Monster Hunter Wilds is finally arriving early next year, and it looks to be the most approachable entry in the series yet. The latest entry from Capcom keeps much of the same DNA as previous titles, while also adding in a host of new features, monsters, and quality of life improvements to make things enjoyable to both newcomers and franchise veterans. Recently, Screen Rant traveled to Osaka to go hands-on with Monster Hunter Wilds at Capcom’s offices, spending about five hours total with the new game.

I’m not someone who has a particularly deep history prior to this trip when it comes to the Monster Hunter series. Besides playing a bit of World, I’d never spent much time with the games - I’d always liked the open world and crafting aspects, but have never been great at games with drawn-out boss battles. However, as soon as I stepped into my first battle in Monster Hunter Wilds, my concerns were put at ease, as there are several new additions that seem designed for people like me, who are a bit late getting into the franchise.

So as not to spoil too much for future players, I won’t delve too much into the bits of the game’s story I experienced during my preview. However, it’s clear that Wilds takes a much stronger narrative approach than previous entries, focusing more on the world’s inhabitants and featuring numerous cutscenes with interactive dialogue from the Hunter themselves. Most of the storyline I experienced had to do with an expedition searching The Forbidden Lands - a monster-ridden area one thought to be deserted - for a lost group called The Keepers, and a mysterious creature called The White Wraith.

Exploring The Forbidden Lands

Crossing The Vast In-Game Map Has Never Been Easier

Just like the games before it, the Monster Hunter Wilds map is absolutely massive. While I didn’t get to experience the whole thing during my preview, I did get a glimpse at several different biomes, like the lush Scarlet Forest, vast, rock formation-filled Windward Plains, and a desert filled with slippery sand dunes. Similar to the Palamutes of Monster Hunter Rise, players can now mount Seikrets, a sort of bird-like bipedal wyvern that’s new to the series.

These creatures can be set to auto-navigate to mission points or monsters, which is incredibly helpful for venturing across long distances. During my hands-on time, the Seikret occasionally veered off in the wrong direction at first, but it did autocorrect after bumping into obstacles and overall worked well as transportation. Its innovative routing was particularly evident in areas with rocky outcrops, which my Seikret deftly maneuvered with a series of quick jumps instead of taking the much longer route that was at ground level.

Seikrets are also useful outside the autopilot, one of their biggest features being allowing the player to finally carry a second weapon. This means Hunters can readjust their strategy mid-fight by momentarily mounting their creature and switching, which can really help turn the tide of a tricky battle, and they can also utilize special mounted attacks from their Seikret. The Slinger tool has also returned and is more helpful than ever, letting players harvest resources while in motion atop their Seikret as well as do things like pull down loose rocks and activate traps against monsters.

Base camps serve as a hub for players in between hunts. Here they can do things like craft weapons and armor at the Smithy for them and their Palico, refill their pouch with potions and ammo, and cook and eat meals that provide temporary stat boosts before heading back out into the Forbidden Lands. They can also practice with new weapons at a special training area to get a better grasp on combos and general handling before attempting to use them in a fight.

The Tools Of The Monster Hunting Trade

There Are 14 Different Ways To Slay In Monster Hunter Wilds

Monster Hunter Wilds keeps the same set of 14 weapons seen previously: great sword, hammer, dual blades, sword and shield, long sword, bow, heavy bowgun, light bowgun, insect glaive, charge blade, switch axe, gunlance, lance, and hunting horn. Though the list remains the same, many weapons have changed in Monster Hunter Wilds, like the addition of Rapid Fire Mode to the light bowgun and an updated Demon Dance combo set for dual blades. However, the biggest universal change to combat is the addition of Wounds and Focus Mode.

Wounds are special injuries that appear on monsters as they take damage, which show up as red marks when viewed in Focus Mode. When a Wound is targeted again and destroyed, it does a significant amount of damage to the creature. These changes were undoubtedly what helped me the most during my playthrough, making it much easier to have an overall strategy even against very strong monsters. In my time with the title, I mostly used the light bowgun and dual blades, adjusting as needed with my Seikret for fights that were more suited to ranged or melee weaponry.

Of the two, I had a slight preference for the light bowgun, as it offered a myriad of different ammo types that were useful against different creatures, like the debuff-centric Flaming and Exhaust arrows, or Spread ammo, which allows for a greater range of hits across the monster’s body. This weapon also made it easier to hit Wounds accurately compared to up-close dual blades, offering better accuracy for awkwardly placed injuries. As players harvest resources from monsters and the Forbidden Lands, they can also improve weapons at the Smithy, upping their damage potential.

Pieces harvested from monsters in Wilds can also be used for crafting armor at the Smithy for both the Hunter and their Palico. Each set comes with two aesthetic options for each piece, like headgear and body armor, while retaining the same stats, and are no longer restricted by the player’s gender. These can be a huge help, upping defense and different elemental resistances. Hunters can also now receive even more assistance via flares during battle - a feature that’s available even offline. A flare will summon NPC Hunters to aid in battle, which is especially useful for monsters in packs.

The Monsters Of The Forbidden Lands & Final Thoughts On Wilds

Lots Of New, Fierce Foes To Hunt Across Varied Biomes

During my approximately five hours with the title, I was able to experience seven different main monster encounters, all except one of which were new to this entry in the franchise. A few of these fights - the reptilian Chatacabra and bear-like Doshaguma - will be familiar to some players, as they’re included in the Monster Hunter Wilds beta. The ape-hippo hybrid Congalala was the one returning monster, armed with the same noxious gas and flying dung long-time players will be familiar with, and a group of smaller Congas also came to aid in the fight, upping the overall difficulty.

My other encounters included the Quematrice, a chicken-like monster with fiery breath and devastating tail swipe, Lala Barina, a furry spider with paralyzing poison, the Balahara, a rocky snake-like monster that spits mud and can bury itself under the sand, and the Uth Duna, a fishy monster that only comes out in the rain that’s capable of harsh water attacks. The personal standout to me was the Lala Barina, only partially due to my arachnophobia. However, it was also oddly beautiful - its poison attack takes the form of falling red flowers, and its web-filled lair, albeit creepy, was quite awe-inspiring.

My five hours with the game honestly flew by, and I found myself much more invested than I initially expected to be.

Fights all had different strategies that worked best for them, and each monster felt varied and unique in its move sets and strengths. Some fights, like the Doshaguma, were focused on taking out the alpha of a pack, while others necessitated several Seikret rides across the map as the monster fled to different locales. At the end of the preview, I was left very impressed by the wide array of ecology and creatures I encountered, as well as deeply curious about what other monsters await as the narrative continues.

Between the new Focus Mode and Wounds systems and the myriad of different weapons players have at their disposal, the title presents many different ways in which each hunt can be approached. My five hours with the game honestly flew by, and I found myself much more invested than I initially expected to be. With its stronger narrative and more approachable fights, Monster Hunter Wilds felt incredibly easy to jump into right from the beginning, despite my lack of experience with the series - it might just be the most accessible entry yet.

Screen Rant attended a special hands-on event for the purpose of this preview.

Source: Capcom USA/YouTube