Monster Hunter Wilds hands-on preview: I finally got it

Our coverage of Gamescom 2024 included an extensive look at Monster Hunter WildsThe latest in Capcom’s long-running series. I have been a fan of the games from afar for quite some time, I have enjoyed my stay with stand up When it came out and sinking in a decent amount of hours in Game Monster Hunter World. Neither game hooks me like I know they do for so many veterans, however; Not the same way that Alden ring Did when I met with an unfortunate death a dozen times in a row but kept playing.

I think Monster Hunter Wilds Is going to change this attitude for people like me, who bounced off previous games despite of generally enjoying them. I certainly couldn’t put it down during my preview, despite my middling attempts at corralling monsters and less than savvy movement across the open world map. Something about Wilds Clicks in a way the other games didn’t, and while I can’t speak to the experience someone with countless more times spent in the franchise’s ecosystem might feel, I certainly didn’t find it any less challenging or skill-intensive.

Monster Hunter Wilds feels more accessible than ever

But it does not sacrifice the minutiae fans have come to love

There are two mechanics that stood out to me in my preview that really sold me on the future of Monster Hunter Wilds Like the most welcoming title of the series: Wounds and Focus mode. The two systems go hand-in-hand and have been detailed before, but for a brief summary, wounds are an accumulation of damage on a monster that is a bright red marking somewhere on its body in focus mode, in focus mode. Self is the ability to zoom in on a reticle during combat to help better target attacks.

Activating focus mode is the best way to target wounds, which requires a conscious assessment of a monster’s appearance, as the wounds only glow during focus mode, but appear slightly, albeit much duller, when outside of it. The game’s co-op hunters or palicoes also do a great job of calling in when a monster might be wounded.

It is not that any of these additions make Monster Hunter Wilds No easier or less fun. It took me an embarrassingly long time to really get to grips with the new systems, which weren’t clunky but also felt like using aim-down-sight in the middle of a melee. Once you get the hang of it, it’s satisfying to execute, with wound targeting resulting in flashy moves from your hunter and the destruction of the wound for a heap of damage. It encourages basic tactical thinking, and the kind that matters in Monster Hunter – So as a way to improve naturally, it is very welcome.

There was also a significant polish to presentation that made it difficult to get lost in the juggling of different traps, equipment and potions. This felt like the smoothest the series has ever been when it comes to its focus on micromanagement and things, and Monster Hunter Wilds Still has the ability to reward quick-thinking and more deliberate use. When it comes to people who are not as adept in this element of the game, it feels more like I won’t get away from difficult content immediately, although it is still challenging in the end.

Monster Hunter Wilds definitely still contains the thrill of the hunt

Even when it drags, it feels cinematic and exciting

After completing a basic opening cinematic and tutorial, I was thrown into a proper hunt for an Alpha Doshaguma, a shaggy, fanged beast that moved in a pack with lesser versions of its breed. The first challenge came in separating it from its pack, which resulted in minutes of total chaos as I tried to distract its allies with bombs and flashes while drawing the Alpha’s ire.. The Senset was especially valuable in this hunt, helping me lure the monster away with saddled attacks and not sacrificing my own movement.

Once I finally lured the Alpha away, I would put away my Seikret and go to work with my Insect Glaive, a weapon that helped me dial in one of the qualities I love in action games – fluid and fun movement. Vaulting into the air to land strikes or, when I was lucky, land directly on the Alpha’s back to then deal loads of damage from a safe place, always felt like a thrilling, tense battle.

Then the Doshaguma ran, and I had to chase it through a desert ecosystem that then led into a cave, where I could pull down rocks onto it with my grappling hook.. The grappling hook can also trigger lightning bugs to stun the enemy, as well as pick up materials to use while on the fly. All of this was mounted on my Seikret, another example of the mount becoming a fantastic feature of gameplay.

Finally, the Doshaguma ran one more time, back out into the desert, but unfortunately in enemy territory, fell into quicksand and attacked. Fending off the enemy and my co-op group of computer-controlled hunters was too much for him. After almost the entire half hour session time I’d been given, the monster came down and I felt like I’d achieved something in a way that others Monster Hunter Games only scratched the surface of.

The whole experience was so involved and intense. I immediately wanted to play moreThe same way that downing a boss in a hard Soulslake makes you feel like you can take on the rest of the game. If Monster Hunter Wilds Able to capture this feeling in its ever-shifting environment, which will have dynamic weather and which appears to be the busiest map yet, it will no doubt be one of the top contenders for 2025’s game of the year. I know I will play Wilds Day one chases the same thrills, hopefully with a better grasp of its more nuanced features.

Monster Hunter Wilds is the highly anticipated follow-up to Capcom’s multi-million seller, Monster Hunter World. Announced at the Games Awards 2023, Monster Hunter Wilds will place players in a sprawling world where they will hunt monsters to create new weapons and armor while defending their home base and uncover the secrets of unexplored lands with friends or alone.

Systems

Released

February 28, 2025

Multiplayer

Online multiplayer

motor

RE Engine

ESRB

T for Teens // Violence, blood, crude humor