Watching the credits roll on Monster Hunter Wilds after twenty something hours, I had a sudden realisation. Apart from one completely avoidable KO (I forgot to pause the game while answering the door), I had managed to blitz my way through the game without failing a single quest.
It got me thinking, is Monster Hunter Wilds too easy?For context, I barreled my way through all the main quests, engaging in as little side content as possible, and only started upgraded my weapons and armour during the game’s final act.
Even then, I wasn’t paying any particular attention to my loadout, slapping together a patchwork of different armour sets and only caring about the overall defence rating.The reason for this wasn’t for lack of caring – Wilds offers a huge amount of customisation and scope for build optimisation – but as with Monster Hunter Rise, there was little incentive to fuss over armour until reaching the endgame, mainly focusing on weapon crafting and making sure I had a small arsenal that could exploit any elemental weaknesses.I wouldn’t accuse Monster Hunter Wilds of aggressive hand-holding, though there are plenty of revised features and mechanics that make it by far the most streamlined and accessible games in the series to date.
With its shift towards a seamless open world (instead of travelling between self-contained biomes) there’s been a shift away from making meticulously pre-hunt preparations.
Whether stocking up on items, swapping weapons, or even cooking a succulent meal, this can all be done in the press of a few buttons, no matter where you are.The Seikret – your new bird-like mount – also helps to greatly simplify the core gameplay loop.