Monster Hunter Wilds Hands-On Preview: A New Hunt Begins

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Monster Hunter Wilds Hands-On Preview: A New Hunt Begins

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of gaming under my belt, I can confidently say that 2025 is shaping up to be a veritable cornucopia of digital delights, and none more intriguing than the upcoming Monster Hunter Wilds. Having dabbled in the previous installment, Monster Hunter World, I eagerly awaited my chance to explore the Forbidden Lands and unravel the mystery of The White Wrath.

2025 looks set to be an extraordinary year for gaming, boasting titles such as Avowed, Borderlands 4, Civilization 7, Death Stranding 2, Fable, Grand Theft Auto 6, Metroid Prime 4, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, and many more, all slated for release next year. Among these anticipated releases is Monster Hunter Wilds, the upcoming addition to Capcom’s successful Monster Hunter series. Building upon the immense popularity of Monster Hunter World, Monster Hunter Wilds invites players to assume the role of a Hunter embarking on a new quest to the Forbidden Lands. Initially believed to be deserted, these territories are now bustling with life, monsters, and humans. The intriguing mystery revolves around The White Wrath and the devastation of a village inhabited by people.

GameRant recently experienced a demo of ‘Monster Hunter Wilds’ at Gamescom, split into two sections: the game’s initial sequence and a later, more expansive area. In the beginning, we selected a predefined appearance for our Hunter and Palico, opting for an elderly gentleman with impressive facial hair for the former and a Palico sporting a stylish mustache for the latter. After making our selections, the opening cutscene commenced.

Monster Hunter Wilds Starts Off Strong

The introductory movie highlights the significant visual improvements between Monster Hunter Wilds and Monster Hunter World. It further reveals that we’ve been selected for a hunt in the Forbidden Lands. A commanding NPC informs us that The White Wraith, a monster responsible for attacking a village there, left only one survivor – a child named Nata. Although not yet confirmed, it appears that this White Wraith is the main monster for Monster Hunter Wilds. Regardless, we set off to the Forbidden Lands. Along the way, we meet our team (including Nata), and once we arrive, we witness a young girl, similar in age to Nata, riding a Seikret while being pursued by a mob of monsters.

Given a great sword, we hop on another nearby Seikret and get taught how the riding works. It felt surprisingly smooth for an otherwise erratic animal, and the chase scene ended up being a lot of fun. It was an effective and not-long tutorial that pushed us into our first hunt. After saving the girl, she tells us her old brother is in danger, and we use the Seikret (who knows his scent) to hunt him down in a nearby cave. We were able to choose our weapons for the upcoming fight, however, and there’s a small questionnaire for anyone who needs to know what type of weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds fits their preferred playstyle best. We decided on the Switch Axe and followed the Seikret to a cave system.

Upon locating his sibling, we discovered him engaged in a ferocious battle with a Chupacabra-like creature, a common adversary for seasoned Monster Hunter players. The encounter followed the usual pattern of combat, much like the tutorial boss, providing an excellent preview for future battles. During this skirmish, we had the option to summon our Seikret as a backup (if necessary), heal, wage battle from it, and hone our weapon’s edge. The diverse Switch Axe combos from Monster Hunter Wilds were both entertaining mechanically and visually, hinting at the potential for more enhanced combat sequences later in the game.

In Monster Hunter Wilds’ Focus Mode, it was striking how apparent the wounds became, as certain sections of the monster seemed to pulse red when under focus. This feature allows players to pinpoint their attacks more precisely, targeting specific areas to break them quickly. After a successful hunt, we headed towards camp and witnessed an engaging cinematic scene. Following this, we were guided to the next segment of the demo.

Monster Hunter Wilds: Hunting the Alpha Doshaguma

In the second phase of the demonstration, we found ourselves in a camp setting where we selected our trusted gear again (opted for the Switch Axe and Heavy Bowgun). We were informed that our target was an Alpha Doshaguma, but our task was to detach it from its group by pelting it with waste. This action would make it smell badly, presumably causing other Doshagumas to disperse, but despite their pack instincts, this proved more challenging than anticipated. After a series of maneuvers and diversions, we successfully isolated it and commenced our attack. The battle was everything a Monster Hunter enthusiast could wish for, culminating in us pursuing it until we finally defeated it.

What truly grabbed our focus during this battle wasn’t necessarily the action within it, but rather the events occurring around it. During the skirmish, we witnessed awe-inspiring lightning strikes in the distance, not mere flashes off in the horizon, but powerful booms that seemed to be closing in on us. Fortunately, they never reached us, and later on, we discovered these occurrences were due to another monster. This environmental reaction isn’t exclusive to monsters; even natural phenomena like sandstorms can be triggered by battles. Capcom aimed to create more realistic creature reactions and environments in Monster Hunter Wilds, and it appears they achieved their goal. These elements definitely added an authentic touch to the hunt, making it truly immersive.

The title “Monster Hunter” implies specific aspects regarding environments, gameplay dynamics, and combat style, and Monster Hunter Wilds successfully captures this feel in every aspect. It slightly surpasses expectations, but in significant ways that truly matter. Although we have to wait for its launch, it appears to be a worthwhile experience.

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2024-08-29 00:24