Monster Hunter Wilds Review (PS5) – Big Game, Hunter

I’ll be the first to admit that when it comes to Monster Hunter, on the whole, I’m probably in the “filthy casual” bracket. I was aware of them but not played any, right up until the boom of Monster Hunter World in 2018 (like many others did too). After the success of MH Rise in 2021, Capcom are hitting the new generation with Monster Hunter Wilds.

Much like the title says, players are once again tasked with taking out all manner of exotic monster for spoils, adventure and even a storyline too. With new types to hunt, gorgeous biomes to do so in and a plethora of ways to do it, it’s all looking rather lovely from the offset.

But is Wilds that continuation we’re all craving, or are the scars of repetition beginning to hinder the hunter’s ambitions? Pick your favourite weapon and let’s hunt… out a conclusion towards the end.

A Commissioned Piece

As is my usual style of review, I normally delve into story first. Readers need to know what they’re investing in, where a game will hold up on its story to draw them in. Yet with Monster Hunter Wilds, this is one of those rare instances that whilst it’s all nicely written and colourful, it’s… secondary. Which isn’t exactly a negative, it’s just more a framing device to justify hunting monsters.

As it goes, we follow you, the customisable player character, as they’re assigned to the Forbidden Lands Research Commission. This ragtag bunch of humans, Felynes and eccentrics are doing what they normally do: seeking out forbidden lands (surprisingly) and “investigating”. As is de riguer, it’s not long before some bigger nasties are picking on the smaller nasties, there’s a few lost villages and… then some.

If I sounds like I’m being vague, you’re right. There is more to the story, all fully voiced and full of pretty impressive cutscenes, but I can’t go into it. Mainly because we were told not to spoil, but also because I wouldn’t want to. That’s not to say you won’t get invested in it, far from it. It’s that right mix of serious “save the day” intonations and cutesy Capcom charm to keep players hooked, it’s just… filler, really.

The joy of a Monster Hunter game is in the title. We want to know what our next big game target is, what appropriate armour and kit we need, and what to hit it with.

Gotta Hunt ‘Em All!

Now, if I were to make some sort of comparison as I normally do, I’d say the best analogy is Pokémon. No really, think about it: monsters of varying size, all with wildly elaborate names, that players are tasked to either kill or capture for the sake of research and glory. See, pretty similar when you think about it.

Okay, so it’s a little bit more involved than that, I just wanted to set the right frame of mind. The beauty of a Monster Hunter game is the anticipation of the hunt. Players will need to sort out the right gear (more on that shortly), as well as decide to go solo or share the spoils (more on that afterwards). Once a monster is chosen for the hunt, either by way of story or optional quest, that’s when the action kicks in.

Through sprawling biome doth the noble hunter hunt, taking on more “standard” monsters, like the one above to start, before progressing to the biggest and baddest. We’re talking elemental favouring types, certain weaknesses and affinities that players will have to plan ahead for, or not and just wing it, as well as flying and/or armoured.

And whilst I’m nowhere near the endgame, if it’s anything like Monster Hunter: World was, we’ll be looking at some very big and nasty endgame – and post endgame – beasts to slay/capture. Anyone remember the Tempered types with fond enthusiasm…?

You Can That An Obscenely Large Knife?

One of the other entertaining facets of a Monster Hunter game, of which there are a few, is the weaponry one can use. Now, this isn’t a pros-and-cons guide to all fourteen types, or their variations. A lot of the joy is the trial and error of finding something that you, as an individual, enjoy hitting things with. Yes, there is an element of tactic in teams if you want to get serious, akin to MMORPG’s, but for most it’s not that deep.

In World, I favoured the aerial acrobatics of the Insect Glaive, but this time I went for Dual Knives. The cumbersome large swords and hammers aren’t for me, nor are the bowguns or hunting horns. I like quick, I like being able to cut and move out of the way in time. So imagine my surprise when you can take two weapons into battle this time. But that’s not all: no, each weapon has more evolution paths than… well, your average Pokémon, funnily enough. Oh there’s your basic attack strength types, par for the course. Yet say there’s a particular hot beast that needs felling, and brute strength won’t cut it. Why, you just craft yourself a strong, water-affinity one to even things out.

The wrist-mounted Slinger has had some improvements too, allowing for more types of ammunition to be used. Not only that, but it’s also much easier to use both in combat and traversal. It can even be utilised when riding a Seikret, meaning players can snatch up ammo and medicinal items whilst commuting.

The beauty of the combat in a Monster Hunter game is a strange, almost double-edged sword. On one hand, it’s great when it works and the weapon you like clicks for you. On the other, it can be cumbersome, a little clunky at times and more often you’ll start a combo and hit nothing but thin air because your target’s moved.

Deadly Arts And Crafts

Now, I know most of you are aware of this side of the game, but this review is for those that may not have played before. Crafting in Monster Hunter Wilds is extensive, especially for those that want to 100% everything. However, it’s not something that needs to be mastered, so don’t stress if it seems overwhelming.

As mentioned above, weapon crafting is pretty necessary, unless you want to make the game harder for yourself. Then there’s armour crafting, the yang to weapon crafting’s yin. Having the right suit and accessories can make all the difference in battle. But so far, so standard RPG fair, right?

Then we get into the trap-building side of things, for when players need to capture and not kill. There’s all the different kinds of bowgun ammunition, if that’s your fancy. The breeding of Kinsects used in the Insect Glaive… the list goes on.

As usual, this isn’t a guide. I could go into the length and depth of my specific character build, what may or may not work, but alas I won’t. The beauty of Monster Hunter is that you can experiment and go full fancy, or not. I got through most of World by the simple mantra of “building what I think looks cool” and it worked.

Conversely, if it sounds like I’m being glib about it all it’s because I also haven’t experimented with everything. There’s meals I haven’t cooked, buffs I haven’t earned from eating certain foods, you get the idea.

Finely Rendered Fillet

Speaking of meals, and neatly segueing into my next point, the graphics in Monster Hunter Wilds are absolutely gorgeous. Having moved from the MT Frameworks engine to the RE Engine since Rise, Wilds also benefits from the current generation technology too. I mean this without hyperbole when I say that the worlds, characters and yes, masterfully cooked meals, all look incredible.

The different biomes are great to explore, by foot or the Chocobo-like Seikret’s. Traversing up to higher points or riding a Seikret to a target never gets old with all the lush visuals to take in. Being able to transition between locales with minimal loading screens is nice too, opening up a more seamless gameplay experience. Camp sites are abuzz with your research teams, supply units and all-sorts to make it an expedition. Your immediate team are all fleshed out with stories, from Alma leading your quests to Gemma, the blacksmith behind your tools.

The audio too is as grandiose as the beast fights themselves. Big orchestral scores accompany revealing monsters, whilst the ambience is all light strings and such as players explore. All the important characters are voiced, with the player character actually joining in. Although it does have that generic MMORPG thing of everyone calling them “Hunter” rather than a templated name.

As I say, I didn’t play Rise. So my step from World to Wilds is literally generational, and as such it means I’m seeing a whole new engine being put to use. If you’ve followed this series religiously, it might not be as big a treat to you. But for me, and playing on a standard PlayStation 5, it was great to see the evolution of the franchise.

It’s A Big, Wild World

So, I’ve covered the basics, but some of you are probably wondering what’s in it for you. If you have sunk many hours into World or Rise, why would you make the switch to more of the same? Well, if you’re a fan then you don’t need to answer that.

The first and biggest change (that I noticed, at least) was being able to hop on a Seikret to chase a monster. This is a game changer for me, as it keeps the action going rather than the slow grind of running after a monster repeatedly.

In terms of battle, there’s a wound system for monsters. This allows for some very impressive attacks with the new Focus Mode. Wound a monster and a wound will appear, which then allows players to aim launch a Focus attack. It’s high powered, and looks very cool, so it should be used at every opportunity. There’s also a dynamic weather system in place now, meaning that at any time a nice sunny day can be interrupted by lightning or rain. Be warned though, lightning doesn’t discriminate between friend or foe.

Looting is made easier now when it comes to broken body parts. So now, when a players takes say, a tail off, it’ll auto-loot it rather just be something else to scavenge. Also, quests can be ended instantly after said scavenging, rather than standing through that awkward timer. Although, that grace period is still there if players want to stand around emoting and whatnot at each other. To each their own.

Armour is no longer gender-specific, so if players want their male hunter to look fabulous in a dress, they bloody well can. And lastly (well, without giving it all away), SOS flares can be used to summon NPC’s this time around.

That’s right, if you’re not feeling up to sharing your spoils with real players, you can go all Souls instead and summon NPC’s. Or, if you are social butterfly of a Hunter, you can now be part of eight different squads of fifty members. You might wonder why, but if you factor in people playing in different time zones, or other objectives, or high-level hunts, then you can sort these teams accordingly.

That Hunted Look

Whilst this might sound like absolute bias towards Capcom, I don’t have any complaints about Monster Hunter Wilds per se. My only real issue, or perhaps a disclaimer to anyone new, is that it’s not very good at handholding. Oh there are tutorials right from the off, but Monster Hunter has always had this… expectation that players are going to pick it up soon enough.

In terms of technical issues, I didn’t really have many. There’s a weird issue that my PlayStation game only offers keyboard configuration, and no option to invert my controller, but I’m doing that down to pre-day one patching. If it persists, then that will be a pretty egregious oversight.

In regards to gameplay, I know what I’m getting into. So there’s no complaints about “Well the cutscenes are really goofy”, because yeah, that’s what happens in these. The Felynes (your assistant Palico cat-thing) are essentially Ewoks: love them or hate them, they’re here to stay. Sometimes the dialogue is a little corny, but again, it’s what Monster Hunter does.

My only personal issue I have with the series is how fiddly the item selection is in battle. Maybe I’m missing something, and it’s meant to be frantic, but it’s a very awkward system to try and manage multiple menus and also not get eaten. Call me picky if you will.

I didn’t have time to put in another 100 hours for this review, so I can’t tell you if any of the monsters are broken or overpowered. Sorry, my normal job gets in the way. Yet I did play enough to get a decent feel for it and had a riotous time, without issue.

Get Out And Hunt

In conclusion, Monster Hunter Wilds is an absolutely stellar continuation of the long-running franchise. It’s the same but different, as cliché as that sounds. It’s the same game in essence, yet with enough quality of life improvements to feel new. The addition of Seikrets is my personal favourite, as it takes away the arduous trek between monster hideouts.

The story will always be cheesy, and probably easy enough to predict, but again it’s always been secondary to the hunting. In that regard, the hunting is top notch. The wound and focus system adds new spice to proceedings, as does the refined looting system.

Maybe I won’t have another one hundred hours to put into to this one, but I’m going to damn well try. Knowing Capcom I’m sure there’ll be new events and hunts popping up down the line, as well as another Iceborne-style DLC. That’s just speculation, mind, but c’mon… it’s Capcom.

If you’re a Monster Hunter fan, you don’t need me to tell you how good this will be for you. If you’re not, and this is my sales pitch to you, then it’s worth it. If you like big games, big game and bigger gains, then Monster Hunter Wilds is that kind of investment. There’s so much to do, so much to hunt and so many ways to hunt. I can’t tell you how to play, or what weapon to use, but the beauty is if you want to play solo or online, it caters to both.

To conclude, Monster Hunter Wilds is fantastic. It looks beautiful, the worlds and characters all make it vibrant and immersive, and hunting is just as fun as always. There’s so much to do in its base game alone that it’s easy to get lost in. But don’t fret, players can do as little or as much as they need to. If you want to build the easy stuff and just go hunt, feel free. You want to explore all food options, squad up with varying skills and weapons, that’s there for you too. There’s no wrong way to play, but however you do, it’ll be absolutely worth investing your time.

Now get out there and hunt, Hunters!

Monster Hunter Wilds is available from 28th February 2025 on PlayStation 5 (review platform), Xbox Series S|X and PC via Steam.

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom

Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional copy of the game. For our full review policy, please go here.

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