The Monster Hunter Wilds Open Beta impressed me with its new gameplay additions. However, the graphics and performance were lackluster. As a fan of both the new and classic games in the series, I was impressed by the many elements in the MH Wilds Open Beta that either adapted or amplified the Monster Hunter feel.
First, let’s get the performance and graphics out of the way.
Performance Hiccups
As you may have already heard or experienced, the MH Wilds Open Beta had varying performance on both PC and consoles.
During my time in the PlayStation 5 beta, I encountered non-consistent framerates, constant fuzzy/blurred gameplay, and stuttering. These issues were present across both the game’s resolution and performance modes.
On PS5, the resolution mode targets a 4k image, but lowers the frame rate down to 30fps. This is typical for most other games that have modes like this. However in MH Wilds case, most of the background image remained blurry. Turning off motion blur helped mediate this, but the blur persisted in certain situations.
Performance mode isn’t all that much better, either. The game will attempt to keep a steady 60fps, but it is inconsistent. That’s about the only good thing that performance mode achieves. The blurry image will become blurrier, you’ll start to see the fuzziness of the frame generation, and textures become low res.
At the end of the day, this is just a beta of MH Wilds, so hopefully, the performance and graphical issues will be addressed upon release.
Let’s move on to the gameplay and how it compares to the other titles in the series.
Hunting and More
With each Monster Hunter title comes new features that add to the hunting experience.
First, one of the new additions I enjoyed was the new wound system. Monsters that take enough damage on a particular spot will form a wound that, when hit, will let you deal more damage. It’s a fairly basic addition, but it breathed life into these monsters by visually showing the damage they’ve taken. It felt like I was having a natural and physical effect during combat.
The monster hunts themselves are also fantastic. Fans of Monster Hunter World will feel right at home with the flow of the hunts. The monsters feel strong and hit hard, and each has its own unique traits that make each fight uniquely different. Plus, you can finally climb on top of the monsters you’ve slayed and get their materials.
The second addition that I liked was the weather system. Whenever you go on a hunt, the weather will shift from a clear and sunny sky to a massive thunderstorm. This directly affects gameplay as it determines what animals will be out and about during specific periods. Not to mention that the weather sometimes looks visually stunning despite the graphical hindrances. It truly brings the environment to life, further adding to the lively nature of the fauna.
Thirdly, the character creation is incredible. I easily spent more than 2 hours working on both my character and my palico. MH Wilds gives you many unique options to tweak like your character’s hair length, voice, and even teeth color. There are also the standard facial options, but they are vastly improved from Monster Hunter World. With enough effort, you can make some awesome-looking characters.
After making my character, he appeared in the opening cutscene, which pleasantly surprised me. He didn’t speak much, but it still added to the story in terms of how personal it felt. However, I found one element of the story not too great.
Already a Hunter?
One of the main reasons why I enjoy the Monster Hunter series is that your character starts off as a burgeoning monster hunter.
For example, in Monster Hunter for the PlayStation 2 you start as a nobody and work your way up to become a veteran hunter. The same can be said for many of the other classic games, but it can’t for Monster Hunter Wilds.
When the game starts, you quickly learn that your character is already some sort of veteran hunter. This immediately eliminates any feeling of growing into a hardened hunter. Instead, you’re playing as someone who has already gotten their hands dirty before you’ve even picked up the controller. I was a bit put off by the opening to the game. I was looking forward to starting as a fresh hunter.
Quest Complete
Ultimately, the Monster Hunter Wilds Open Beta feels like the main game will deliver a true and refined monster hunting experience.
The graphics and performance need a lot of work, but these will hopefully be smoothened out in the final release.
The gameplay has been amplified with all sorts of new additions that makes each hunt exciting and challenging. Wounds provide a new aspect to hunting, weather shifts the environments, and the revamped character creator lets you make a one of a kind hunter.
The story starts off differently than the other games, but the beta has only given us a small taste of what there is.
Overall, I’m eager to jump back in when the game comes out on February 27th of next year.
There’s a long road to Monster Hunter Wilds, but The Guide Hall will be training and preparing for its release with guides and more to come soon.