Monster Hunter Wilds: A Beastly Ballet of Bugs and Battles

When monster hunting meets a tech support hotline

Launch Day Larry

Monster Hunter Wilds is here, and it’s as if the developers decided to throw a party where the monsters are the guests of honor, and the players are the bewildered hosts trying to keep up. With a mix of exhilarating combat and a story that tries to be the life of the party, Wilds is a game that promises a lot but sometimes delivers like a pizza with half the toppings missing.

Gameplay: A Frenzy of Fun and Frustration

Monster Hunter Wilds offers a gameplay experience that feels like a rollercoaster ride through a jungle gym. The fast-paced action and intricate mechanics are a thrill for those who can keep up, but newcomers might feel like they’re trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube while riding a unicycle. The variety of weapons is a definite highlight, offering players a buffet of choices to slice and dice their way through the wilderness. However, remembering all those weapon combos might require a memory palace or two.

The controls, on the other hand, seem to have been designed by someone who thought “intuitive” was a type of pasta. The CTRL radial menu is a nightmare to navigate, especially when you’re in the heat of battle and need to switch projectile types faster than you can say “monster mash.” And let’s not even talk about the control customization—or lack thereof. It’s like trying to play a piano with oven mitts on.

Performance-wise, Wilds demands a high-performance machine, and even then, it might just decide to take a nap mid-game. The game runs about as smoothly on a Steam Deck as a hippo on a tightrope, with graphical settings adjustments doing little to help. But when it works, the combat is crisp, and hitting monsters feels as satisfying as finding a forgotten chocolate bar in your pocket.

Graphics: A Visual Feast or a Pixelated Porridge?

The graphics in Monster Hunter Wilds are a bit like a magic eye picture—some people see a masterpiece, while others just see a mess. On high-end systems, the game can look stunning, with detailed environments and dynamic effects that make you feel like you’re really there, dodging monster claws and sandstorms. But for many, the experience is marred by texture pop-ins and graphical glitches that make the game look like it was rendered on a potato.

The performance issues are particularly frustrating, with frame rates that fluctuate more than a caffeinated squirrel. Even on high-end hardware, players report latency spikes and flickering that make the game feel like it’s having an existential crisis. It’s a shame because when the graphics do work, they add a layer of immersion that makes the monster hunting experience truly epic.

Story: A Tale of Two Narratives

The story in Monster Hunter Wilds is a bit like a choose-your-own-adventure book where the pages are stuck together. On one hand, it ties into the broader Monster Hunter lore, providing enough intrigue to keep players engaged as they protect the wilderness and uncover its mysteries. The progression system is rewarding, with a variety of armor sets and crafting materials that make the gameplay loop satisfying.

However, the story is also criticized for its excessive cutscenes and handholding, which can make players feel like they’re on a guided tour rather than an epic adventure. The frequent NPC interactions and forced paths can be as welcome as a mosquito at a picnic, detracting from the core monster hunting experience. While some players appreciate the immersive storytelling, others find it to be an unnecessary distraction from the action.

Final Verdict

Monster Hunter Wilds is a game that promises a thrilling monster hunting experience but is held back by technical issues and a story that sometimes overstays its welcome. The combat is exhilarating, and the world is rich with potential, but the performance problems and control frustrations can make it feel like you’re wrestling with the game as much as the monsters. For those willing to brave the bugs and wait for patches, Wilds offers a glimpse of greatness. For everyone else, it might be worth waiting for a sale—or a miracle.

Score: 6.5/10