Capcom has been on the rise in recent years and it looks like this evolution will continue if the Wild Monster Hunter beta is truly representative of the final product. Yes, there are some performance issues, mainly due to PC optimization issues, but it should be noted that the beta is not the final version of the game or even the version the developer is currently working on. From a gameplay perspective, there’s already a lot to love, especially for fans who got to know the series with Monster Hunter World.
In many ways, MH Wilds feels like the culmination of everything Capcom has learned to this point since its RE engine-inspired rebirth and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. It helps that the Monster Hunter the series has always had extremely feature-rich games, and the beta for MH Wilds it showed a lot, despite explicitly keeping some things locked away, like Gemma’s forge or the Palico-powered kitchen at base camp. One feature in particular appears to be inspired by the Capcom film Dragon’s Dogma 2.
Monster Hunter Wilds learned from Dragon’s Dogma 2
The character’s creator is the best in the series
Although players may argue whether too many gameplay changes Wild are an improvement over other titles in the series, a feature that has objectively seen a marked improvement is the character creator. Considering that both World and Ascend They have decent character creators, that’s impressive, and the level of detail players now have in customizing their Hunters is incredible. They can even make your Palicos even cuter, which is a great addition considering the game looks good enough to make the extra hair work.
Another Capcom game that was successful with its incredible character creator was Dragon’s Dogma 2and the character creator was so good that Capcom decided to release just that as a demo before the game’s release. Although MH Wilds The character creator is not as feature-rich as Dragon’s Dogma 2ofshows that Capcom has made a dedicated effort to improve this particular feature in its games. Until Street Fighter 6 has an amazing, albeit very comical, character creator that allows players to create specific characters and horrible monsters.
The character creator in Wild Monster Hunter still has some features that Dragon’s Dogma 2 no, like being able to adjust the length of your hair instead of just choosing between different styles. There are restrictions such as not being able to change the Hunter’s physical size, even though his musculature can be adjustedbut that makes sense given all the armor and hitboxes. Still, the character creator is something worth noting, although most spend a considerable amount of time with their Hunter wearing a helmet.
The hunter is another character in the jungle
They talk in scenes
Monster Hunter Wild it also shows a greater effort to make the Hunter more of a character, giving the protagonist the ability to speak in cutscenes. Players even have RPG-style dialogue options, which is a little strange to see in a Monster Hunter game, but the cutscenes seem to serve their purpose well so far in MH Wilds open beta. Although This could be a controversial change, especially with O.G. Monster Hunter fansthis means that player-created characters are showcased more in the game compared to previous titles.
The Palico companion is also more involved with the story, having a speaking role as they try to keep their Hunter alive. Unlike the Hunter, players have the option to completely overhaul the way the Palico speaks. Though the Hunter’s voice may change, Palicos can speak in an understandable language or in their traditional Felynewhich is just a series of cat noises. Having Palico speak anything but Felyne was a controversial choice, so having the option to switch back to Felyne was a smart addition.
Ultimately, whether the Hunter becoming more of a character is a positive change will depend on how good the game’s story ends up being. Capcom has made storytelling a bigger focus in other games, such as Street Fighter 6 having a mode where your personalized character can roam a city and interact with fighters from the game’s cast. History is often secondary to the routine of the Monster Hunter seriesbut Capcom may be trying to change this to make Wild attract a wider audience after the series exploded with MH World and Ice cream.
There are already so many features in the beta
From a technical point of view, Wild Monster Hunter is one of the most beautiful games made with the RE Enginewith the food looking more appetizing than ever. Never before has camp cuisine been so realistic in a Capcom game, and the food prepared at base camp will likely be this good. The environments also look better than ever, with weather effects adding greatly to the mood and gravity of certain hunts, especially with the Rey Dau. The lighting shines (literally) with both the day-night cycle and the weather system.
Siekret mounts also iterate on Palamutes of Ascend, acting as roving storage units that help make the open world a smoother experience while also allowing you to swap weaponsan incredible feature that allows players to take different approaches on the go. The monsters themselves look better than ever, adding to the game’s realism. The small details of his muscular physics, especially with the Doshaguma, feel like something taken straight from the Street Fighter 6.
If the quality seen in the beta is representative of the full game and some of the optimization issues can be resolved, Wild Monster Hunter It could be one of Capcom’s biggest hits. It feels like the culmination of everything the company has learned, with so many features to make the world feel more alive than ever. Of course there are some controversial changes, but this shows that the Monster Hunter the series is willing to evolve and experiment rather than remaining stagnant, playing it safe too often.
- Released
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February 28, 2025