Nothing screams Monster Hunter more than carving away after a successful hunt, sharpening your trusty weapon amid battle, or cooking up a hot and delicious meal before tracking your next foe throughout the lands. The Monster Hunter franchise has quickly become one of the biggest in the games industry following the unbelievable success of Monster Hunter: World. Not only was the game a commercial and critical success with over 28 million copies sold as of December 31, but World is the best-selling Capcom game of all time. How in the world is Capcom supposed to top that?
It’s been seven whole years since the release of Monster Hunter: World and Capcom has finally provided its answer: Monster Hunter Wilds. The series has come such a long way since my first entry (Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate), and this entry had so much to live up to. After spending dozens and dozens of hours with Monster Hunter Wilds, it’s clear that Capcom has crafted what I believe could be the company’s biggest game ever and one that will be just as beloved, if not more, than Monster Hunter: World. Grab your Palico companion and welcome yourself to your home for the rest of 2025: the Forbidden Lands.
Welcome to the Forbidden Lands
Monster Hunter Wilds takes place in the Forbidden Lands, an expansive new world that is filled to the brim with life. While the series is not known for its story campaigns, Wilds sees Capcom take a major step toward attempting to connect players with the characters inside the game. For the first time in a Monster Hunter game, I was invested in the characters that inhabit this world.
Wilds opens up with the Guild heading into the Forbidden Lands, a land supposedly uninhabited by humans. However, just upon arriving, the crew spots a young boy wandering alone in the sand. This boy, Nata, is said to be searching for his people, The Keepers, who were attacked by a massive monster called the White Wraith. Nata comes along for the journey with the Hunter, their trusty Palico companion, Alma, and Gemma the Smithy.
This roughly 15-hour campaign takes the group across the vast Forbidden Lands, visiting various regions and biomes within it. Though the narrative doesn’t reach the heights of Capcom’s other franchises, it’s seriously enjoyable, and I think it serves as a great entry point for new players to the series. The highlight by far is the characters themselves, as I loved Alma in particular, who accompanied me along the way and signed off on any potential hunt we faced. Gemma is great too, being a personality that I’m sure fans will love.
The wonderful thing about building up characters like Alma and Gemma is that it makes the world of Monster Hunter Wilds feel more vibrant. You have to interact with Alma to post or join any quests, while Gemma handles all your armor upgrades and equipment. By building up these characters through the story, Capcom has created the ability to view these two essential NPCs as more than just a person to talk to. You can speak with Alma or Gemma outside of their functions, paving the way for the highest level of characterization we’ve seen in this franchise.
Beyond Alma and Gemma, Nata is a character filled with mystery as you traverse through the world in search of his people. Along the way, he grows up and breaks out of his shell. Though I definitely found him specifically to be a little annoying at times, I cannot deny the character development. I also enjoyed interacting with plenty of side characters, including Rove, Erik, and more. I briefly touched on the narrative, but to build on that, I think it’s solid and enjoyable for what it is. You’ll find that Capcom has crafted some wonderful cutscenes and battles within the campaign, and I highly recommend actually watching the cutscenes to experience the story. This a quickly paced story that could have benefitted from some breathing room, but it blew past any expectations I had for it. You can expect a runtime of only a mere 15 hours—so even if you don’t like it—it’s nowhere near a timesink and is mandatory to unlock the real meat of the game.
This series-best story mode is just one example of Capcom’s strides to make Monster Hunter Wilds as approachable as possible. It is honestly impressive just how beginner-friendly this entry is. World was the first entry in the series for many, but Wilds feels like it was made even more so with new players in mind. While this beginner-friendly approach is largely positive, it does come with a few trade-offs that I’ll address shortly. For now, though, know there has never been a better time to jump into the series.
Bigger Than You Ever Imagined
For the first time in the series, Capcom has crafted an interconnected open world that is dazzling with creatures and all sorts of gorgeous environments to discover. Funny enough, I think the best comparison I can give to each of the regions in Monster Hunter Wilds is any of the regions in the Xenoblade Chronicles series. While each region is technically connected without any loading screens, they’re basically separate with small pathways between each. This works best with the Monster Hunter formula, as we essentially have multiple massive maps to explore, each offering a new biome, creatures, and environments to discover.
From my initial looks at the trailers and preview last year at Summer Game Fest, I expected an expansive world far beyond what was seen in Monster Hunter: World. However, despite my incredibly high expectations, Capcom managed to somehow surpass them. Wilds is so humongous it is almost hard to believe at times. Each region has a massive map that you can actually rotate and explore as close or as far as you’d like. There is beauty to be found everywhere, and I believe the sheer size of these areas contributes so much to the overall liveliness of the world.
Wherever you go, there are always monsters roaming about. Due to how large each map is, you can actually sit back with your binoculars and witness the typical life of each species. There are plenty of herds that roam the plains, drinking water and living a somewhat peaceful life. Of course, you’ll also find numerous predator and prey relationships, with dozens of monster fights out in the wild on a regular occurrence. Capcom has done a wonderful job at creating an ecosystem where you can feel and see the balance for yourself, and I do not think this would have been possible without the open-world nature of Wilds.
The story mode acts as your introduction to each of the different areas, and one of my favorite things about it is that it gives you a reason to become invested in the world. There are many mysterious happenings in the Forbidden Lands, and as the narrative unfolds, you start to learn why things are the way they are. Personally, this approach led to me finding myself more invested than ever in the world of Monster Hunter. I found that with each area in the story came the addition of new gameplay elements and interactable objects in the environment, which enriched my understanding of the world and set me up well for the end of the game.
Of course, I cannot talk about the world and not dive into the amazing weather system that Capcom has created. Three different conditions of Fallow, Inclemency, and Plenty can occur, which can range from hearty plains to a vast lightning storm that shoots beams of electricity around you. Different monsters can appear during each season, so you have to be strategic and consider this when hunting. These events often paved the way for some of my favorite encounters in the entire game, with many memorable battles fought amid the chaos of weather.
While I certainly was able to get immersed in both World and Rise, this is the first time in the series that I have found myself deeply caring about the world and wishing to learn its secrets. Everywhere you go, you’ll start to realize that there are numerous ways you can traverse. Whether by Seikret or foot, it’s up to you to discover and explore the Forbidden Lands in the way that you deem fit—those monsters are not going to hunt themselves.
It’s Your Turn, Hunter
As you might expect, the gameplay loop is the real heart of Monster Hunter, and this is no exception for Wilds. The core loop revolves around accepting quests and traversing throughout the world to defeat the monster in question. This game had the wonderful opportunity to not only build off Monster Hunter: World but also Monster Hunter Rise, which added some unique mechanics and quality-of-life features that were not present in World. Naturally, Capcom has implemented many of these improvements into this new entry, with plenty of new additions that are absolutely incredible.
First, I want to begin with overall movement and the improvements Capcom has made to navigating the world. Monster Hunter Wilds has introduced the new Seikret, your other trusty companion besides your Palico friend. These creatures call the Forbidden Lands home, and the people of this region use them to traverse the plains. Early on, you’ll unlock the ability to customize every aspect of these mounts, just as you can with the Hunter and Palico. One of the best ways you can instantly use these mounts is with Auto-Navigation, a new feature that automatically sets your Seikret to run a path to your destination. Unlike Palamutes from Rise, Seikrets cannot attack monsters by themselves. However, in my experience, they turned out to be even more useful despite the lack of direct offense.
By far, one of the biggest additions to Wilds is the ability to switch weapons and carry two types anywhere in the world. This is done by mounting your Seikret and pressing right on the D-Pad, and this isn’t the only ability you have with this mobile companion. You can mount your Seikret to access your field pouch, sharpen your weapon on the fly, or even use a ranged weapon while in the chaos of a hunt. Yes, you can restock key items like potions while on a Seikret thanks to this feature! On PlayStation 5, all you need to do is use a command on the D-Pad to call your Seikret, and this allows you to escape away from harm if needed to either sharpen your weapon, switch weapons, or even heal. I found this to be a critical part of every combat encounter, further evolving the customization offered in Monster Hunter.
This customization is a key focus of Monster Hunter Wilds—the amount you’ll find is unreal. The game allows you to tackle each hunt the way you want to, and there are countless ways to do so. I found that I could equip both a short-ranged and long-ranged weapon to battle whatever monster came into my path without issue. If I needed to step back and heal, I would call my Seikret to sharpen my blade, heal, and use my Bowgun for some long-ranged action.
As you might expect, this customization does not end with the Seikret and its functions. There are 14 different weapon classes to pick from, each offering something new and refreshing for players. As I modeled my Hunter and Palico after Ichigo Kurosaki and Yoruichi Shihouin of Bleach, I opted for the Long Sword, and my goodness, was I surprised. In my time with previous Monster Hunter games, I usually stuck with Dual Blades, but the Long Sword in Wilds is some of the most fun I’ve ever had in the series.
This is largely thanks to the new Focus Mode, which is activated by holding L2 on the DualSense. Here, you can precisely aim your attack at any part of the monster—something that was never before possible with such accuracy. When I say this is a game changer, I mean it. I adore this addition and believe it completely overhauls the combat for the better. Beyond granting you the ability to aim your weapon, Focus Mode also reveals any and all damaged wounds on a monster.
Wounds are yet another addition this time around. With Focus Mode activated, these areas glow red with small red particles emitting from them, making it clear where they are located on a monster. If you destroy the wound by hitting it enough times, the monster will be stunned and left open for attack. Wounds can be dealt with quickly by using the Focus Strike attack, which is only available in Focus Mode. This attack is unbelievably powerful with the Long Sword especially, as you essentially deal a flurry of slashes to leave the monster stunned and defenseless with massive damage. Landing a Focus Strike with this weapon generally fills your Spirit Gauge, making your sword glow red and unlocking a much faster and deadlier attack pattern.
The Hunter is also extremely customizable, with hundreds of options available for you to design him or her any way you’d like. This goes for the Palico as well, which has way more customizable options than I was expecting. As aforementioned, I designed my Hunter and Palico combo after Bleach, mainly since I’ve recently gotten into the series. I’ve seen some wild designs from other reviewers as well as from the thousands of players online during the beta, and I cannot wait to see what else is created after launch. All armor can be used on either gender, so you can dress and equip any outfits you’d like for a unique look!
While you can enjoy everything Wilds has to offer as a solo player, multiplayer is a core part of the experience for many. There have been strides made in the multiplayer scene, with some, but not all, of the jank that Monster Hunter: World was known for smoothed out. It’s not a perfect experience, but I believe it is enough to lessen the headaches I constantly received when playing World with friends.
For those interested in playing and experiencing the story together, the Link Party system mostly works as intended. You can invite friends directly into one of these, and upon the start of a hunt, all members inside the Link Party will receive an invitation to participate. This goes for story quests, but do note that, like World, it does not let the other party members watch the cutscenes.
Essentially, you have to wait until the quest begins (as notated by Begin Quest appearing), and then Link Party members will be able to join. The story quests count as completed for everyone who participates in the hunt, so you can continue along together. However, you cannot participate in a story hunt that is further along than you are in the story. Beyond standard quests, you can also establish an Environment Link to bring your Link Party members into your environment to conduct investigations together. Keep in mind, though, that you cannot start quests in these instances.
Regarding lobbies, you can join a Recommended Lobby, Private Lobby, or an Online Single Player instance without a lobby. If you want to play the game offline or by yourself, you have the ability to do so! In combat, one of the biggest multiplayer features around is the SOS Flare, which has been retooled for the better. The tool now offers AI companions called Support Hunters to come to assist you if there are no Hunters readily available. This is another initiative to appeal to new players.
I was very impressed with the quality of this AI. This also goes for the Palico AI as well. I tested many hunts using the SOS Flare with AI, and each time my companions had a general sense of what was going on and pressed hard in the hunt against each foe. You can even customize these Support Hunters down to whether or not they can do things like set traps in the settings. If you want to call on other Hunters worldwide with the SOS Flare, you can do that, too. In my experience, this made for many seamless multiplayer hunts that were so much fun to tackle together. You do not have to be in the same lobby as someone using an SOS Flare, so you can really end up assisting anyone across the world. Even if you find yourself in a situation where you do not necessarily need help, I encourage you to test out the SOS Flare and try the new Support Hunters for yourself.
In the midst of Capcom’s strides to make the game as accessible to new players as humanly possible, I fear that we have lost some of the difficulty that the series had previously offered. Simply put, some fights just are not as challenging as I thought they would be. In prior Monster Hunter games, I found myself forced to mix and match armor on the fly to beat out elemental resistances amidst other things, but I haven’t yet been pushed or faced that in Monster Hunter Wilds. I’ve been rocking the same two or three armor sets for the most part. I still have many more fights to pursue, however I do not expect this to suddenly change, unfortunately. There is certainly a balance that can be obtained by appealing to both new and old fans, but I fear Capcom might have overshot looking out for new players in Wilds.
While I cannot discuss much regarding the endgame of Monster Hunter Wilds, you can expect to see High Rank upon completing the main story. If you’ve played a Monster Hunter game before, you know that this is where the game truly begins. Tempered Monsters, Artian Weapons, and more await here. There is quite a lot to look forward to in this endgame, with most of it not showcased or mentioned in the story campaign.
Overall, it’s hard not to argue that Monster Hunter Wilds has the most fun gameplay in the series. Regardless of whether you play by yourself or alongside friends, you are guaranteed a good time. With the plethora of additions and improvements that Capcom has managed to implement, I believe that it will genuinely be challenging to grow tired or bored of the gameplay in Wilds.
Plagued Performance At Times, But Beautiful Animation & Audio Design
Performance was a key point of contention for many players coming out of the beta. I personally played the game on a launch PlayStation 5 for review, and while I had a wonderful experience, there are a few performance issues I must address. For me, I unfortunately found both the visuals and performance of Monster Hunter Wilds to be quite a mixed bag at times. On the surface, the game is gorgeous and depicts some absolutely incredible environments. Even on base PlayStation 5, I was really blown away by what I saw. However, as I looked closer and especially moved the game to my monitor, many realizations regarding the visuals began to sink in.
Wilds offers a variety of different graphical settings you can pick from on PlayStation 5. You have Prioritize Resolution, Balanced, and Prioritize Frame Rate. These are pretty standard for most PS5 games at this point. For frame rate, Prioritize Resolution runs at 30FPS, Balanced runs at 40FPS with a 120Hz display, and Prioritize Frame Rate runs at 60FPS, with a 120Hz output mode available for compatible displays. Unfortunately, the image quality overall across all three modes is not on par with what I expected. While it’s nowhere near unplayable, there are absolutely more lower-resolution textures than you might expect for a game like this.
I was not impressed with the Resolution Mode, opting for the Balanced mode myself. This served me well for most of my time with the game, as I utilized the 40FPS mode with my 120Hz display. If you have access to one, I recommend choosing this option. Prioritize Frame Rate did not look great in my time with it. As humourous as it may sound, I think those playing on a TV will see very few of these graphical compromises on PS5. It’s hard to tell in most areas from around three to five feet away, but the game can look quite muddy up close. Again, this really stuck out to me when I hooked up my PlayStation 5 to a monitor.
Beyond frame rate and resolution, I had a few instances every now and then of textures freaking out, almost creating a random polygon mess on the screen for certain objects. There is also occasional pop-in, which while jarring for some, is necessary on PS5 considering the sheer size of the environments. I’d imagine that Capcom is hard at work to iron out bugs like these while also looking for ways to increase visual fidelity. None of this was game or immersion-breaking by any means, but it is something you should keep in mind if you plan on playing on console over PC.
On to some major positives on the technical side, the animations for some of these monsters are just unbelievable. I was blown away by the technicality of the animation in many fights, especially later in the game. The monster design is already spectacular, and these animations were the finishing touch that brought them to life. No matter the size of the monster, you can expect a fluid and expressive fight that just feels right. This of course translates to combat as well, with everything animated in an almost elegant way.
And finally, the audio design is excellent. Every sound feels legitimate, with the combat sounds especially giving some oomph to the fight. I know Monster Hunter is often overlooked in regards to score and compositions, but I was very impressed with the various tracks Capcom managed to squeeze in throughout the game. Each area, battle, and monster theme was wonderful to listen to, truly elevating the atmosphere further. This also goes for the voice acting, which was really solid for the most part.
Monster Hunter Wilds Is A Grand Time
Overall, Monster Hunter Wilds is utterly brilliant. Capcom has managed to take the beloved formula and evolve it to new heights. While Monster Hunter World paved the way and introduced the series to millions of new players, Wilds takes everything that made both World and Rise great, innovating them and subsequently adding countless new features and improvements. I have no doubt that millions of new players will inevitably get hooked on the series after playing Wilds.
As a longtime fan of the series, I’ve enjoyed every entry I have had the chance to play, but none have hooked me the way Wilds has. Every quest, no matter how major or minor it is, is worth embarking on. Capcom has truthfully blown past all expectations I had for this game, even despite the fact that they were so high to begin with. Unquestionably, Monster Hunter Wilds is going to be one of the biggest games of the year—and it deserves to be.
Beyond all the fun to be had, I think Wilds has apparent flaws that will upset some longtime players within the community. The technical situation is simply disappointing and frustrating, to say the least. Since I was unable to test the PC version, I cannot say one way or another whether or not you can expect similar issues on the platform. I also wish more challenge was sprinkled throughout certain battles, especially in later portions of the game. However, despite it all, I find myself unable to stop playing Monster Hunter Wilds. Every day, I return to the Forbidden Lands for a few hours, often saying “Just one more hunt” more than once. To me, that’s everything you could ask for in a game like this, and I cannot wait to dive in once more to take down massive monsters with my friends.
Disclaimer: Capcom provided Final Weapon with a PlayStation 5 review copy of Monster Hunter Wilds for review purposes.
