Do you prefer Monster Hunter World? a lot of More? If the answer is yes – and it is – then Monster Hunter Wildlands will definitely satisfy you.
When you’re talking about sequels, “more of the same” can really cover the whole gamut. It can be a pejorative, implying that the developer didn’t change or didn’t do enough, took shortcuts with the sequel. But it can also be an expression of joy for the developer. Go aheadbuilding upon what came before it in an iterative way, but also quietly revealing its secrets. After watching a half-hour of an exciting new hunting demo, Monster Hunter Wildlands looks like the latter.
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In some ways, this is my favorite sequel. I don’t need to go into the basic concept of the game, or its general structure—none of which has changed much from Monster Hunter World. If you haven’t played that game, you’ll need to go into more details. should – Now it’s both good and cheap, and worth every penny. At first glance, in the initial stages of its demo, you might even mistake Wilds for some souped-up, max-settings version of World. “It does look more like MH,” I found myself scribbling in my notebook. But as the missions unfold, a host of exciting changes and additions slowly reveal themselves, one after another. Soon, it goes from feeling more like what came before to feeling like an epic evolution.
If I had to summarize what I saw in the demo in short terms, I’d boil it down to two key elements of Wilds: First, it’s huge. Really huge. Capcom representatives said the map is roughly twice the size of the previous game, which is one reason why mounts are now a big part of the experience. When I asked the developers if these mounts were borrowed directly from the Switch-focused Monster Hunter Rise, they countered that the various parts of Monster Hunter were developed in parallel but separately, and the Wilds developers concluded that the mounts were a necessity due to the sheer scale of what they were building. Certainly, even with only thirty minutes, I was surprised by the scale on offer.
The second element is the continuation of the magical x-factor that makes Monster Hunter World so special – it’s a seamless, emergent, and deeply interactive experience. Wildlands seems more focused on this than ever before – and I think the best manifestation of this is the core changes to Base Camp. Traditionally, Base Camp is a self-contained area you go to via a loading screen, where you can pick up quests, level up, chat with NPCs, and hang out with friends. All of this is still true – but there is one key difference.
In Wilds, Base Camp is now a seamless part of the vast Windward Plains area the demo was set in. Other areas will al so have their own Base Camps. Regardless, you simply walk from Base Camp to the titular Wilds. Danger may lurk just outside the entrance to Base Camp; this makes the entire experience feel more cohesive.
After leaving the base camp, we saw that the developers from Japan took on a mission to take down an Alpha Behemoth, which will initially be in the company of a group of slightly smaller but still quite large Behemoths. This makes for a tough start to the hunt, but also perfectly demonstrates the craziness of Monster Hunter. The player is stuck in a dilemma and launches a few sneak attacks on the Alpha Behemoth to officially trigger the hunt. But once they do, the group of Behemoths will go crazy and attack at the same time.
Make good use of those wide, wide open areas that Wilds is expanding in a big way. With a whistle, the Seikret mount is summoned to flee from the now angry beast. I love how, as the mount approaches, the hunter doesn’t stop as he flees from the monster. One animation is so cool that few people even notice how great it is, the hunter leaps on the run, landing on Seikret – and now the chase is on. Fire the giant gun from the mount’s back to keep aggro and deal damage as the Doshaguma chases, running around the map trying to lure the Alpha away from its group, making it an easier target.
I love demos like this. They’re live, and they’re going to go wrong. That means not all developers are willing to do this, but Capcom has embraced the chaos. And it’s simple to see why: A key pillar of this game and its predecessors is treating these Monster Hunter zones as living worlds – as ecosystems with food chains. In a way, a good Monster Hunter map has a little in common with a great Hitman level – it’s a Rube Goldberg machine of actors and world design elements that interact individually, but once there’s even the smallest player input, everything takes off in weird and wonderful directions.
Like I said, you can get a sense of this in this demo. At one point, they clearly wanted to show an environmental trap, where loose boulders from the ceiling can fall onto enemies. But apparently, Doshaguma won’t stand for danger, and the developers keep slipping up. At another moment, the “alpha” monster for the area rushes in, presumably trying to tangle with our target, but ends up getting distracted by something else. The demo goes on. This is greatThis chaos, and adapting to it, is what makes Monster Hunter special. You’re constantly planning, building the perfect gear, and developing strategies—and then, inevitably, you’re forced to adapt.
One of the new issues is weather, which seems to be a major pillar of how Wilds builds its world. Halfway through a hunt, a sandstorm rolls in, affecting visibility and also greatly affecting the world itself. The monsters and native creatures willing to venture into the world vary depending on the world’s current conditions – so as the sky darkens and sandstorms arrive, some monsters will retreat underground, while others will boldly emerge.
All of this means a lot of There’s a lot going on, but Wilds seems to be preparing players to mitigate that, too. Palico can now talk, and frequently gives warnings and suggestions to help players keep track of everything going on. Maps have taken a huge leap forward, and are filled with information and granularity that should be a hardcore hunter’s dream. UI elements have been tweaked to more clearly show if a monster is actively targeting you – and more. The upgrades seem countless, and fans will likely spend a lot of time deciphering them before release.
Regardless, the end result is a game that looks great. It looks exactly what I wanted from a World follow-up. While the formula is established and Capcom certainly doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel, Monster Hunter Wilds is clearly still full of the crazy ambition and boundless energy that made World great. The team isn’t resting on their laurels just because they made Capcom’s best-selling game ever: if anything, it’s made them even more ambitious. I can’t wait to see what else they have in store.
Monster Hunter: Wildlands is expected to be released on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2025.
