UNLEASHING THE BEAST: THE EVOLUTION AND ANTICIPATION OF MONSTER HUNTER WILDS

The crown jewel of Capcom’s gargantuan action RPG franchise, Monster Hunter has snowballed into a monster in its own right over the last two decades. The games in this series have recently expanded from sticking very rigidly to its original pillar of hunt-craft-repeat to dabbling in the domain of online multiplayer. Monster Hunter has now firmly established itself as a phenom – and it stands at the same level of fame as Capcom’s long-running horror series, Resident Your evil. It’s about to unveil the next decade of its long-lasting saga with Monster Hunter Wilds, but how is this newest instalment different from a host of other preceding entries, including competitors? Welcome to the wild world of Monster Hunter Wilds and find out how this game has the potential to change the genre.

BACK TO BASE-ICS: A NEW DAWN IN MONSTER HUNTING

As Capcom continues to put the final touches on a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC reveal of sorts, the Summer Game Fest 2024 was the ideal venue to give us an early look at Monster Hunter Wilds. Right away, it’s apparent that Capcom isn’t simply iterating, it’s innovating. We start at a base camp in the Windward Plains, where we meet Gemma the Smithy before getting ready for another normal monster hunt on the Alpha Doshaguma.

In many ways the experience of preparing at base camps has been overhauled, making crafting smoother and more intuitive. With a promised ‘village’ for each monster, a greater emphasis on world-building can be expected from Monster Hunter Wilds. The ability to ride mountable creatures, and a map that’s twice the size of any other game in the series (and without the use of loading screens) gives an indication of the game’s scope and how immersive the world will be.

ENGINE OF BEAUTY: THE RE ENGINE

But really, the aesthetic jump of Monster Hunter Wilds is on display in the sequence: the developer, Capcom, has put the RE Engine, used for creating the unbelievable photorealism of both recent Resident Evil titles and Street Fighter 6, to use on a grand scale: the character model detail, the occluded lighting, the environmental effects, that’s modern animation from start to finish. Each frame stands proudly as a sample of Capcom’s commitment to movie magic.

THE THRILL OF THE HUNT: TACTICAL EVOLUTION

The tactical elements of the gameplay were not just skin-deep. Hunting had a context beyond blasting and running. Players were rewarded for strategic thinking, whether by creating mobile camps or environmental traps for the monsters to trigger. They watched in the demo as someone used a grappling hook to drop rocks or vines on the heads of monsters already charged with rage, stunning them for just long enough to close in for an attack.

Those Monster Hunter Wilds creatures’ wound points are a reflection of Capcom trying to add realism and strategy to each battlefield. The dynamic weather effects add to this by making such fights unpredictable and requiring each hunt to be treated as its own unique challenge.

EMBRACING THE STORM: MULTIPLAYER AND BEYOND

The huge selling point of Monster Hunter Wilds is its transparent online multiplayer functionality: at one point the review describes how, after being left for dead by the huge Alpha Doshaguma, the player manages to send an SOS, calling in help from allies. The player can bring in up to four friends, which not only enhances the social element of the game, but allows the player to experience the huge degree of tactical variety that comes from having a choice of 14 different weapon types.

A REALM OF ABUNDANCE: THE AFTERMATH OF VICTORY

The ultimate stage of the hunt and handicraft loop comes when the beast is slain. In Monster Hunter Wilds, areas that have been made ‘Plentiful’ by winning a fight are seeded with resources, rewarding the player and reinforcing the loop of the game. This should help to elevate the sense of reward in revisiting old areas.

THE MONSTER AWAITS

In summary, Monster Hunter Wilds is poised to be a game-changing entry in the franchise. Its massive world, expanded combat mechanics, graphical beauty and improved multiplayer experience revolutionise what the series can do. With less than five years left until its release in 2025, the community buzzes with excitement. The Monster Hunter tale is only beginning to grow, and the adventurous spirit, friendship and monstrous hunt that it embodies.

ABOUT MONSTER

At the centre of the Monster Hunter series is the ‘monster’ – a creature whose qualities include challenge, mystery, the unknown. The monsters of this universe are not merely adversaries; they are a fundamental component of the Ecology, and the ultimate challenge for the clever hunter. And for Monster Hunter Wilds, which promises a new pantheon of monsters for hunters to encounter, the franchise’s game design pedigree looks set to be carried forward into a future of more brilliant, exciting encounters between hunter and monster in a dynamic, richly detailed world. Here comes the monster, and the adventure.