A conflict of interest
There is always something niggling away at me whenever I play a Monster Hunter game, and it harks back to the days of Shadow of the Colossus.
Yes, I am acutely aware that these behemoths of creatures are only interested in killing me as quickly as possible. But the design of them is just so wonderful that I feel bad every time I take them down. I fell in love with monster designs such as Tobi-Kadachi and Paolumu in Monster Hunter: World, and with a whole host of new monsters incoming for Monster Hunter Wilds, I was expecting the same conflicting feelings once again.
Reader: It did happen, but it also gave me more determination. This collection of new and returning monsters is perhaps the most menacing group ever assembled for a Monster Hunter game.
There is no easing into Wilds; within a few moments I was facing a giant frog-like Chatacabra and things only got bigger and badder from there. When I faced a wyvern called Rey Dau with all its electric attacks, I was certain I had seen the worst of the worst. But that was just naïve of me.
The next evolution
Monster Hunter Wilds is the next instalment of the now global Monster Hunter franchise. Ever since Monster Hunter: World put the series front and centre for Capcom there has been another, slightly-disappointing entry in Monster Hunter Rise, a sequel to Monster Hunter Stories (which we’re still waiting on over here, Capcom), board games, an augmented reality mobile game and even a feature film. It is then fair to say that Capcom sees the franchise as one of their many jewels in their portfolio. And after Monster Hunter Wilds, that success should only increase.
For those unaware of what Monster Hunter is all about, well, the clue is in the name really. You play as a hunter that must take down large monsters. In most other games, these monsters would be big, huge, boss battles, but here they feed back into a simple yet insanely satisfying gameplay loop. Find monster, slay said monster, collect loot from monster, craft new armour and weapons from loot to then be able to find and slay larger monsters. Simple, satisfying, and now with Monster Hunter Wilds, streamlined as well.
You can completely customise your hunter’s appearance at the beginning of the game, and are then thrown straight into the action. You are part of an expedition unit who have just been granted access to the Forbidden Lands. After arriving you find a young boy called Nata who has been separated from his clan after they were attacked by a monster called The White Wraith. As well as documenting this area, you are attempting to return the boy to his home and stop The White Wraith from ever attacking again.
Wilds does an exceptional job at ensuring the story shines through the gameplay this time around. Instead of responding to job posts and cutscenes seemingly shoehorned in to give some exposition, the story unfolds much more naturally. This does sometimes come at a cost of you not knowing when the next new monster will be, which did catch me off guard at first. However, as they always say, to fail to prepare is to prepare to fail. You may be able to scrape by at first, but you must always expect a fight every time you leave an encampment and should therefore prepare accordingly. Plus, it’s always a nice surprise seeing a new monster pop up or even a returning one. These returning monsters, such as the Rathalos, Yian Kut-Ku and Nerscylla may not be as frequent in the main story, but going on previous Monster Hunter games, the substantial content updates will fill this world with some of your old friends imminently.
Choose your starting weapon wisely
Another way you must prepare is in your choice of weapon: once again, there are 14 weapon types in Monster Hunter Wilds, and the choice is not unlike choosing your first Pokémon. You will be potentially spending hundreds of hours with your weapons, so finding one that fits is crucial. Having gone through World, Rise and the World board game with a great sword attached to my back, I figured it was a time for change and chose the bow this time for some ranged attacks. And with the new features in the battles themselves, I felt the bow was great at being able to showcase the new mechanics.
The new mechanics are called Focus Mode, and as veterans will tell you, targeting specific areas of a monster can make all the difference. Focus Mode allows you to do this a lot easier than before, enabling you to target those weak points of even wounds. Wounds will glow red on an enemy and you can target them with a regular attack for some bonus damage, or hit them with a Focus Strike to maximum damage and a stun. However, doing this will cause that wound to scar over and not appear again. But during my time, this never appeared to cause too many headaches and wounds appear frequently enough that you will often have more than one on a monster at a time.
Certain attacks also leave a monster vulnerable for a Focus Strike. For example, when the Rey Dau fires lightning from its mouth, it stays open for a few seconds and glows red. Or when the Nerscylla elongates its pincers for a long-ranged attack, they can sometimes leave an opening as well.
Combat, Strategy, and Mounts in Monster Hunter Wilds
Focus Mode doesn’t require you to completely rethink your strategies from previous Monster Hunter games, which is perhaps the biggest compliment I can give it. Battles in Monster Hunter games have always struck a near-perfect balance in terms of difficulty; Focus Mode tips things ever so slightly in your favour without allowing you to get complacent.
If it wasn’t obvious from reading that, studying a monster’s attacks is all part of the fun and learning how to best them as effectively as possible. You can have the best armour and weapon available to you at that point, but without reading attack patterns and understanding where to attack, you’ll find yourself in trouble quickly.
But my great sword was never too far away either, thanks to the new mounts, known as a Seikret, being able to store an additional secondary weapon for you. These can be swapped very easily as well whenever you are near your Seikret by pressing right on the d-pad, so you will do well to upgrade two types of weapons. Thankfully then, loot seems to be in abundance in Wilds.
Streamlined
In previous games, it was commonplace to fight the same monsters three or more times in succession to get the loot required to upgrade and forge new gear. Fine, but a bit time-consuming. In Monster Hunter Wilds, there was only a handful of times where this was required of me, and it was normally to forge armour with specific elemental resistances. If I was going purely for upping my defence number, then having to go back and defeat a previous monster was rarely needed. There are far more armour choices than previous instalments and, just like the designs of the monsters themselves, the team have really worked their magic to create some magnificent looking armour this time around.
As well as the monsters looking good and you looking fabulous, the Forbidden Lands themselves are also sublime to explore. For the first time in a Monster Hunter game, these areas are all connected, and you will be unlocking several major hub areas quite early on. Sadly, these hubs and base camps never filled me with that same warmth as the one from Monster Hunter Worlds. Whether that was because there was no poogie to pet, or having a meowscular chef cook me my meals before I departed on a quest, something just felt missing from these new base camps. And I’m not just bemoaning the fact that I now have to cook my own meals.
These new locales feel diverse from one another, even when travelling through them. The desert sands contrast wickedly from the dense jungle. And whilst these may feel like tried and tested locales, they can feel incredibly varied as well. Dynamic weather movements will completely transform these areas and the way in which you approach them too. The fauna may change, leaving you with some less friendly endemic life to contend with alongside the extreme weather.
And whilst a desert and a jungle biome may seem like nothing new, an area known as the Oilwell Basin feels very fresh and original. Not least when the monsters you encounter down there start making use of the oil found within. But if they can, you can too.
Welcome returns
Other successful features from previous Monster Hunter games also return. The scoutflies can make exploring these hostile areas seem less daunting as they direct you to where you need to go, and when playing predominantly single-player, having a palico companion fight alongside you is an invaluable ally to have. Seikrets may be new, but they feel like the natural evolution of the Canynes from Rise. These too can be fully customised.
SOS Flares also return, allowing you to call in help if you’re in a sticky situation. And with Monster Hunter Wilds being fully cross-platform, that help should be coming even quicker than before.
In fact, the multiplayer seems to have had a subtle overhaul, but a good one too. You can join Squads which is where you will find like-minded Monster Hunter players with a dedicated chat. There are also Link Parties that automatically send out invites to members when anyone starts a quest. These remain active after completing a quest as well, so no more fiddly lobby admin every time either. Of course, you can still also play solo and that has been working fine for me and my Palico buddy.
And of course, what would a Monster Hunter game be without an endgame? After completing the story you will unlock High Rank hunts and the return of Tempered Monsters that will really test your skills. The rewards are worthwhile however, with new Artian Weapons and Decorations to be crafted from the loot you obtain. This will all come in handy in the coming months when new monsters and events are added.
A Streamlined and Satisfying Monster Hunter Experience
Few games can match the pumping adrenaline of a battle in Monster Hunter, and Monster Hunter Wilds is no different. The improvements made between the previous games and this one may be more subtle than other franchises’ iterations, but they all work to make Monster Hunter Wilds a more streamlined experience, without skimping on the difficulty or the onboarding.
Veterans will feel right at home here, and newcomers will find a new home. And as any returning player will tell you, once Monster Hunter Wilds has its teeth into you, you won’t want it to let go. With all the endgame, post-release and inevitable expansion content coming in the near and distant future, Monster Hunter Wilds is another sublime time sink.
The Links You Need
Buy Monster Hunter Wilds on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/monster-hunter-wilds/9p7pd6wp5ghx
Buy the Deluxe Edition – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/monster-hunter-wilds-deluxe-edition/9P3HFTWCTPVQ/0017
Or splash out on the Premium Deluxe Edition – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/monster-hunter-wilds-premium-deluxe-edition/9NJRPN9BVJ6N/0017
