Well, we finally made it! I’ve genuinely been looking forward to Monster Hunter Wilds, and now I’ve finally started playing it. Wanted to share my first impressions. Maybe some of you are playing too (or planning to)? Let’s discuss!
The design really impressed me! The world is wild — in a good way. The landscapes are stunning: from deserts and jungles to volcanoes. The atmosphere pulls you in right away. The weather effects are incredibly well done — storms or sand veils can kick in during a hunt, adding a ton of immersion.
Combat feels even deeper and more refined. There are new mechanics, like a wound system that affects monster behavior — a very cool addition.
But yeah, there are some downsides. Performance… oof. Even with solid PC specs, I’ve experienced stuttering, FPS drops, and occasional crashes. From what I’ve seen on the forums, I’m definitely not alone. Some mechanics also seem a bit simplified — World veterans might feel a bit let down.
Reddit is buzzing: some are slamming the bugs, others are loving the lore and gameplay. Fingers crossed Capcom rolls out some patches soon.
I think last night I hit HR38 or so, so I have played it about 40 hours.
And I will start by saying this my first Monster Hunter. I have zero old baggage or knowledge coming in (other than trying Rise for maybe an hour because it was free on PSN+ and that not clicking at all).
Performance: I fortunately have a 120hz VRR OLED, so the 40fps mode on my PS5 is pretty solid. It feels good. No, I will not be taking questions from PC zealots at this time - though I do feel bad for you guys that it sounds like there are some issues there they need to resolve. On console it’s pretty solid.
The game: I’m really enjoying it. Like I said, I don’t have any prior experience really coming in, so it’s all new to me. And after what felt like climbing a sheer cliffside of learning curve to understand how to just play the game, I’m vibing with most all of it now. It was really hard to adjust my brain to think that Square is NOT the attack button, but rather Circle and Triangle. But once that clicked finally, I’m Charge Blading and Bug Lancing all over the place. It’s fun.
I’ve read some complaints here and there about the wound system, but I like it. I like doing cool moves in the middle of a fight for big damage.
The worst part of the game is playing with others. Once you get it working it’s fun to play with friends. But just getting to that point is awful. I’m reminded of that meme of the three dragon heads where the two, serious ones on the left are the graphics and gameplay, and the derpy one on the right is multiplayer. I shouldn’t have to look up online how to do what I’d assume is a simple thing: play with my friends. No one knows what a lobby is versus a link party versus an environment link party versus a squad…It’s all too much shit up front to learn and untangle. It took my brothers and I about an hour to set up a game the first time we tried. It’s madness.
But overall, I’m still enjoying this game. I don’t care that it’s “easier” like I hear from some people. It’s fun. My sword and shield turns into a chainsaw. I’m having a good time.