By all standards, I’m pretty fresh to the Monster Hunter franchise. For years, I shied away from diving into the series mainly because the games were stuck on handheld consoles that didn’t interest me, plus they seemed to have performance issues.
Monster Hunter World was my gateway—my first real encounter—and it swept me off my feet. I’m a full-fledged fan now. As I type this, I’ve logged over two dozen hours into Wilds, focusing on the main campaign before dabbling in side quests. Truth be told, the experience was quite underwhelming.
The campaigns in Monster Hunter aren’t celebrated for their storytelling prowess or intricate plots. They mainly serve as comprehensive guides through the myriad systems and mechanics you’ll need as you clock over 100 hours in the game. Structurally, they act as a showcase for the game’s diverse roster of beasts.
The formula is familiar: your group sets out to track a mysterious creature causing disturbances across various regions. Along the way, you’re sidetracked by other monsters until you unravel what’s behind your primary target’s activities. You engage in a grand battle with the big guy, wrap up the campaign, and then transition to High Rank, where the real Monster Hunter experience begins.
In essence, that’s what Wilds’ campaign tries to offer, paralleling what worked in World. However, while World’s campaign captivated me, Wilds just doesn’t hit the mark. It’s in the missing nuances where one delivers an intriguing adventure, and the other barely leaves an impression.
World’s storyline was compelling due to its epic narrative arc involving Zorah Magdaros, a monster of immense proportions requiring a village of hunters to merely impede its progress. This creature was massive enough to host multiple battles on its back.
This was clearly an ambitious move by the developers, introducing an entirely new kind of battle experience to Monster Hunter. Not everyone appreciated it, though. Battling Zorah meant engaging in activities unlike the typical Monster Hunter gameplay: building ramparts, manning cannons, and more.
Yet, I enjoyed those segments precisely for shaking up the pacing. Zorah’s journey advanced the storyline, providing new regions of the map to explore and revealing its impact on local ecosystems. The narrative remained mysterious until the very end, maintaining a sense of urgency and suspense.
Now, let’s contrast that with Wilds. The campaign lacks a Zorah-like figure, a looming threat. Arkveld, the centerpiece monster, makes sporadic appearances without clear explanation, often disappearing for extended stretches. It doesn’t even serve as the final boss—that slot belongs to a giant introduced just one mission before the campaign climax.
There’s no grand unifying force or collaboration to counteract a common threat here. Some monster encounters feel shoehorned, as if Capcom had no better introduction for them than to thrust them directly into your path.
It seems as though a connecting thread among the different character camps might have existed at some point but was ultimately discarded. Conversations with NPCs and a few cinematic dialogues hint at a deeper narrative but leave many questions dangling.
The backstory involving ancient technology gone awry is intriguing but feels more suited to a lore book than a pivotal campaign element.
What stands out about the Wilds campaign mirrors some of the game’s broader issues. It sacrifices much of its charm, smoothing edges in a bid for accessibility. However, I’m unsure if those were the aspects in need of adjustment.
As players delve into Wilds’ full breadth, its wins and shortcomings will likely overshadow the campaign itself. Still, I can’t help but wonder what a genuine sequel to World’s campaign might have brought to the table.
