Although actually… Credits rolled quite some time ago. It takes about 15-ish hours to beat the Low Rank portion of the game, which sees you through the first three chapters.
Those three chapters being very story heavy, with cutscenes and dialog and the whole nine yards. They really leaned into it this time around.
After which you roll credits.
There are still another three chapters to go after that though, and an infinite number of hunts beyond even that. Those latter three chapters are lighter on cutscenes, and mostly act as an introduction to new monster variants and a big bad, which, if you’re familiar with older Monster Hunter games, you may see coming.
I really wanted to wait for the honeymoon period to be over before starting this review. Otherwise the entire review likely would’ve consisted of something akin to… *ahem* … “IT’S FRICKEN MONSTER HUNTER, IT’S AMAZING!”
Which, you know, still isn’t wrong. I struggle to think of another game series where ‘more of the same’ is so consistently great. Dragon Age? Eh, maybe let’s not touch that one. Battlefield? Definitely not. (Fingers still crossed for the next one, though.) Final Fantasy? Hmm. That one is possibly there, although I know not everyone loved XV… Or XVI, for that matter.
In any case, I’m wandering off track here.
The point is, I’ve let the honeymoon period end. I’ve done almost as much as I wish to, before the title updates start landing and expanding the game.
Because there is one thing I’ve noted with Wilds being a simultaneous release on PC this time around, as opposed to having to wait a year or so for Console to have their time in the sun first.
By the time World and Rise landed on PC; they had almost a year of updates, and felt a lot more ‘complete’ as a result.
Difficulty
Difficulty is a… well, difficult matter to discuss.
Your first Monster Hunter is always going to be your most difficult. You don’t have a clue how the combat works, the moves the weapons have, what systems exist to help you, or what any of the monsters are capable of.
I started with Monster Hunter World, and it will ever sit in memory as the most difficult I’ve played.
But how can I meaningfully compare the experience of fighting Anjanath at 4-5 hours into my Monster Hunter career in World vs. Alpha Doshugama in Wilds with now hundreds of hours of experience?
All that said, I do believe that Wilds is presently an easier game than either World, or Rise before it.
The Apex hunts currently on offer in Wilds do not come close to the difficulty of Rise’s endgame Apex hunts–and yes, I do mean before Sunbreak.
Although, again, PC Rise did have a year of additional content on top of it.
So! I do believe Wilds to be easier. But I also don’t think it’s a long term problem. Title Update 1 is bringing more difficult content, and of course — there is the Master Rank expansion to look forward to.
Monster Hunter Wilds is a Great Game to Start the Series With
Partly from the lower difficulty, to be sure. But also because the actual combat feels better than it ever has.
The hypermobility of the Wire Bugs from Rise didn’t carry over, but nor did it go back to the (relatively) plodding pace of World.
Don’t get me wrong, there are still attacks with animations you really gotta commit to. Particularly if you pick a heavier weapon like Greatsword or Hammer.
At the other end of the spectrum, you have Dual Swords (they go Brrrr!) where you can now pull off a perfect dodge and keep the good times rolling.
Every new weapon got some new moves and the game is better for it. I’ve become a particular fan of the new attacks Longsword has once you get it into red gauge.
Ooh, and Hunting Horn’s new echo skill.
I’ve tried out a lot of new weapons this time around. I mained Long Sword more or less exclusively in World, then Bow in Rise. In Wilds, I’ve latched onto Hammer primarily. But also Gun Lance. And Hunting Horn… And Great Sword… And maybe some others to come.
It Isn’t All Roses Though
Well, we already spoke about Difficulty. That could be an issue for some, particularly series veterans looking for more of a challenge right off the bat. I’m beyond confident this is an issue that will be solved. But right now? Eh. Maybe not the worst idea to wait a little.
Beyond that… Monster Hunter Wilds is a good looking game, on the whole. There are some surprisingly low-quality textures here and there, but it’s a sin that the environmental and monster designs more than make up for.
But Monster Hunter World looked great too. Still does even. To such a degree that Wilds does not look so much better than World in contrast to the computer power it demands to run it well.
If you’re running a lower end machine, you’ll definitely want to check out how comparable systems are going, and possibly how well (or not) patches from here continue to improve performance.
…That said, a friend was playing with an RTX 2070, and it went OK! So, very much a ‘Your Mileage May Vary’ type situation.
I also wish they hadn’t leaned into the story so hard. It… wasn’t good. Monster Hunter stories are never meant to take centre stage like this. They’re just kinda… there… to drive you from one hunt to the next.
Final Thoughts
I’ve enjoyed my time with Monster Hunter Wilds a great deal. But my time has come to an end much sooner than I’m used to. I got 100ish hours each out of World and Rise pre-expansions vs. a little over 60 hours here, so far.
I’m sure I’ll do a bit more yet, maybe as far as 80 hours, but not 100. Title Updates could well change that, though!
What else… Oh, the Open World stuff? It isn’t except in the most technical of senses. Sure. You can walk from one zone to another. Through a completely linear corridor with nothing in it save a few herbs and the like. You also never need to. Quests or even just jumping from monster to monster will see you jumping straight to the area in question like you did in World.
All said and done… Who is this for?
Well; if you’re just excited for more Monster Hunter (and frankly, who wouldn’t be) and you have the system to run it (or willing to play the console version, I guess) — it’s for you.
If you’re a veteran only interested in the tippy-top end of the challenge scale, I’d say give it a little bit more time in the oven first. Or at least be aware you’d be getting in just for early preparation, getting some of your gear and decorations up to speed before those challenges land with us.
And then last of all, like I said earlier in the piece, if you’ve been on the sidelines of Monster Hunter, kinda interested but never having jumped in before — Wilds is the best time to do it.
