I spent 5 hours with a new build of Monster Hunter Wilds and it solved basically every problem I had after playing the beta – now this really feels like Monster Hunter World 2

GamesAction RpgMonster HunterMonster Hunter WildsI spent 5 hours with a new build of Monster Hunter Wilds and it solved basically every problem I had after playing the beta – now this really feels like Monster Hunter World 2When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. GamesAction RpgMonster HunterMonster Hunter WildsI spent 5 hours with a new build of Monster Hunter Wilds and it solved basically every problem I had after playing the beta – now this really feels like Monster Hunter World 2When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Capcom) Monster Hunter Wildsis quickly becoming my most-played early access game of 2024. Following an open beta which ate 15 hours of my life last month, I recently visitedCapcomheadquarters in Osaka, Japan to spend five hours with a newer but still-unfinished build of this monster-hunting action-RPG. It was, as director Yuya Tokuda stressed in an interview, not as polished as the final build of the game will apparently be. But it was excellent – refreshingly smooth after the rocky beta, though I could only play on PS5, and almost everything I wanted. That’s it, I’m gettin' me mallet (Image credit: Capcom) Key InfoDeveloper:In-housePublisher:CapcomPlatform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series XRelease date: February 28, 2025 Key Info Developer:In-housePublisher:CapcomPlatform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series XRelease date: February 28, 2025 Developer:In-housePublisher:CapcomPlatform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series XRelease date: February 28, 2025 The core game obviously hasn’t changed dramatically since the beta. As a hunter sent to investigate reports of an extinct species in mysterious lands thought to be uninhabited, you strike out to take down some monsters, using their horns and hides to craft increasingly powerful weapons and armor to take on stronger and stronger targets – a familiar spin on a watertight, boss-loaded formula that’s still unmatched after over 20 years. Even so, playing Monster Hunter Wilds in this setting felt fresh. There was no technical obfuscation this time, no painfully short leash around my neck. This was just the (subject-to-change) opening hours of the game, meaning I had access to more monsters as well as the all-important crafting system. The new and returning monsters are fantastic – one of my new all-time favorites among them – and I’m rapidly warming up to the revised armor skill system. The food, especially the cheesy garlic naan, looks dive-right-in good. Like dolphin Duolingo, everything is clicking. (Image credit: Capcom) As I blitzed through the story quests, a greatsword made short work of creatures with smaller, less hammer-friendly heads, most notably the new spider monster Lala Barina, whose balletic movements and rose theming have quickly won it a place in my heart. Lala Barina was the monster I hunted the most – not to grind materials, but because mastering fights and watching my hunt times go down is a big part of enjoying Monster Hunter for me. This spiny thing moves like nothing else in Monster Hunter, pawing at you with obsidian claws and pirouetting away to launch volleys of paralyzing spores. At once freaky and mesmerizing, it’s an instant classic. Other newcomers include the fire-breathing Quematrice, who feels like a goth, less-dopey version of the similarly birdlike Yian Kut-Ku. My fellow hammer appreciators will be pleased to hear that it stops just short of presenting its skull on a silver platter, prime for a cracking. Returning crowd favorite Congalala, a big pink monkey that farts on you, is in prime condition too. He’s pink. He farts. He’s perfect. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more A new-fangled gear system (Image credit: Capcom) Monster Hunter Wilds: The Big Preview(Image credit: Future)This month, we’re diving into the latest in Capcom’s long line of big beastie action RPGs, learning all there is to know about this ambitious sequel. To find our coverage, visit theMonster Hunter Wilds Big Preview hub. Monster Hunter Wilds: The Big Preview (Image credit: Future)This month, we’re diving into the latest in Capcom’s long line of big beastie action RPGs, learning all there is to know about this ambitious sequel. To find our coverage, visit theMonster Hunter Wilds Big Preview hub. (Image credit: Future) This month, we’re diving into the latest in Capcom’s long line of big beastie action RPGs, learning all there is to know about this ambitious sequel. To find our coverage, visit theMonster Hunter Wilds Big Preview hub. It felt like monsters didn’t run away as often as they did in the beta, either, perhaps due to the map having fewer large monsters in town to cause turf wars and clashes. I was able to kill most monsters in one or two areas, which is about what I’d expect. The fact that I could actually craft gear to hunt monsters more efficiently helped, and this ended up eating a sizable chunk of my session. The process of crafting or upgrading a weapon is pretty much unchanged from World or Rise so far – a tree of options with material requirements – but I get the impression that there’s much more customization to come. The headliner here is how skills are now split between your armor and weapons, with weapons themselves carrying more offensive and specific skills. Here are a few combinations that stood out to me: (Image credit: Capcom) I specifically asked if our end-game loadouts will match the setups we had in World or Rise in terms of skill quantity and level. Tokuda said they’ve added new skills, preserved some iconic ones, and adjusted or compressed a few others (from five ranks down to three, for instance), but didn’t share what a maxed loadout may look like, presumably for spoiler reasons. More needs to be seen here – early-game builds don’t allow for much depth – but so far I like the idea. It’s different, it gives weapons more vectors than attack and sharpness and slots, and it lets overlooked but comfy defensive skills shine a bit brighter. I just hope the grind to upgrade weapons is a rewarding one, and that maxed loadouts don’t feel neutered. This needs to be more than a way to justify the two-weapon system. Onward to 2025 (Image credit: Capcom) (Image credit: Capcom) “I left this five-hour preview with renewed hunger and impatience.” “I left this five-hour preview with renewed hunger and impatience.” For a notoriously dense series, Wilds paces and explains itself pretty well, too, which in Monster Hunter terms means it’ll probably only bekind ofconfusing for newer players. Key quests are teed up a bit more like a traditional RPG in bespoke chapters, new areas and mechanics are introduced gradually, and side quests are clearly labeled in your periphery. “Hey hunter,” they seem to say, “if you’re on the ass end of the ass-kicking, try upgrading your gear a bit!” The soul and flow of Monster Hunter are unmistakable, but you can tell Capcom has been working on ways to make Wilds more appealing and approachable to a massively broadened audience post-World. I have played Monster Hunter Wilds for 20 hours at this point, but exclusively in the worst ways possible. The magic of Monster Hunter is setting your own goals, taking your sweet time getting there, experimenting with weapons and builds, and messing around with friends at every opportunity. Rushing through five early hours to see and record as much as possible at a press event is not the way to play, and five hours isnothing. That is a snack. That’s exactly 1% of my Monster Hunter World play time. Even so, I left this five-hour preview with renewed hunger and impatience. February 28, 2025 can’t come soon enough. Monster Hunter Wilds continues to look and feel great, and now it actually runs encouragingly well, at least on PS5. The PC version still has a big check to cash. Monster Hunter Wilds is set to release for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X as one of our most anticipatednew games of 2025. We’ll have more to share on the game from our time at the studio this week, so keep coming back to GR+ for more. 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Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3 Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5 Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2 Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1 Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the 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