Preview: Monster Hunter Wilds Will Be Extraordinary

I dream about the Forbidden Lands. I think about the people at my base camp I didn’t get a chance to help yet. I wonder about the outfits I wasn’t able to complete. I yearn to return to Monster Hunter Wilds and, after getting to spend over five hours going through the first few missions almost twice after heading to Capcom’s offices in Osaka. I don’t know how I’m going to manage going over two months without getting to make my mark on the new region. Because while I was only playing a preview build and the final game may be different, it felt like it already possessed many things I’d want from the full experience and was ready to go.

Monster Hunter Wilds begins with a revelation. After a young man named Nata is pushed to safety during a monster attack, he ends up picked up by hunters and guild members preparing to head into the Forbidden Lands after years spent avoiding the supposedly uninhabited region. His discovery leads to a new mission. In addition to surveying and exploring the area, the goal is to find the Keepers, Nata’s people, and return him to them. However, the location isn’t just home to this mysterious group. New and old monsters, some thought to be extinct, inhabit the area, and there are people living there. In fact, the first village the hunters end up happening upon aren’t even aware of the existence of weapons.

Going into Monster Hunter Wilds, I felt like I was coming home. After all, we have all 14 weapons back again. I went with the Long Sword for my first full run through the preview session, though circled back through almost two-thirds of it with the Gunlance. I found both to be still incredibly formidable weapons. Both are the sorts that allow someone the freedom to survive and take down these massive beasts on your own or with a group. In the case of the Long Sword, I was absolutely impressed by the Spirit Gauge. It felt like it rewarded me for using the combos the sword is known for. Getting the extra power and altered moves from it being filled was quite a boon, and I found the Focus Mode even made it easier to ensure it would fill. 

What I saw of Monster Hunter Wilds makes me think I will be a Long Sword main again. This is because the Spirit Gauge and the techniques tied to it really encourage creativity. Just charging it can be halted for a Spirit Roundslash that deals damage around you. I could perform Spirit Blade attacks and thrusts to take advantage of a full bar, rather than just using it for boosted attacks. I also would sometimes get too caught up in attacking with the weapon normally to dodge as needed, and being able to rely on the Fade Slash or Spirit Gauge-related Foresight Slash to evade meant I could keep attacking without completely retreating.

Likewise, the Gunlance still allowed me to approach situations more cautiously. I felt like I could take a hit, and reloading was never an issue when dealing heavy hits. I do think it would be better used in a group. Perhaps with the person in that role drawing ire and hits. This is because the new Wyvern Gauge and Wyrmstake Cannon really set a person who uses it up to stay stationary, prepare the charge of the Wyrmstake Full Blast or Multi Wyrmstake Full Blast, and then absolutely demolish a monster head-on. This is especially true for the Focus mode elements as, while I found it was still quite possible to take advantage of hitting wounds with it, the Long Sword was better at more swiftly attacking the enemy. 

But while using familiar equipment and seeing the improvements were absolutely a reason I enjoyed my early hours with Monster Hunter Wilds, the quality of life adjustments, environments, and monsters are what make me wish I didn’t need to wait about two months to play more. The Seikret and SOS Flare system were infinitely helpful in my situation, given time was at a premium and I was limited to solo hunts during the session. The former isn’t just a speedy way to explore the large environments. If I let it handle the steering, I could focus on gathering along the way or even some attacks on more minor prey on the way to my major hunt. It was easy to rein the bird in and take control, if I decided I wanted to be in charge of the journey, but also made it possible to scale certain areas to quickly give chase in a fight. With the SOS Flares, I was delighted to not only see the NPC Hunters were adept at their duties, but would comment on story quests and be folks I’d see in the campaign and around camp. 

As for locations, I was able to explore two. The Windward Plains were my primary haunt, due to it being near both my base camp and the nearby Kunafa Windsong Village I’d visit. During my first visits, it seemed like a typical desert. There were open expanses. I’d see herds of monsters. It was a bit barren. After a major storm, the season shifted to the Plenty, resulting in actual plains and a completely different vibe. It almost felt like a means of doubling the number of biomes in an instant. As for the Scarlet Forest, I only got to explore it during one season, but it was still striking to explore the environment. Especially since one of the missions involves allies noticing how some of the river in the area was red, and later learning exactly why that happened. 

Likewise, I only scratched the surface when it came to seeing what sorts of wildlife lives in the area. The Chatacabra is one of our first foes, and the use of its tongue during attacks made it one of the more interesting initial opponents to face in a game. Congalala is still a jerk, with its frequent farts throwing me off-guard and sometimes having a greater range than I’d expect. I was delighted to see the Quematrice actually turn out to be something of an early game threat when tackled solo, due to its frequent use of fire over an area when attacking. The Lala Barina ended up being a gorgeous spider that forced me to constantly be aware of my surroundings due to its paralyzing agents. It was also great to see the Doshaguma experience involve dealing with multiple foes and ensuring you get your single target to focus on you. And I loved seeing how Uth Duna took advantage of the heavy rain and watery conditions to make the fight trickier and force me to also deal with currents.  

I want to play more Monster Hunter Wilds. What I went through wasn’t enough, even though I did get to spend over five hours with it and experience many of the campaign quests twice. I want to see what monsters are capable of. I’d like to see more of the Forbidden Lands and how locations change during different seasons. I need to beat down more monsters to expand my wardrobe. I’m so impressed with what I’ve seen so far and can’t wait to experience more.

Monster Hunter Wilds will come to the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on February 28, 2025. People who pre-order get the Guild Knight Set layered armor and Hope Charm.