Despite his popularity, Monster Hunter is notoriously difficult to reach. Every new publication conjures up a lot of eager but intimidated players in which he asks: “Is that the one with whom he starts?” Thanks to its refined struggle, the exciting cutscenes and the endlessly committed gameplay loop, Monster Hunter Wilds is an excellent entry point. While the tutorials are still missing and many mechanics are anything but intuitive, Wilds offers those who are interested in a simpler approach without affecting the most exciting elements.
As the name suggests, the main attraction of the game is an environment full of monsters that are in motion, hunt and store. The fight seems bright than ever before, with a satisfactory series of weapons that are available to players from the start. I moved to the long sword with its mighty slash and the Spirit measuring device, but also fell in love with the hammer's mighty, smashed skills. Boning a Monster on the Head has never felt better thanks to the fantastic work of combat designers, sound designers and animators. Wilds also presents wounds that appear on the body of a monster after they have been repeatedly hit in the same place. If you hit a wound with a Focus strike, the monster bumps and causes a lot of damage that makes it an essential and satisfactory mechanic.
The story is usually not part of the conversation about the Monster Hunter franchise, so I was pleasantly surprised by Wilds' characters and cutscenes that invested me during the entire campaign. After discovered the guild of the hunter Nata, a boy separated from his tribe, they embark on an expedition to find his home in the forbidden countries, part of the world that was previously kept uninhabited. The following adventure shows Nata's character growth of how he expects the effects of humans on the environment and at the same time grabs the plot with exciting, monster-based action setpeaders. It is more of a structure to move the player than as a really convincing story, but I found his instructions a pleasant starter for the late game quests with high rank.
Cutscene are particularly spectacular and show dramatic templates to hunt that feel that I feel an epic hero. The incredible soundtrack of the game further improves the mood and combines traditional orchestra with synthesizers to present the violent changes in the weather. Without failure, when Alma empowered my hunter to compete in a monster, I was always forward in my seat and leaned ready to protect the people and ecosystems of the forbidden countries.
The encouragement is particularly welcome when it is confronted with Monster Hunter's intimidating creature draft, regardless of whether it is the roses/spiders -Hybrid -lala -barina or the aberrant inkfish of the black flame. Long -time players become comfortable with monsters and their attack patterns. In practice, fights are exciting, varied and dynamic thanks to extreme weather effects and creative combat patterns. The first three-chapter campaign is relatively simple, but not boring-a blessing if the goal of this entry was to address new players.
Monster Hunter Wilds is largely accessible to newcomers, but this statement gives some restrictions. While Wilds is more intuitive than in earlier entries, it still has work compared to an average game, with the mechanics buried in menus or are unclear as a whole. Nevertheless, the initial level of difficulty is low enough that this should not be a big problem. You can defy Wilds' story mode and at the same time avoid the more complicated mechanics. I selected a simple weapon and made a point to create new equipment, although I only died a few times. Thanks to assists from NPCs or other online players who use the SOS Beacon and the mobility of my mount, I was often healed and was always able to escape quickly.
It is possible to deal with more advanced combos and mechanics, but new players have to jump through the tires to do this. For example, there are many tutorial pop-ups, but although they effectively convey how to do things, it is not always clear when it is important to do this. Cooking, for example, is a decisive and iconic part of the game, but since the portable grill is only one of many articles that are added to your toolbet, it is not immediately clear that you should cook a meal if your previous case decreases. This struggle with tutorialization is exacerbated by Wilds' Menu Design, an utilitarian set of beige tabs. It is functional, but only if you know what you are looking for. Tutorials are listed here, but some are ridiculously buried. The easiest way is to play online with experienced friends who can teach you which food combinations are the best, which tools should avoid hunting and which beginners. There are also endless YouTube tutorials how to play these games, but it is a shame that the Monster Hunter team has not yet fully grasped how to get new players in their folds without relying on external sources.
The bright side of bad tutorialization is that it is a temporary hurdle. As soon as you have got your camps, Monster Hunter Wilds is happy and brings the carefully manufactured gameplay loop of the Monster Hunter to the next level. The monsters are ancient, the weapons are sharp and the lower level of difficulty means that newcomers can start without warding off from the details. The forbidden countries are a tempting new playground for the series, and I look forward to spending dozens of more hours with uncovering the rest of his secrets.
This review of 2025 reflects our thoughts on the current state of the game when publishing. Updates were taken into account as such after the start of the end result.
