Monster Hunter Wilds

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Monster Hunter is a textbook example of how to develop a franchise from cult favourite to a mainstream action epic. Debuting on PS2 back in 2004, it found a niche on handheld consoles like PSP and Nintendo 3DS (where its satisfying gameplay loop of hunting, battling, and crafting was well-suited to bursts of portable play), and expanded into more traditional story-driven RPG territory with the Monster Hunter Stories spinoffs – all by way of a surprisingly fun Hollywood outing, of course. By the time of 2018's Monster Hunter World, it was a bona fide crossover hit – and impressively, Monster Hunter Wilds builds on just about everything its predecessor did right to craft the ultimate fantasy action RPG.

Wilds continues the mainline series' venture into ever-more story heavy territory, with a group of Hunters Guild explorers charting the Forbidden Lands. However, a casual recce takes a turn for the mysterious when they discover a young boy named Nata claiming to be from a lost civilisation known as the Keepers – a tribe thought to be a myth. As a newly promoted hunter (one you'll design with the most detailed character creator yet) it's up to you to guide Nata home to his people and uncover the truth behind the legendary White Wraith that he claims attacked them.

It's still not a deep narrative to rival the likes of, say, Baldur's Gate III but there's far more meat on the bone here than there used to be, elevated further by the expanded cast of characters joining you along the way. Whether it's your caring but stern partner Alma, cheery blacksmith Gemma, or desperate, uncertain Nata, there's a depth of personality to the cast here that Monster Hunter has never really achieved before.

Builds on just about everything its predecessor did right to craft the ultimate fantasy action RPG.

Another improvement for Wilds is how the notorious grind is less, well, grindy. It's not mitigated entirely – acquiring the materials for upgrading weapons and armour sometimes feels like trying to check off an infinite shopping list – but each hunt or battle to gather those materials feels important, rather than busywork to aid power creep. Tracking your quarry down continues to rely on learning about your environment, studying your prey, and learning how best to subdue them, but the drudgery inbetween is largely mitigated by the introduction of Seikrets – half-bird, half-lizard steeds akin to Final Fantasy's Chocobos, carrying you between areas and useful in combat along the way, allowing for speedy mounted attacks.

Combat may be the best in the series' history, too. It's speedy but tactical, as monsters can now be wounded, which you can then target to inflict massive damage. With over a dozen weapon types, from classic sword and shield loadouts to speedy daggers, slow but fiercely powerful hammers, or ranged weapons like bows or bowguns, there are countless ways to tailor the experience to your preferred playstyle, and varied further by the introduction of skills unique to weapon types. Best of all, a new dual-wielding approach means you're able to mix up your Hunter's build, allowing you to take two weapons on a hunt and freely swap between them – a huge improvement on previously being stuck with one loadout for an entire hunting mission. Plus, if a particular hunt is proving too tough, you have your trusty Palico – a feline helper – at your side, and can call on support from other online players with distress flares.

Wilds' UI still feels far too busy though, flooding the screen with maps, health and stamina bars, weapon durability, damage numbers, equipped items, and more. While some of this is useful – a reminder of controls or attack combos for your current weapon sets, for instance – a lot of it overwhelms, becoming visual noise. Having to flick through a host of radial menus and subscreens to switch ammo types or swap out quick-use items feels fiddly as well – it's all too easy in the midst of a hunt to forget how you access this thing or that function. Familiarity does come with time, but it never quite feels like second nature.

Those are small frustrations in the grand scheme of Monster Hunter Wilds, though. Capcom has crafted the finest outing for the series yet, a spectacularly well-realised ecosystem where the majestic, terrifying beasts who inhabit the Forbidden Lands are as awe-inspiring to observe in gorgeously realised habitats as they are thrilling to hunt. Wilds' greater emphasis on story is welcome – particularly for any players who want a sense of having "completed" a game that, in many ways, never really ends – but it's the refined combat that really makes this a landmark entry for the series.