It’s time for a brand new entry in Capcom’s Monster Hunter series, as Monster Hunter Wilds crashes its way onto PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC on Feb. 28. For returning players in the Monster Hunter series there’s a lot of new things to see in the Wilds, and for those new to the series then this game should make a good entry point. Hey, we even have a beginner’s guide if you’ve never touched a Monster Hunter game before!
Monster Hunter Wilds follows on from Monster Hunter World, an incredibly popular game that there’s a high chance you’ve played before if you’re here! Whether you’re a rookie hunter or a slaying legend, we’re going to detail exactly what’s new in Monster Hunter Wilds compared to Monster Hunter World. Get a snack, pet your trusty Palico and prepare to learn exactly what new surprises await in the unexplored depths of Monster Hunter Wilds compared to the luscious lands of Monster Hunter World!
Let’s start with the titular ‘wilds’ in Monster Hunter Wilds. There’s never been a bigger focus on the world we find ourselves in than in Monster Hunter Wilds, as the series departs from the explorable zones of Monster Hunter World and instead now has a seamless open world! The wilds of Monster Hunter Wilds are continuous, meaning it’s a real open world where you can go from one biome to the next, and even to the game’s hunter hub, without seeing a single loading screen. This is in-part thanks to the new engine the game runs on, transitioning to the RE Engine that Capcom developed for Resident Evil, which the studio is better equipped at developing and optimizing with compared to the old MT Framework engine.
The new seamless approach to world exploration also calls for a new way for the game to handle weather, and Monster Hunter Wilds is prepared for that too. The new dynamic weather systems will affect both gameplay and the behavior of monsters, as the explorable biomes that blend into each other cause weather interactions you’ll need to find ways to traverse yourself. You might be crossing an area and find yourself in a heavy rainstorm, and suddenly traversal will get a lot slippier, but monsters may also become more clumsy too. The severe weather can even sculpt the land to reveal or hide certain areas depending on what the ground looks like. It’s a big change from Monster Hunter World, which had beautiful explorable zones but the events within them were perhaps a little more static, compared to the climate and land interaction dynamics we’ll see in Monster Hunter Wilds.
It’s not a Monster Hunter game without monsters, and Monster Hunter Wilds is also re-imagining the way we get to engage with monsters in the series, both from the biggest baddies to our friendly companion Palicoes. The first and most obvious change from World is likely the enhanced ecosystem technology being put into Wilds, as minuscule details like vegetation patterns and monster distribution can even now be affected by monsters and hunters alike. Overhunting a specific species of monster may result in a rise in population of the monster it usually eats, and if that creature is a herbivore then the pattern of available vegetation may change as the rising numbers start to feast. It’s a system worthy of the title ‘Wilds’, unlike World where we see some interactions between monsters but not such huge ecosystem changes and reactive surges to our actions.
It’s not just the monsters and hunters that affect the ecosystem – even the flora you have can cause gameplay changes. You may choose to harvest a certain type of plant for its resources, but the spores it releases then attract different species of insect monsters, giving the hunter a new threat to deal with based on the seemingly harmless interaction with a plant. It really is an ecosystem we’re set to be playing with in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Whilst a lot of the monsters we’ll be fighting may be returning species from other games, we’re also in for plenty of encounters with brand-new monsters too that have never been seen before. From new leviathan monsters such as the snake-like desert-dwelling Balahara, to the frog-looking Chatacabra, and even to the absolutely horrifying beefed up mosquito-like beast Rompopolo. We’ll still see fan-favorite monsters such as the Rathian, Congalala, Rathalos and more returning from past games, including World, but the land of Monster Hunter Wilds seems more diverse than ever before.
Not every monster in Monster Hunter games are scary though – we have Palicoes for example! Our trusty cat-like companions have been with us for a while, and were pretty well implemented in Monster Hunter World. Now though, the Palico gets even better, as Palicoes are now able to communicate in your chosen game language. Yes, we can understand our pets! This will give us new interactions as we explore the world, and make playing solo feel a little less alone. It’ll probably be easier to bond with our Palico too, as we really only got a chance to engage with them during cutscenes in Monster Hunter World. If you don’t like that then don’t worry, you can set them to speak the Felyne language instead and just hear their meows.
There’s one more brand new friendly monster we need to mention, which is the Seikret! This new bird-like creature is the player’s new mount, something never seen in Monster Hunter World, but did appear with the dog-like Palamute in Monster Hunter Rise (currently not confirmed whether they’ll appear in Wilds in any capacity). The Seikret will have customizable colors and gear, and will be able to face the harshest weather conditions in the wild as you traverse and hunt. It’s a great addition to this next mainline Monster Hunter title to add mounts, and dare I say almost necessary given how large-scale the world will be compared to the easier to explore sections in Monster Hunter World. Plus, the Seikret looks like a chocobo from Final Fantasy, so bonus points for that!
That’s enough about everything new in the world of monsters though, what’s new for the player’s hunter in Monster Hunter Wilds compared to in World? Well, there’s a lot. Let’s start simple and just talk about armor – there’s always a lot of cosmetic sets in Monster Hunter games, and Monster Hunter World had a whole lot too. In Wilds though, players will actually now be able to craft and wear gear intended for any gender on any character, as the distinction between ‘male armor’ and ‘female armor’ has been removed. This is a simple change that goes a long way, as it means every player has more types of gear they can wear and new options when mixing and matching outfits!
Getting resources to craft will also be easier now, as the player’s Hook Slinger tool is able to grab and pull in items. This item was also featured in World, but it’s now got even more utility. You can still go and interact with plantlife if you choose to, but things will flow a lot better as you sprint through harsh terrain to just flick your slinger and pull in a flora resource to pack into your bag.
There’s an even bigger change being made to shake up the flow of things though and it’s one that Monster Hunter fans have wanted for a while – weapon switching. In Monster Hunter World, you set out on your expedition with one weapon, and had to keep it until you returned to camp. With the trusty Seikret companion of Wilds though, they will be able to hold an additional weapon for you, allowing you to run over to them and rapidly change your weapon in the moment. This will be massively helpful when out on the hunt for different kinds of monsters that have different ideal weapon types to attack. It will also allow players to try out new weapons easier, as it’s a lot less daunting to test out the weapon you want to learn when you have your preferred weapon of choice also following you, ready to switch if the going gets tough.
Speaking of tough fights, it’s never been easier to take down the toughest battles the game has to offer with friends, as Wilds will support cross-platform multiplayer! Monster Hunter World locked players to playing with others on the same platform, but Wilds allows players on all systems to interact and head out on a hunt together, giving you more friends to squad up with and not punishing those who prefer other platforms. This isn’t the first game to do it though; that credit goes to Monster Hunter Rise!
While you’re fighting with your friends, you can take advantage of the new focus mode feature, which lets you set your sights on damaged parts of a monster’s body to deal severe damage and cause wounds which can be exploited to speed up its defeat. The monsters may be smarter than before in Monster Hunter Wilds, but with more options to play with friends, more ways to deal damage and even more weapon options while on the hunt, it’s also never been more accessible to go on a particularly ambitious hunt.
And there it is! Everything new (that we know of!) that Monster Hunter Wilds will add to the series following on from the last mainline game Monster Hunter World. Whilst World was an incredible game in its own right, it seems like Capcom has really pushed to make Wilds an even more refined, focused and yet bigger experience. We can’t wait to get our hands on it, and based on the information we have we’d definitely recommend giving Wilds a go if you’re torn between the two most recent mainline games.
Will you be playing Monster Hunter Wilds when it launches on Feb. 28? Did our breakdown miss any big new features in Wilds? Let us know in the comments below, and keep your eyes on GameLuster for more breaking gaming news and Monster Hunter content!
