I’ve got to admit, I’m a relative newcomer to the Monster Hunter saga. For years, I kept my distance because the games were mainly on handheld consoles I had no interest in. Plus, they didn’t seem to run all that smoothly.
It was Monster Hunter World that pulled me in and got me hooked, turning me into a die-hard fan. Fast forward to now; I’ve logged over two dozen hours into Wilds, diving straight into the main campaign before getting sidetracked by any sidequests. And honestly, that decision felt like a bit of a misstep.
To be fair, Monster Hunter campaigns aren’t usually celebrated for their storytelling brilliance. They’re more like elaborate tutorial modes, introducing you to the myriad systems and mechanics you’ll be mastering over the next hundred hours or so. Essentially, the campaigns guide you through each game’s bestiary.
Typically, the storyline follows a familiar pattern: your team is tracking a mysterious creature causing chaos across different regions. Along the way, you’re continually sidetracked by other creatures until you finally discover what’s really going on. Eventually, you face off against the big bad, wrap up the campaign, and unlock the High Rank activities where the real Monster Hunter action begins.
If we’re speaking in general terms, the campaign setup for Wilds mirrors World’s to some extent. However, it’s the nuances and missing details that can differentiate an enthralling campaign from one that barely makes a mark.
What made World’s campaign stand out was its ambitious plot. It introduced Zorah Magdaros, a behemoth of a monster so massive it took an entire community just to slow it down. This creature was so huge you could battle multiple monsters on its back with space to spare.
This was certainly a bold move by the developers, an innovative twist to the Monster Hunter formula. While not everyone enjoyed these encounters with Zorah, I found them refreshingly different. They broke the flow of battling one monster after another and used its journey across the world to propel the story forward.
Each time Zorah moved to a new location, it would unlock a fresh area for exploration, giving you a firsthand look at its impact on the local ecosystem. The game kept its cards close to the chest regarding Zorah’s true motives, adding layers of urgency and mystery that deepened the narrative.
In contrast, the Wilds campaign loses some of that magic. There’s no Zorah Magdaros equivalent or significant looming threat. The game’s central monster, Arkveld, makes sporadic appearances, doing things that puzzle the characters before disappearing, only to reappear much later. Surprisingly, it’s not even the final adversary; that role is reserved for a sleeping giant introduced just before the end.
The Wilds campaign lacks the sense of urgency where various groups unite against a common threat. Instead, some monster introductions seem like forced cameos, as if the developers couldn’t find a graceful way to bring them into the story.
It feels like there should be a thread tying the character groups together that’s missing. Some lines in cutscenes hint at a deeper story, but it never fully unfolds. Even the intriguing tale of an ancient civilization with weather-manipulating technology falls flat, coming across as background lore rather than an integral part of the narrative.
The Wilds campaign seems to encapsulate some of the broader issues within the game. It trims away much of the charm, trying to streamline for accessibility, but perhaps overlooks what truly needed attention.
As more of the game’s highs and lows are realized, the main Wilds campaign might soon fade from memory. But I can’t help but wonder what a true follow-up to World’s campaign might have offered.
