Monster Hunter Wilds is easily one of 2025βs most anticipated games and Capcom have graced us with not one but two open betas this month! Having played the beta, I have a couple of points that I wanted to discuss so letβs dive right into this.
Monster Hunter Wilds’ open beta allowed players to create their playable character and their palico. The character creator is extremely robust and you can do so much with it. The jump in visual fidelity over Monster Hunter Riseβs character creator was immediately noticeable when looking at screenshots of my character from that game. Monster Hunter World still has more customization right now due to the fact that thereβs been extensive cosmetic DLC released for it that included a lot of hairstyles but Monster Hunter Wilds still has a lot to offer here.
Players can easily spend hours in the character creation menu alone given how many options are available and what you can do with the various options in combination with different colours for hair and make up. The Palico character creator is slightly less intense than the human playable character one but itβs still a lot of fun to be able to design a cute fluffy companion for your hunter.
Once youβve spent enough time with character creation, you can dive right into the gameβs first chapter. Here you will immediately load into a cutscene which explains whatβs going on and youβre thrust into the gameβs world aboard a ship sailing in the desert. What immediately stood out to me was how cinematic the game is. Within the first few minutes, you smoothly transition from a cutscene straight into gameplay and itβs flat out amazing.
Players will ride a Seikret, a giant bird creature, and chase after an NPC while being pursued by Balahara, snake-like monsters that writhe beneath the desert sands. Itβs all very cinematic and it really does immerse you in the gameβs world in such a captivating manner.
Once you get through the initial introductory segment, youβll meet up with Alma and be able to pick one of the vast array of weapon types available. I opted for the bow and had a great time using this in the beta. Combat felt very familiar to previous Monster Hunter titles and I really need to get used to not having a Wire Bug available.
One notable addition to the combat system is the inclusion of wounds on monsters. Players can now target weak points specifically in order to deal massive damage. By homing in on the weak spots with the bow, you can unleash a flurry of arrows that inflict a lot of damage. This feels incredibly satisfying to perform and other weapons also able to do similar attacks that are very powerful.
The open beta featured quite a lot of monsters and what was immediately noticeable was how alive the world felt. Monster Hunter: World already felt like you were entering a living world teeming with life. Monster Hunter Wilds takes this further and amps it up exponentially. Thereβs a lot going on in the game world and youβll see numerous monsters on screen at once. Especially if you come across a herd of them.
With the full release of Monster Hunter Wilds a week away, the open beta has solidified my belief that the full release will be a masterpiece. Definitely keep an eye on Monster Hunter Wilds, this is going to be an early game of the year contender for sure.
Monster Hunter Wilds Trailer
Read more awesome previews >>here<<.
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