Even despite the story being nothing, going through the world is a treat, and the monsters, weapons and environments all move and feel wonderfully (if the game runs for you of course)

But there's also not much of the ol' monhun here. World was a streamlining of the classic games already, but you still needed to do some hunting before you could dress up anew and do some more hunting... In wilds, this is not necessary. I went from quest 1 to quest last without ever stopping to go for some materials. I barely needed to upgrade stuff, and when I felt like I should, I could do enough upgrading with what had been handed to me doing the main quests.

This might sound like a positive to people who haven't played the franchise before, but it's in the walls, the projects, the prospect of overcoming odds that these games shine. Wilds is too easy might be an oversimplification, you still need to pay attention and all that, but it is also still a true statement.

It's not enough to remove my enjoyment of the game, and it's still big fun despite that, but it has lost a part of what the experience encompassed.

And I don't care if they plan on adding it back in with updates and expansion, this is a matter of design, not content, and I bought a full game that I'm critiquing on its own merits. Monster Hunter Tri had way less content and still set it all up better.

Aside from all that, the UI is still a huge mess, the multiplayer is still a huge mess (specially trying to coop the story) and they developed a late game gear system that directly takes (balance wise) a dump on the whole reason that the gear is fun. Not to mention how it runs, or rather how it doesn't.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, the 30-40 cool hours you get in here are cool and fun enough that despite messing up the Monster Hunter franchise part of the thing, it's still a great time. I do worry a bit about new entries always taking one step forward, one step to the side, and one backflip to faceplant the floor.

A new monster hunter is like a holiday for me. I often take time off to really devote myself to them when they come out. for well over a decade this series has been at the top of my list of games and even activities in general that consume my life. So understand that this is coming from someone who should be the target audience.

After 60 hours in, the magic is gone. I have poured over 400 hours, at least, into every single release in this series since MHtri. I am allowing for the fact that this is the base game and there are title updates coming. and someday there will be a G rank expansion. and then, and only then, this will be a full game worthy of the title. Until that day, it's. fine. it's just fine. It has a very limited repetitive, uninspired roster of monsters right now. some of the new ones are a fine addition, but this is a disappointing line up. Some of that is because I just hate guardian monsters. i hate them. They don't belong. They are from some other game. They don't fit here. I can't get into it.

And that brings me to the 'story'. they really wanted one this time. and it has it's moments of being cinematic and I can forget for just second. But overall, it's just too self serious. Monster hunter is silly and if it was going to stop being, it needs to actually write well. It can't halfway this. and that's what this is. The one good element I will give to this is the guild authorizing hunts part. That actually adds to the lore in a meaningful way, and I genuinely like it. But that's it.

The gameplay is streamlined in many ways I appreciate. the mounts are the logical extension of the last two entries and it would have been unacceptable without it. The semless integration of camp and world is also appreciated. Ai hunters being a regular addition now as it was in late game Rise is also expected and appreciated. I would like to see more done with it. anything that helps with being able to play alone more effectively is a good thing. two weapons at once expands the possibilities tremendously. All steps in the right direction.

There are some complaints about how the game runs but honestly, I only noticed in the beginning and then it never came up. make of that what you will.

For how it lasted I had fun but for the first time ever, I'm done. until more gets added.

Note: this is for the 1.041 Title Update on basegame.

Monster Hunter Wilds starts off relatively simple and streamlined but hides some of the most challenging battles and gorgeous fights at the furthest reaches of its web - easy to pick up and deliciously difficult to master.

Exploring the Forbidden Lands, an untouched part of the Old World, our hunters investigate a mysterious structure called the Landspine and ferocious creatures that lurk within. The plot is important enough to keep it spoiled, but there's plenty of new areas to explore across deserts, icy cliffs, rich forests, and more.

Wilds takes a step back from the increased mobility mechanics of Rise and opts for a different approach - namely seamless travel on bird-like beasts called Seikrets and setting up pop-up camps in a rich open world that's chock-full of resources to harvest. Beasts can now sport wounds after repeated hits on a spot, causing more inflicted damage to waste the monster further. More moves and actions are now possible with each type of weapon, including power clashes, offset attacks, and swapping between two weapons on the fly.

While this seems simple (and the low rank can feel a little TOO easy for veterans hopping in), the challenge quickly ramps up as the player learns to adopt these new mechanics to their advantage, or get ferociously put under tempered, arch-tempered, and frenzied beasts. The endgame has gotten quite a bit of love compared to previous games, with some INTENSE challenge on quests, even with support AI hunters in tow if you find your friends unreliable. Arkveld, Nu Udra, Uth Duna, Rey Dau, and more are waiting for those who want the taste of some real pain.

Visually the game is similarly rich and vast with detail, much like World. Realistic isn't quite enough to describe it, as Wilds incorporates its plot elements and the transformation of the land into environmental design that can truly be felt as the game progresses. Incandescent veils, oily cephalopods, explosive lightning bursts, etc - everything feels appropriately fantastic despite the photorealistic looks. Opting to have a dynamic orchestral style for music, Wilds may not have as distinct of an identity as Rise's vocal-heavy track but really shines once the new monsters make it onto the scene. At least a handful of the new themes will become some of your series favorites!

Monster Hunter Wilds is the type of game that deceptively hides its most satisfying experiences under a very streamlined, beginner friendly interface. Most hunters can pick up and play, but like all Monster Hunters the game truly rewards those who stick with it and give it their all. Get ready for the expansion coming soon!

Many Japanese games do not fully capture what it is like to live in Japan. This game does.

Life in Japan is a beautiful paradox: great with random moments of pure nonsense. I have to do WHAT to register my address... I need a stamp for this document? from across the road? I can't get one... here?

A visa requires these documents, great. You now need these other documents? Why? Because you feel like it?

Wilds has:

1. Insane systems and an absolute refusal to have anything make sense.

2. The worst management of items I've ever experienced.

3. A pause button that doesn't let you change settings.

The list is endless, and I am writing this review after getting a headache figuring out how to get an 'cold drink' mid fight while my item pouch is full. Spoiler, there are two menus and you need to go into the true settings to discard something first.

Overall, this is a good game. But there is so much that just feels... insane.

The game is god damn ugly in the worst way possible too. Random low res textures as far as the eye can see. inconsistent blurriness. It looks... porly made. Not low fidelity: switch games can look great. This game looks badly designed at times.

Great monsters and great weapons mean that the game is still a 4 star game.

Finally reached a stopping point for this I think, i.e. the end of the main story missions (chapter 6). I feel I took my time with this game, enjoying the world and gameplay and somehow squeezed out almost 70 hours from just the main content. At this point I feel a bit burnt out and will probably set this down until the next title update.

This was my first Monster Hunter game, and to be honest it did not grab me for the first 5 or so hours. The gameplay felt uninteresting, the story felt bland, and everything just seemed a little too frictionless. I was genuinely concerned I had wasted my money lol. At some point though things kind of clicked for me, possibly due to changing to weapons I found more interesting (insect glaive, hunting horn, and bow). I found it fun to just hack away at monsters and explore the beautiful world. The story was still kind of bland, and the experience was still a bit too straightforward, but I understood what it was about the formula that had captivated so many people.

Fast forward to the end and my thoughts still feel the same. The story as a whole never really went anywhere I cared for, though I loved the world building and the research focus of the guild members. Things got more difficult for me (though I never failed a mission), which kept me engaged, and the unique monsters, and weapon forms were really fun to play with. I will say the performance issues were really rough to deal with. I know my graphics card (3080) is kind of old now, and I play at 4K, but I feel for what I'm seeing it just should not run as inconsistently as it does, nor look as unclear as it can at times.

Still, this was a very addicting experience. I had a lot of issues with it, but it got me playing for hours upon hours and having fun so I think I got what I wanted out of it. Hope to see it only get better from now on.