Fans Work Out Why Monster Hunter Wilds Feels So Weird and Weightless in PS5 Beta | Push Square

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If you've spent a lot of time with past Monster Hunter titles, then you'll probably agree that Monster Hunter Wilds feels a bit… off. At least, it did in the open beta, which was live across the weekend on PS5 and PC.

Almost straight away, experienced players noticed that the series' trademark combat — unapologetically hefty and deeply satisfying — wasn't hitting in quite the same way. Attacks felt comparatively weightless, and there was a general lack of oomph. The kind of thing that's hard to explain.

It's wild

Thankfully, fans seem to have got to the bottom of this potential problem. As detailed in a great little video from @Axelayer, Wilds seems to have all but abandoned 'hitstop' — an animation technique that tends to emphasise attack impact.

Hitstop is used across all kinds of games, but it's always been especially prevalent in Monster Hunter, adding a satisfyingly weighty feel to your heaviest blows. But for whatever reason, it's been massively toned down in Wilds, which explains why veteran players are experiencing a discrepancy.

Having spent hundreds of hours in Monster Hunter World, we noticed the difference as well. There's no doubt that Wilds is missing something within its core gameplay — and this apparent lack of hitstop is probably a big part of it.

Here's hoping that Capcom adjusts things ahead of the game's February 2025 release date.

Did you play the Monster Hunter Wilds beta? Demand the return of hitstop in the comments section below.

Robert (or Rob if you're lazy) is an assistant editor of Push Square, and has been a fan of PlayStation since the 90s, when Tekken 2 introduced him to the incredible world of video games. He still takes his fighting games seriously, but RPGs are his true passion. The Witcher, Persona, Dragon Quest, Mass Effect, Final Fantasy, Trails, Tales — he's played 'em all. A little too much, some might say.

Irregardlessly so, it's gonna be a top-notch gem of a monster hunter game