“Monster Hunter Wilds,” the latest installment in the “Monster Hunter” series of video games, comes with a new but familiar storyline, new monsters to face and new mechanics to master.
Although the game, released Feb. 28, is rough around the edges, it’s still a blast taking part in quests with friends and with a little bit more time to stomp out all the issues. “Monster Hunter Wilds” will be a worthy contender for the Game of The Year award.
The story takes place in a new zone called the Forbidden Lands, uncharted territory that the Hunter’s Guild hasn’t surveyed. The guild comes across a young boy who has been left wandering alone in the desert. You play as a hunter associated with the guild that has been tasked to aid researchers in mapping out the new land and help find the young boy’s home.
The plots in most “Monster Hunter” games lack depth and are often the weakest part of the series. However “Monster Hunter Wilds” improves on this by having its storyline backed by a cast of characters who aren’t one dimensional. All characters have their own unique personalities that players can’t help but get attached to. They serve as stepping stones to help move the story.
It’s not only the characters that improve, but your player character, too. In previous games, the player’s character used to be a silent protagonist, now they have a voice and play a major role in the story. It’s a refreshing change, and the scenes involving your character keep you invested and wanting to play more.
The gameplay loop of “Monster Hunter Wilds” revolves around hunting the monsters to make stronger equipment to face tougher foes. It’s a formula that works well but the flaw for “Monster Hunter Wilds” is that the monsters are no real threat at all. In the beginning of the game, the monsters are defeated so quickly that the only real threat is boredom.
In my time playing I found myself finishing quests in less than six minutes and spending more time navigating menus. Luckily, the game does progress in difficulty later on so players can expect the end game to be challenging. One of the things players might look forward to in this game is the shift to an open-world style.
Previous games had different locations tied behind a loading screen; however, “Monster Hunter Wilds” throws the loading screens away and lets players explore the open world seamlessly. This means that players can walk out of their base camp in one area, explore the open world before transitioning to a new area, and head to that base camp all without having to wait behind a loading screen. It’s a nice quality-of-life change that allows you and your friends to explore and hunt without having to waste time in between.
However by having a seamless open world, optimization and performance issues are rampant throughout the game. Many players, myself included, have experienced issues ranging from stuttering to game bugs that prevent certain abilities from working. It’s an issue that is currently being worked on with patches planned for the coming months.
Although the game still needs a bit of work, Monster Hunter Wilds is still a blast from start to finish. With 14 different weapon styles to choose from and a handful of new monsters to face, players can expect to sink more than enough time to get their money’s worth. The game is out now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S and is currently priced at $69.99, with the deluxe edition at $89.99 and the ultimate edition at $109.99.
