Monster Hunter Wilds preview: A franchise revitalised

Settling in to play Monster Hunter Wilds, I was told that much of what I’d see was already in the beta build, going out to players who had signed up for the opportunity to play. A few of the monsters I’d see were exclusive to the session at Capcom headquarters in London, but as I’d not had time to play the beta, I started from scratch and readied myself for the opening five hours of the game.

Perhaps my first reaction to what I experienced was a sense that the designers had been playing Elden Ring. That’s not a poor segue into discussing any soulslike comparisons, but instead the use of a mount, in this case a creature called a Seikret, reminded me a great deal of Torrent. It provides a short term safe haven while battling, where you can replenish items from saddlebags, or heal and sharpen your weapon, while keeping a distance from your prey - no more sitting down in the middle of a battle to use a whetstone. This small inclusion completely opens up each fight, removing the rigid mechanics from previous games.

There’s also a lot more interaction between the monsters and the surrounding environment than there has been in the past. Encountering larger creatures that provide the bread and butter kills for your hunter, all feel like stepping into a boss lair in a FromSoft title. During the opening hours, I fought a monster called Lala Barina that had me sitting with my mouth agape.

Capcom

Not one for the arachnophobes, this spider-like boss danced around me, constantly keeping me on my toes. Between trying to jab me with her stinger and leaping onto the ceiling of a cavern, hanging down and flinging neon pink projectiles like poisonous dandelion puffs, it was a relentless battle considering it was early in my adventure. This standout hunt provided some of the biggest thrills of my play session, keeping me on the edge of my seat as I learned attack patterns.

I didn't know that the next few hours would be filled with bombastic battles against several monsters, constantly wowing me.

These large-scale fights are the cherries on top of a tasty cake created from the best ingredients. Traversing the game’s open areas often has a backdrop of smaller monsters feeding, flies and insects flitting about. Haze fuzzes the air, or moisture builds up in swampy areas. There’s a better sense of place with Monster Hunter Wilds compared to my experiences of older titles, whose areas now feel generic when held up to this outing. It’s like a surreal safari. At times, I found myself just wandering the wilderness looking at details only achieved through this current generation of consoles.

At one point, my chatty companion Alma, who helps your hunter on missions, chimed in with an exclamation of, “This is beautiful,” and I have to agree. It seems a lot of care has been put into creating a more immersive world, with pockets in the environment to showcase each major monster. Simply riding through the world on the back of a Seikret is a delight because everything looks so lush and brimming with detail, but when you enter into the lair of a monster, the design steps up yet again.

A good example of this was a fight with Rompopolo, in a boggy swamp of a tar-like substance. The glossy tar didn’t just impact the movement of my hunter and offer a unique backdrop, but it felt otherworldly and exotic, which we’ve come to expect from the series. Where the older games’ maps are segmented into areas, Monster Hunter Wilds opens everything up, creating more of an open world not regimentally defined.

It’s a breath of fresh air that ensures the wilderness here rivals that of games like Horizon Forbidden West. The revolution of changes goes far beyond the visuals and world crafting, however.

Capcom

If there’s any complaint usually levelled at the Monster Hunter series, it's in the complexity that can put off players. For example, the juggling of items, managing which weapons are best for your play style, and staying on top of the many ailments your hunter will succumb to. All of this has been streamlined, with one particular touch that I loved. At the start of your journey, you can be quizzed by the game on how you like to play action titles. This then recommends a weapon to you to save you from having to try them all out.

Playing it safe with quick attacks and defence is my thing, and the game suggested using the sword and shield, which would be my usual starting weapon. Of course, you don’t have to take the advice, but it’s handy for newer players who might see over 10 weapon styles and feel overwhelmed.

Monster Hunter Wilds also feels better than previous iterations, the actual feeling of moving the hunter is more fluid, taking cues from other action games. It’s hard to pin down exactly where the devs have trimmed and added, but it’s safe to say that this is the best Monster Hunter has ever felt, though I will note that the camera feels a little unwieldy, often obscuring moments in chaotic battles, but fans would likely agree that this has always been a challenge for the series as it has to capture huge monsters moving through monumental set pieces.

If I had to point to my favourite new feature from Monster Hunter Wilds, it would be the wound system. Monsters now gain wounds from your attacks, showing on their body as large cuts and grazes. You can focus on these individually, using a movable target to land massive amounts of damage. This often results in knocking off armour plates, chopping off tails, or creating a limp in the monster’s leg, making them easier to kill.

Capcom

What everyone wants though is monsters, and I can say that those I saw were equally brilliant. I’ve touched on Lala Barina whose insectile movement is both creepy and wonderful; there’s also Rompopolo which creates a very tactical fight in its boggy environment. However, several others were on display, including Nerscylla who was also very insect-like, a kind of cross between spider and wasp. This was perhaps the toughest fight for me, though I’d switched from my sword and shield to a long sword which took some getting used to. A fight dictated by the monster’s abilities is always great and here I was constantly being slowed by web attacks that forced me to use items in order to get out of predicaments.

The Doshaguma fight was the most epic of my session, taking place in a desert where clouds came together, thunder rumbled constantly, and lightning flashed, sparking off the ground, adding to the difficulty. It was easily the most cinematic fight of the five hours, and it left a lingering memory of awe. Even now, some weeks after I played, I can still see the ground quaking, my hunter dodging the vast monster, all while it felt like the world crumbled around me. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a Monster Hunter fight like this one.

Once my time came to an end, where I’d usually be just slightly disappointed that I had to wait to play more, this time I felt pretty gutted. For five hours, I was transported to an exotic, wonderful world, refined by this generation of visuals to create a gorgeous and encompassing experience. On top of that, I fought a bunch of monsters that felt like the tip of an iceberg and as I sat on the London Underground heading home, all I wanted was to play the game again and again.