I ’ve always seen Monster Hunter as a cinematic biz , though perhaps not in the path that many gamers picture when they get a line the intelligence . I ’m not talking about big - budget cutscenes . Rather , spectacle is baked into its reality . There ’s no greater chill than watching on as the titanic brute I ’m chase after suddenly gets attacked by another creature . It ’s like watching a kaiju engagement unfold organically .
WithMonster Hunter Wilds , though , Capcom is upping the ante . In a 90 - minute demonstration , I played through the forthcoming action RPG ’s first two missions . They were received hunts against towering brute , but something was unlike this time . A larger emphasis on exhilarate cutscenes and cinematic set pieces took center level between my normal hacking and slashing . That makes for a sequel that takes Monster Hunter to the next layer , unlock its blockbuster potency .
More cinematic
When my demo begins , I ’m sailing on an sea of sand with a gang of ragtag characters . After getting briefed on a monster in the expanse , the dread White Wraithe , I ’m treated to an action - packed succession . I see sandworms trail a fictional character in the distance , as if I ’m watching a picture out ofDune . My submarine sandwich leaps from the side of the ship and state on a Seikret and gives chase . As I gain control of my character , I ’m dead in a chase sequence . Worms leap around me , and I have to knock them off my trail with my slingshot . It ’s positively dazzle .
Immediately , I think back to2020’sMonster Hunterfilm version . There are some similarity that stand up out off the bat — especially the desert mount . Part of me admiration ifWildswas in the beginning plan alongside that film , as if they were meant to create continuity between one another . I can suppose Capcom thinking the badly received film may have had a hazard to onboard players onto its next major release .
Thankfully , the comparison terminate there . The demonstration I played quickly throw me into conversant territory as I was task with hunt down down a Chatacbra , a frog - like brute . I fit an insect glaive and quickly yield chase across the desert sands until I see it hang out in a wet cave . The slicing and dicing start .
Despite big - budget set dressing , Monster Hunter Wildsretains the series ’ basics . Beasts are gargantuan legal injury sponges that are meant to be break away down over firmly - fought battles . The more I slashed , the more I exposed wounds in my prey . Those are represented as red gashes on its effected limbs . While I ca n’t lock on to them , holding the PlayStation 5 DualSense ’s pull up stakes trigger allow me to focus the direction I ’m slashing in . By pointing myself toward a attenuated hind leg , I ’m eventually able-bodied to get it off balance and start wailing on its head as it tries to convalesce . After four moment of battling , I slay my foe and carve its part .
In my second seeking , I ’m tasked with hunting down a furry Alpha Doshaguma . I leave my Greenwich Village on the back of my Seikret and leap around some twisted natural architecture to make my style to the ground . I regain the teachable beast hanging in a pack , with two others sit around at its side . To insulate my search , I load a wad of muck into my slingshot and let it rive . The plurality scatter and I start slice , this meter with my warm dual blades .
The cringle of the fight is the same , but I start to have some of the ways thatWildsbrings spectacle into its moment - to - moment gameplay . The conflict happens as an enormous lightning violent storm takes place overhead . I ’m dodging its massive onrush while bolt of lightning zap down next to me . When it tries to elude , I jump onto my mount and fire a flare gun into the sky to summon nearby hunters to aid me . Both are heart - pumping ikon that bring more Adrenalin to fight .
I see a few more mo like that when I ’m freely exploring the open - world . I get into a battle with a sandworm at some stage , which snake its way onto a bony overhang and attacks from above . Later , I affiance an tremendous winged beast hang out on a sand sand dune . When it fly off , I tail it to a little pool , where it bewilder into a free-for-all with a crocodile - comparable monster — and completely eviscerates it . Moments like that makeWildsfeel less mechanically skillful , delivering the same excitement that ’s in its showy cutscenes .
High-level hunting
This would be the part where you might expect me to talk about how much more reachable that loop is than previous games ( a chorus that tend to pop up anytime there ’s a novel Monster Hunter release ) . That ’s not the case here . WhileMonster Hunter Risemade for an easy onboarding point , Wildsthrows players into the deep oddment . I ’m frantically scroll through stellate fare as I seek for my cock and pick up the complexity of the insect glaive on the fly . It ’s as hardcore as Monster Hunter stimulate , which make it feel like a game for vet compared toRise .
While it aim me some clock time to get the hang of its system - heavy gameplay , I get back on the saddle quickly . That allow me focus my tending on trying as many weapons as possible . This metre , players can equip two unlike weapons at a clip . During one outing , I meld my dual blades with a sound bowgun . In another , I equipped a majuscule swords and fishgig . Anytime I was on my mount , I could press right on the D - pad to deepen which one I brought into fight . That break up the monotony of fights , as I discover myself swap my train anytime I had to give chase as a beast escaped .
As for combat itself , you should lie with what you ’re getting into if you ’re used to Monster Hunter . Large weapon like majuscule swords are slow and lumbering , call for players to commit to every single smasher . two-fold blades are agile by comparison , but only do a few points of damage on each separatrix . It ’s not a game series know for its libertine and jaunty battles , and that carry through here as I slowly slice beasts up with standard attack , ethereal hits , and specials .
Though it ’s a very high - level Monster Hunter game in that sense , I get the feeling that it ’ll be easy for starter to latch onto in other ways . Its more cinematic approach makes it sense like a familiar experience . Itsopen - earthly concern designfeels more release to explore too , as I ’m no longer booted back to my camp once I defeat a monster . My reward pop up on the side of the screen and I ’m free to keep die hard around . Tweaks like that bring it more in short letter with modern games without giving up what makes Monster Hunter so exceptional .
I ’ll want to pass more time with it to see howcreative its devil getand get the nuances of each arm down , but the outlook is great . Monster Hunter Wildsfeels like a thrilling new chapter full of in high spirits - octane second that work the serial ’ instinctive excitement to surface . We could be in for one of 2025 ’s biggest hits if the full game capitalizes on what I ’ve seen in just 90 minutes of play .
Monster Hunter Wildslaunches in 2025 for PS5 , Xbox Series X / S , and personal computer .
