‘Monster Hunter Wilds’ review: fantastic beasts and how to kill them

When it came out in 2018, Monster Hunter: World was the breakout mainstream hit the series needed. The franchise was already hugely popular in Japan and Asia but had struggled to gain traction in other regions until World. It has now sold more than 21million copies globally, making it Capcom’s best-selling game ever.

• Read more: Here’s why ‘Monster Hunter Wilds’ won’t be on Game Pass at launch

Fast-forward seven years and Monster Hunter Wilds arrives packed with more of the same monstrous fun. The best bits of its predecessor – exciting large-scale battles, beautiful environments, in-depth customisation options and excellent multiplayer formats – are back, but so are the problems, such as camera and readability issues.

The story starts when a group of hunters find a lost young boy named Nata from an ancient village, unconscious in the middle of the desert after surviving an attack from the White Wraith, Wilds’ flagship monster. Upon discovering his origins, the hunters aim to reunite Nata with his family while uncovering the mystery behind the sandstorms, thunderstorms and other turbulent weather plaguing the Forbidden Lands in which they live.

Monster Hunter stories are usually just pretext for fighting giant creatures, so don’t come into Wilds expecting anything too revolutionary. However, Wilds’ plot is noticeably more coherent compared to previous games. That’s thanks partly to the player’s customisable protagonist, a hunter tasked with investigating the Forbidden Lands, who is fully voiced in cutscenes. The protagonist is now able to convey their thoughts as the story progresses, and this aspect alone does a lot of heavy lifting narratively. It’s far easier to understand and feel the impact of the protagonist’s actions with this update.

While the campaign is rather short, at around 20 hours, there’s a huge post-game section featuring extra content as well as additional monsters to hunt in the “High Rank” category. This drastically increases the life of the game and makes it more challenging, offering players plenty of incentives to come back even after the story is over.

The gameplay is where Monster Hunter truly shines though. Players take on quests to track down certain monsters out in the different environments and either slay or capture them. Hunts can be unpredictable, but learning about how certain monsters act offers a sense of control that makes the tension feel exciting. Their chaotic nature also leads to immersive and unexpected moments that are on par with Helldivers 2, one of last year’s best multiplayer shooters.

Nevertheless, it’s worth noting the game’s poor interface and readability (both on and off hunts), which is its biggest weakness. Trying to advance the story can be frustrating because icons are small, making it difficult to tell where to go next or figure out who to talk to in order to do so.

There are 14 different types of weapons to try out, such as the Great Sword and Bowgun, which keeps gameplay fresh. Players are free to stick with one that they love for a long time, or switch them out in order to experiment. Along with different weapons, there are a variety of armour sets to create too. Materials are gathered from fallen monsters, and then turned into helmets, breastplates, greaves and gauntlets. Each piece has its own defence value and passive abilities, as well as weaknesses and resistances. Players can also mix and match pieces from different sets, which encourages creativity. Forging armour and finding the materials you need is a straightforward process, and upgrading that armour is easy to understand.

The co-op multiplayer functionality is mostly good. Players are able to join random lobbies, create private ones or jump into single-player mode while still being online. There weren’t any disruptions in connection while playing with others – but there were instances where the game wouldn’t connect to the servers upon booting it up, which was frustrating.

Despite these minor quibbles, Monster Hunter Wilds is still a worthy successor to World, focusing on the best aspects of the series such as the customisation and combat and refining them to create an unforgettable experience.

‘Monster Hunter Wilds’ is out February 28 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC