For context, I’ve played most of the MH games, so I have solid experience with the series. I’ll mainly compare Wilds to World/Iceborne for obvious reasons. And I didn't experienced any major bug, only minors ones.

---

The positive side.

The level of detail in Wilds is absolutely stunning. From the way monsters interact with their environment to the lifelike animations of NPCs and even our own character’s movement. The dynamic weather systems, the way wildlife behaves naturally, and the subtle details in the world make it feel truly alive. It’s clear a lot of love and effort went into building this ecosystem.

The AI improvements are another big highlight. Playing with AI Hunters feels surprisingly natural, they’re actually competent and react well in combat. However, I do wish there was a way to letting them know we want to capture a monster rather than killing it outright.

The combat is nicer than ever. Despite my issues with the wound system, the flow of battle feels fantastic. Yet, I have some remarks (see below).

And, as usual, Capcom has outdone themselves with the soundtrack.

I like the dynamics between NPCs (returning ones !), the variety of personalities, and the small side quests. It made the world feel more engaging.

As for the main story, I just wish there were more tense moments. We know the Hunter is too badass to be truly taken down. In World, our character had moments of weakness, taking blows or just struggling. It made them more relatable, while still maintaining the status of being THE Hunter. The scene with Jin Dahaad had me hooked, until it didn’t when the Hunter walked away with Seikret. On the other hand, I enjoyed the Hunter being caught off guard by Xu Wu and needing their Palico to save them.

Wilds has some nice throwback lore (Wyveria/Ancient Civilisations, Zoh Shia and Fatalis relation and ties a little bit the in-universe lore but still keep some mysteries. I appreciated that we get the occasional glimpse into the Hunter’s past through scattered fragments (and we need more of that). "By my own order" : it sparked some fun theories about the Hunter identity. It suggests they are able to override Alma authority or maybe the situation is just that serious : non-negotiable and not something anyone would argue with.

---

The negative side.

My biggest issues with the game is that it takes away the feeling of being a hunter. Now, it feels more like Monster Fighter than Monster Hunter. Capcom has done an incredible job with Wilds’ world-building, but ironically, we barely interact with it. The sense of learning and memorising it has been replaced by automation, making the hunting experience feel passive rather than immersive.

I have a love-hate relationship with Seikret 'Scoutflies 2.0". They automates too much of the experience, turning hunts into following a GPS instead of tracking your prey. Yes, you can switch Seikret to manual mode, but that’s not the issue. The issue is that whatever the mode, you still see all the monsters showing on your map. The game itself is designed to guide you rather than let you lead, and that’s what takes away the sense of discovery.

In MHW/MHWI, tracking was an actual part of the hunt. You had to gather enough clues before you could pinpoint a monster’s location. The Scoutflies helped, but they didn’t just magically know where the monster was. They required player effort first, since monsters didn’t even appear on your map. And even then, they weren’t 100% reliable, sometimes leading you the wrong way. It was frustrating, sure, but it added to the feeling of exploration.

In older MH, we had items to help, but their effects were temporary. Sometimes, Chacha/Kayamba would point you in the right direction. Or, if you were experienced enough, you simply memorised monster patterns or items locations.

Iceborne introduced mounts, but it was a late addition and couldn’t take shortcuts, so you still had to learn the map to go quicker. Rise had the Palamute, but you had to navigate yourself. I actually like having Mounts. But they shouldn’t streamline the hunting experience so much that it removes the challenge of learning the world and tracking your prey. Instead of making it more engaging, Capcom has cut that aspect entirely.

The second issue for me is with the wound system. I’m having a great time with the combat, but I feel like the wound system makes fights way too easy. The monsters themselves aren’t badly designed. In fact, the fights are dynamic, fun and very visual.

For those who thought wall slams in Iceborne were overpowered, the wound system in Wilds is worse. It’s almost a guaranteed flinch or knockdown. Depending on your weapon, the monster will stop mid-attack, allowing you to land a focus strike, and only then does it flinch or fall. At least with wall slams, you couldn’t spam them constantly, they depended on some conditions, and sometimes failed because of the wrong item (we’ve all been there 😂). Once a monster was enraged, it would ignore attempts entirely. Yes, wounds can’t reappear on the same body part twice, but monsters have so many woundable spots that it sometimes lock the monster out of the fight. This, combined with the insane build up of para..

Another issue I’m struggling with is the rework of the deco system. We don't have the freedom of choice anymore and are now split between weapon and armour slots. I get that this is likely to prevent stacking the same jewels everywhere, it just feels restrictive. Depending on your weapon pairing, you might have a good fit for one weapon but not the other. It takes away some of the experimentation that made making builds enjoyable. On top of that, some skills feel pointless, or at least, I can’t see their practical use (i.e Cliffhanger).

Now, the UI. How we did end up like this ? I really wish there was an option to mute the constant flow of notifications, or at the least, be non-interactive since we can’t do anything until they stop popping up. The item pouch full warning is annoying. Why they just send it to the stash ? We are still have with the same issue World had at launch. It’s funny how QoL from older games just vanish.

I play Iceborne while waiting for the TU, and something has me brainscrambled. For some reason, browsing/using items or sheathing is way faster in MHI than Wilds. Can't recall if that was the case with base World.

Multiplayer is also overcomplicated, with different party instances that make co-op more confusing than it should be. I’m not a game developer, but If MMOs can sync players in massive worlds, can’t we just go out and sync everyone to the leader’s game automatically ? Thus skipping an extra step. Most people sit in their squad lobbies to play with friends or search for SOS Flare quests.

---

I really want to love Wilds. In many ways, I do, and I will continue to play it. The game is visually stunning, the combat feels fluid, and the world is rich with detail. But at the same time, I can’t shake the feeling that something is missing. It streamlined some aspects (hunting), but overcomplicated others (UI, multiplayer). Sadly, it sometimes feels like the team spent so much time making the world feel alive that they overlooked some of the core gameplay elements. The story feels a bit uneven, with the first half being enjoyable, but the second lacking impact and not coming together.

Putting that aside, at only 40 hours in, I’m feeling a bit bored, not from hunting, but just there is not enough challenge, even at 7-8* monsters and I don't have a finished build. I can’t recall feeling this way with World’s base game or older.

If I had to recommand the game, just come back in a few months, when the game is patched and have some TU behind.

For context, I’ve played most of the MH games, so I have solid experience with the series. I’ll mainly compare Wilds to World/Iceborne for obvious reasons. And I didn't experienced any major bug, only minors ones. --- The positive side. The level of detail in Wilds is absolutely stunning. From the way monsters interact with their environment to the lifelike animations of NPCs and even our own character’s movement. The dynamic weather systems, the way wildlife behaves naturally, and the subtle details in the world make it feel truly alive. It’s clear a lot of love and effort went into building this ecosystem. The AI improvements are another big highlight. Playing with AI Hunters feels surprisingly natural, they’re actually competent and react well in combat. However, I do wish there was a way to letting them know we want to capture a monster rather than killing it outright. The combat is nicer than ever. Despite my issues with the wound system, the flow of battle feels fantastic. Yet, I have some remarks (see below). And, as usual, Capcom has outdone themselves with the soundtrack. I like the dynamics between NPCs (returning ones !), the variety of personalities, and the small side quests. It made the world feel more engaging. As for the main story, I just wish there were more tense moments. We know the Hunter is too badass to be truly taken down. In World, our character had moments of weakness, taking blows or just struggling. It made them more relatable, while still maintaining the status of being THE Hunter. [spoiler]The scene with Jin Dahaad had me hooked, until it didn’t when the Hunter walked away with Seikret. On the other hand, I enjoyed the Hunter being caught off guard by Xu Wu and needing their Palico to save them.[/spoiler] Wilds has some nice throwback lore [Spoiler](Wyveria/Ancient Civilisations, Zoh Shia and Fatalis relation[/Spoiler] and ties a little bit the in-universe lore but still keep some mysteries. I appreciated that we get the occasional glimpse into the Hunter’s past through scattered fragments (and we need more of that). [spoiler]"By my own order" : it sparked some fun theories about the Hunter identity. It suggests they are able to override Alma authority or maybe the situation is just that serious : non-negotiable and not something anyone would argue with.[/spoiler] --- The negative side. My biggest issues with the game is that it takes away the feeling of being a hunter. Now, it feels more like Monster Fighter than Monster Hunter. Capcom has done an incredible job with Wilds’ world-building, but ironically, we barely interact with it. The sense of learning and memorising it has been replaced by automation, making the hunting experience feel passive rather than immersive. I have a love-hate relationship with Seikret 'Scoutflies 2.0". They automates too much of the experience, turning hunts into following a GPS instead of tracking your prey. Yes, you can switch Seikret to manual mode, but that’s not the issue. The issue is that whatever the mode, you still see all the monsters showing on your map. The game itself is designed to guide you rather than let you lead, and that’s what takes away the sense of discovery. In MHW/MHWI, tracking was an actual part of the hunt. You had to gather enough clues before you could pinpoint a monster’s location. The Scoutflies helped, but they didn’t just magically know where the monster was. They required player effort first, since monsters didn’t even appear on your map. And even then, they weren’t 100% reliable, sometimes leading you the wrong way. It was frustrating, sure, but it added to the feeling of exploration. In older MH, we had items to help, but their effects were temporary. Sometimes, Chacha/Kayamba would point you in the right direction. Or, if you were experienced enough, you simply memorised monster patterns or items locations. Iceborne introduced mounts, but it was a late addition and couldn’t take shortcuts, so you still had to learn the map to go quicker. Rise had the Palamute, but you had to navigate yourself. I actually like having Mounts. But they shouldn’t streamline the hunting experience so much that it removes the challenge of learning the world and tracking your prey. Instead of making it more engaging, Capcom has cut that aspect entirely. The second issue for me is with the wound system. I’m having a great time with the combat, but I feel like the wound system makes fights way too easy. The monsters themselves aren’t badly designed. In fact, the fights are dynamic, fun and very visual. For those who thought wall slams in Iceborne were overpowered, the wound system in Wilds is worse. It’s almost a guaranteed flinch or knockdown. Depending on your weapon, the monster will stop mid-attack, allowing you to land a focus strike, and only then does it flinch or fall. At least with wall slams, you couldn’t spam them constantly, they depended on some conditions, and sometimes failed because of the wrong item (we’ve all been there 😂). Once a monster was enraged, it would ignore attempts entirely. Yes, wounds can’t reappear on the same body part twice, but monsters have so many woundable spots that it sometimes lock the monster out of the fight. This, combined with the insane build up of para.. Another issue I’m struggling with is the rework of the deco system. We don't have the freedom of choice anymore and are now split between weapon and armour slots. I get that this is likely to prevent stacking the same jewels everywhere, it just feels restrictive. Depending on your weapon pairing, you might have a good fit for one weapon but not the other. It takes away some of the experimentation that made making builds enjoyable. On top of that, some skills feel pointless, or at least, I can’t see their practical use (i.e Cliffhanger). Now, the UI. How we did end up like this ? I really wish there was an option to mute the constant flow of notifications, or at the least, be non-interactive since we can’t do anything until they stop popping up. The item pouch full warning is annoying. Why they just send it to the stash ? We are still have with the same issue World had at launch. It’s funny how QoL from older games just vanish. I play Iceborne while waiting for the TU, and something has me brainscrambled. For some reason, browsing/using items or sheathing is way faster in MHI than Wilds. Can't recall if that was the case with base World. Multiplayer is also overcomplicated, with different party instances that make co-op more confusing than it should be. I’m not a game developer, but If MMOs can sync players in massive worlds, can’t we just go out and sync everyone to the leader’s game automatically ? Thus skipping an extra step. Most people sit in their squad lobbies to play with friends or search for SOS Flare quests. --- I really want to love Wilds. In many ways, I do, and I will continue to play it. The game is visually stunning, the combat feels fluid, and the world is rich with detail. But at the same time, I can’t shake the feeling that something is missing. It streamlined some aspects (hunting), but overcomplicated others (UI, multiplayer). Sadly, it sometimes feels like the team spent so much time making the world feel alive that they overlooked some of the core gameplay elements. The story feels a bit uneven, with the first half being enjoyable, but the second lacking impact and not coming together. Putting that aside, at only 40 hours in, I’m feeling a bit bored, not from hunting, but just there is not enough challenge, even at 7-8* monsters and I don't have a finished build. I can’t recall feeling this way with World’s base game or older. If I had to recommand the game, just come back in a few months, when the game is patched and have some TU behind.