whether it be a monster or a location), or take the reins and opt for full-on control, scampering across beams and special paths they would not be able to access on foot, collecting items and managing inventories and bags while doing so. Moreover, players can now choose backup weapons carried by their Seikret! While riding, players can now swap between their main weapon and their secondary weapons at ease too. As a lifelong Bow main, I can finally show off my mastery over the Longsword when the going gets tough! Oh, and longrange weapon users can also fire while mounted, so there is that.
On the topic of weapons, Capcom have also upped the ante regarding the way they work. While all of the usual combos are still around, weapons now have additional contextual options. This allows players to change up the way they take on monsters and even lets players change the way they tackle monsters mid-hunt. Beyond this, players will also notice that monsters now have their weak spots highlighted, encouraging players to hit those spots for additional damage and monster part collecting (for crafting and upgrading). While severable and breakable monster parts have always been a Monster Hunter staple, the addition of weak spots affords players even more opportunities to hit them where it truly hurts.
Multiplayer also gets a new lease on life in Monster Hunter Wilds. While still quite a hassle to get set up, it remains easier to access than in World, and also comes with a massive quality of life upgrade: persistent localisation. Players now have two options when joining other players on hunts: they can either join on a per-hunt basis as before, or join their parties in what is called “environment links”, where an entire world becomes a shared environment between up to sixteen members for persistent multiplayer hunts and exploration. It is, without a doubt, a magnificent addition.
Monster Hunter Wilds has come a long way in terms of simplification and accessibility. While many players have come to adore the grindy and nuanced aspect of previous Monster Hunter titles (with all of these mechanics coming to a head in World and Iceborne), Capcom have shown much resolve in bringing the game to fresh eyes, starting with a vast tutorial system in the aforementioned title and its expansion. Now, however, Capcom have taken additional steps to make the gameplay loop itself much easier to get a grip on. So much so, in fact, that it feels almost too easy to understand some aspects of the game!
Expeditions and hunts are quest types that stick around, but players now have many new ways of interacting with the world around them. Bounties and Intelligence Centre quests have fallen away in favour of a much more simplified Side Quest system, while the Botanical Gardens have seemingly been removed from the game completely. Full disclaimer: I am using the word “seemingly” since I am writing this review after spending 40 hours in-game and completing the final post-game Assignment given to players who reach a certain hunter rank… but as Monster Hunter titles often goes, things may very well be introduced at a much later stage!
Collecting monster pieces and material is also a mechanic that remains, however the way players go about it has changed drastically. Monster pieces do not drop to the floor anymore. Monsters who end up fighting each other also do not drop monster pieces. Instead, players will be awarded monster materials as they break weak spots only. While collecting monster tracks has also largely been taken away, finding the occasional track will reward players with a single monster piece. Moreover, carving monster parts after hunts is also still a thing that needs to be done, but it seems these parts and pieces do not go away if players end up dying or carting during an expedition. This is a welcome change, enabling players to craft their ideal set of equipment or some alternative of their chosen weapon type (of which the same 14 types persist) much more easily than ever before.
In terms of performance, it needs to be said that Monster Hunter Wilds can seemingly be run on a potato! Capcom was generous enough to include a free-to-download benchmarking tool for anyone who may be interested in acquiring the game for themselves, and results are favourable more often than not. With that said, the minimum requirements are there for a reason. On a machine running a Nvidia GTX 1080, the game smoothly without too much trouble on high settings and a 30-frame cap. Moreover, upscaling is also a massive issue in this configuration, since the game refuses to render anything more than 360p. Even so, the game performs beautifully on a system running both a 14th generation Intel i9 CPU and a Nvidia RTX 4090, as one would expect. On console, on the other hand, the game seems to have much shorter load times (since shaders are automatically compiled), but also a much shorter draw distance. This is a little caveat that, ultimately, matters even less considering draw distance is the last thing anyone looks at when frantically hunting massive creatures trying to kill you at blinding speeds.
When all is said and done, Monster Hunter Wilds proves to be a bold step forward for the franchise. By blending the usual deep and methodical combat the series is known for, with modern accessibility and a new unprecedented level of world interactivity, players both new and old have their place. Moreover, Capcom’s renewed focus on storytelling adds an emotional weight to the hunt, making the journey through the Forbidden Lands feel more immersive than ever before. With seamless open-world exploration, a dynamic weather system, and an evolved multiplayer experience, Monster Hunter Wilds delivers an exhilarating and fresh take on the Monster Hunter formula while staying true to its roots. Whether a seasoned hunter or a newcomer, this entry offers something for everyone—challenging, rewarding, and endlessly engaging. The hunt has never felt more alive.
Verdict:
EXCEPTIONAL
| PROS | CONS |
| Builds on everything that made World great | Main story can be completed in 20 hours |
| Multiplayer is so much better | |
| Renewed focus on story | |
Title reviewed via Steam on Windows 11 with code supplied by Capcom.
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Junior Editor at Vamers. From Superman to Ironman; Bill Rizer to Sam Fisher and everything in-between, Edward loves it all. He is a Bachelor of Arts student and English Major specialising in Language and Literature. He is an avid writer and casual social networker with a flare for all things tech related.
