It's a big day for Hunters and Palicos alike, as reviews arrived for Capcom's Monster Hunter Wilds, the latest entry in the long-running beast-slaying series.
The majority of critics are thrilled with the game, praising the gameplay mechanics and overall experience, with some outliers raising issues with the early game story and pacing.
At the time I'm writing this, Monster Hunter Wilds achieved a 90 on Metacritic from 70 reviews, with an 89 on Opencritic derived from 91 reviews. By far most of the reviews are scored at 10 or 9, but there's a smaller number of lower scores bringing down the overall average. I've linked a few reviews with standout quotes below:
- Eurogamer Portugal (10/10): "With Monster Hunter Wilds, Capcom managed to refine the formula in a way that simplifies several processes to make the experience more dynamic, without compromising depth. By removing the loadings between camp and map, the immersion increases as you are constantly playing, immersed in the hunt from the first moment without interruptions, something that becomes especially satisfying when you have an interesting campaign, which is also a huge 14-hour tutorial."
- Destructoid (9.5/10): "So, whether you’re eager to dive into the Monster Hunter universe for the first time or you’re a long-time fan seeking a new adventure, Monster Hunter Wilds offers everything you need for an unforgettable experience. Capcom has truly outdone itself with yet another exceptional game that you won’t want to miss. I enjoyed every minute of my playthrough from start to finish, and there’s even more stuff to discover with its fun-filled end-game content."
- TechRadar Gaming (4.5/5): "Monster Hunter Wilds is the most accessible, most user-friendly game in the series yet. It still has some incredibly obtuse systems, but the campaign acts as a great tutorial to cover the main systems and combat options. By allowing you to switch between two weapons, it’s also easier than ever to get to grips with the game’s diverse array of swords, axes, and bowguns."
- IGN (8/10): "Monster Hunter Wilds continues to smooth off the traditionally rough edges of the series in smart ways, reducing as much friction as possible that could get in the way of you grabbing any of its exceptionally fun weapons and planting them firmly in a monster’s hide. But in that quest to make Monster Hunter more approachable, Wilds has carved a little too close to the bone in some places, trimming its challenge back so much that I barely needed to dig into its in-depth equipment system at all this time to become an apex predator. Its more flexible combat is some of the most fun I’ve had with the series, but like the blustering lighting storms of its gorgeous desert, it'll burns brightly but briefly until Capcom unleashes some real endgame beasts to challenge us."
- Digital Trends (8/10): "Your most powerful asset in Monster Hunter Wilds isn’t a Gunlance; it’s routine. The developers at Capcom understand that “repetitive” doesn’t have to be a dirty word in games. The joy of Monster Hunter comes when all that complexity becomes second nature. It’s that moment when a once challenging hunt turns into a daily expedition that you talk over with your friends. Once I reached that state of Zen during the endgame, I no longer felt like a small visitor trying to survive a brutal world. I had become an average animal in a wider ecosystem, carrying out my daily tasks on instinct just like any Doshaguma."
Monster Hunter Wilds is set to continue Capcom's hot streak
Of course, many members of the team here at Windows Central are longtime Monster Hunter players, and in our review of Monster Hunter Wilds, executive editor Jez Corden explains that "Hunting down monsters in 4-player co-op is still fun. Discovering new creatures and seeing returning favorites remains exciting. The improved online systems are a welcome upgrade. And the art direction is absolutely fantastic. Monster Hunter World, with all of its post-launch content, was always going to be a tough act to follow."
I personally didn't play Monster Hunter until 2018's Monster Hunter World, but I absolutely loved that game, pouring hundreds of hours into it and the huge Iceborne expansion. I'm looking forward to checking out Wilds soon enough.
I might even have to track down one of those steelbook editions.
Monster Hunter Wilds is slated to launch on Feb. 28, 2025 across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5.
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