Being relatively new to the Monster Hunter series, I avoided diving into these games for years since they were mostly available on handheld consoles that didn’t appeal to me. Plus, honestly, the games didn’t seem to perform well. Everything changed with Monster Hunter World, which was my gateway into this universe and captivated me from the get-go. Now, with over two dozen hours under my belt playing Wilds, I decided to focus on the main campaign, pushing aside the tempting sidequests for later. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a letdown.
No one dives into a Monster Hunter campaign expecting grand narratives or intricate plots. They’re typically built to guide players through an ocean of systems and mechanics that the next 100+ hours will depend on, serving almost like a scenic tour of each game’s ecosystem. The structure is pretty straightforward: your squad is on the hunt for an enigmatic monster causing havoc in various regions. Along the way, you battle several interruptions from other creatures until, eventually, you face the big guy, defeat it, and start the real challenge with High Rank quests.
This general framework is present in Wilds as it was in World, but the finer points are what differentiate the campaigns—and here, those details make all the difference between an engaging experience and one that feels underwhelming.
World’s campaign had a captivating drive. The introduction of Zorah Magdaros—a gigantic new type of monster—was a triumph in itself. This colossal beast was so massive that it took an entire village just to slow it down, large enough to host battles with multiple monsters on its back. Clearly, this was an ambitious leap for the developers, aiming to bring something fresh and monumental to the Monster Hunter series. However, not everyone loved it. The Zorah Magdaros encounters required setting up intricate fortifications, loading cannons, and other tasks far removed from typical monster hunting.
Even so, I found these sections enjoyable precisely because they deviated from the norm. Zorah’s unique fights broke up the usual monster-hunting routine nicely, while advancing the storyline compellingly. Each movement of Zorah through the game world unlocked new areas for exploration, revealing the impact of its presence on local ecosystems. Though the real motive behind Zorah’s journey remained a mystery for most of the campaign, chasing it down added urgency and intrigue to the narrative.
In stark contrast, the campaign in Wilds lacks a creature like Zorah. Arkveld, the flagship monster, appears here and there to bewilder the characters and then vanishes for long stretches. It’s not even the final boss—that title goes to a slumbering giant you’re only informed about shortly before facing it.
The absence of a unifying menace means we don’t see disparate groups rallying to confront a shared peril. Some monster introductions in Wilds seem poorly timed, appearing out of nowhere in missions without much context, leaving you abruptly thrust into combat.
There’s a nagging sense that some cohesiveness among the game’s factions and characters was intended but never quite realized. Hints in NPC dialogues and cutscene snippets suggest untapped narratives that remain vague and unresolved.
Even the subplot about the ancient civilization, which led to its downfall through weather-controlling technology, feels disjointed. It unravels in scattered cutscenes that would probably feel more at home in a detailed lorebook.
Overall, the Wilds campaign embodies several issues found within the core game. It strips away some of the series’ enchanting elements, smoothing over rough patches in an attempt to be more accessible, though I’m not convinced these adjustments hit the mark.
As the game’s various strengths and weaknesses become clearer, the Wilds campaign might largely fade from memory. Yet, I can’t help but wonder what a true sequel to World’s campaign might have offered in terms of depth and adventure.
