Monster Hunter Wilds is an onslaught of cool monsters, spectacular battles and deeply satisfying mechanics that have hooked generations of Monster Hunter fans across games, platforms and console brands.
The Monster Hunter series was, for a time, accessible only to the dedicated veteran – like the guy you know who imports Japanese video games “before they’re cool.” While the series has certainly become more accessible over time, the perception that Monster Hunter was the exclusive domain of seasoned enthusiasts remained even as titles started appearing on shelves in English, and for a wider variety of platforms.
Monster Hunter World, first released in 2018, represented a fundamental shift in this rhetoric. As well as being a stunning graphical update, World took a lot of underlying systems of Monster Hunter, and made them digestible for first-time players. Perhaps more importantly, they accomplished this overhaul in accessibility without removing any of the depth that veterans of the series had come to expect. World was a triumph, and set a new high water mark for Monster Hunter as a franchise.
It comes as no surprise, then, that Monster Hunter Wilds continues to push Monster Hunter into the mainstream, unapologetically presenting all the weirdness and wonder of fighting giant monsters and inviting everyone from die-hards to first-timers to jump on board.
Read: Monster Hunter Wilds’ ecosystem is directly inspired by the real world
Hunter? I barely know ‘er!
Wilds puts you in the role of a Hunter, a specialist group who are permitted to wield powerful weapons to defend the general public from fearsome monsters. Tasked with keeping these natural titans in check, your hunter sets out on an expedition to explore uncharted areas and to catalogue any new and exciting wildlife. Joined by your handler, Alma and the spunky smithy Gemma, you and your party push into the unknown with good vibes and plenty of banter.
This deceptively simple narrative hook provides the groundwork for surprisingly insightful conversations around environmental change and ecological balance. After all, the monsters of Monster Hunter are not inherently evil but – much like in the real world – changes to their environment or diminishing food sources can sometimes force them into desperate actions, or closer to civilisation. Hunters are much closer to animal conservationists than they are exterminators.
Wilds by name, Wilds by nature
While the monsters are certainly the meat and potatoes of the game, the main story missions in Wilds are also deeply engaging. For a game that is mostly about putting a big sword into a gigantic beastie, I find it genuinely charming to slow down and experience the warmth and familiarity of a home-cooked meal with friends.
New members of your expedition take the time to explain their culture and customs, and it feels very organic to learn about them through cultural exchange rather than brow-beating tutorial pop-ups or hidden data logs buried in a menu. For some, this departure from the adrenaline of battle and break in the action might be a little bit too relaxed, but hopefully everyone can find some joy in a game that takes the time to build out the new world.
The world of Monster Hunter Wilds is full of fascinating characters and culture, but the environment also plays a part in your grand adventure. New to the series is dynamic weather effects – hunting quests can be accompanied by driving rain or a calm, abundant environment packed with peaceful herbivores.
In addition to changing monster behaviour, the new weather system in Monster Hunter Wilds can change mid-hunt, keeping you on your toes. After all, a few extra grazing animals may not heavily impact every hunt, but it’s certainly much more intimidating to fight the lightning-breathing Rey Dau during a thunderous sandstorm.
Also new to the series are seamless transitions between areas, helped along by the new Seikret mount who can traverse the landscape with ease. As a sort of raptor/bird hybrid, the cuter-than-they-sound animals are capable of running, climbing and gliding while ferrying you towards your next target, or back to the nearest camp for an important restock.
You can even use your characters arm-mounted grappling hook to gather important materials from mount-back without slowing down – a huge quality of life improvement compared to slowly picking herbs or honey on foot. At the time of writing, there were a few minor graphical tears in one area while exploring the massive open world, but the visual impact of these was fairly minimal.
Eat. Sleep. Hunt. Repeat
The core gameplay loop in Monster Hunter Wilds remains untouched from previous series interactions: fighting and defeating monsters allows you to obtain parts of their body for use in item crafting. Gemma, our wonderful smithy, can forge new armour sets with powerful abilities or weapons with elemental effects using beaks, bones and ultra-rare gems and plates. These powerful new weapons can be used to craft builds focused on more critical strikes, better stun-lock capability, or exploiting pure elemental weaknesses.
Once you’re kitted out, you can take on a bigger, scarier foe, then acquire their bones and repeat until you become the ultimate Hunter. It’s incredibly compelling, especially given that each monster has been lovingly developed with its own attack patterns, behaviour and truly bizarre biology. One of the first enemies in Monster Hunter Wilds, Chatacabra, is a giant frog with a sticky tongue, standard video-game stuff. However, if you get him really mad, he will use his sticky goo to glue rocks, gems and anything else to his forearms to create massive clubs to pulverise your hunter.
The Capcom team are unrivaled in creating these fantastical and yet somehow grounded creature behaviours, taking inspiration from real world animals that somehow perform unbelievable actions, like glowing rainbow colours or shooting blood from their eyes.
New and improved
For veteran hunters, Monster Hunter Wilds has plenty of new tech for you to sink your teeth into. The aforementioned Seikret mount, in addition to being a speedy method of transport, allows you to carry a second weapon on hunter expeditions. This might mean carrying the same type of weapon with two different elemental strengths, or a Hammer or Great Sword back-up for monsters where you really need to stun them or get a clean cut on a tail.
Speaking of weapons, every previous Monster Hunter weapon returns, but with some changes and improvements to their combat style. As a dedicated Dual Blades user, I immediately noticed the increased mobility and improved Demon Dance made short work of some of the early foes. Long-time fans will have a blast diving into the improved version of their favourite weapon, or trying out something new.
In a throwback to the weak spot mechanic from Monster Hunter World, monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds can be wounded by repeatedly attacking the same body part. These parts take extra damage and can be exploited using the new Focus Mode to target them for a huge burst of damage, and to create an opening for even more combos. By learning the rhythm of creating wounds, exploiting them, and capitalising on the stun they inflict, you can deal massive amounts of damage to monsters. This new system adds a layer of depth to fights beyond just “hit it until it dies, don’t get hit” and the flashiness of your Focus Strike attacks is the satisfying cherry on top.
The Monster Hunter franchise is truly one of the greats, and Monster Hunter Wilds is no exception. Diehard hunters are already chomping at the bit to dive in, but first-timers will find a polished, spectacular experience waiting for them as well. Grab some mates, go it alone or hit up your favourite gaming groups and you’ll find plenty of helpful veterans who can lend you a hand and turn you into an expert in no time. Some minor graphical bugs and a story pace that may not be to everyone’s tastes did very little to dull my experience.
Monster Hunter Wilds is a masterclass in all the areas that make the franchise special. Series veterans will be thrilled with the new additions and first-timers will fall in love with the world, characters and most importantly – the monsters.
Four-and-a-half stars: ★★★★½
Monster Hunter Wilds
Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release Date: 28 February 2025
Monster Hunter Wilds was reviewed on PC (Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-14700K 3.40 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER) using a DualSense Wireless Controller. A PC code for Monster Hunter Wilds was provided by the publisher for the purposes of this review.
