Capcom is poised to ignite the hearts of hunters worldwide once again with its latest installment, promising to elevate the experience with new tricks up its sleeve and the power of the current-gen consoles behind its back.

From watching it back in Summer Game Fest to actually playing it during Tokyo Game Show, Monster Hunter Wilds is everything that I thought it would be—a faster and much-improved Monster Hunter with all of the learnings from World and Rise.

It’s magnificent, and with enough time between now and the February 28, 2025 launch date, it can only get better.

Monster Hunter Wilds Hands-on Preview

Monster Hunter Wilds will take players to the Forbidden Lands, a brand-new location that brings new monsters to hunt and challenges to conquer. Our time with the Tokyo Game Show build of the game took us on a hunt of 2 monsters, a Chatacabra and an Alpha Doshaguma. As a bow main whose build got obliterated after a certain update, I went back to my trusty bonk stick to see if it could take on the new challenges brought about by this new title.

The first thing to notice about Monster Hunter Wilds is how gorgeous it looks. Wilds is a definite step up from World, with dynamic environments, weather cycles and conditions, and seamless transitions between areas. Capcom has removed loading screens and even the assembly of a party before the hunt starts, ensuring that players can enjoy the immersive experience without bother.

In fact, this seamlessness extends to the hunt itself, where hunters aren’t locked to a monster to hunt by choosing a specific quest. During our playthrough, we simply tracked a monster on the map, followed it, and whacked it a few times to officially start the hunt. When the hunt started, we also threw an SOS flare to call for assistance, and since this was a demo build, the lack of online players automatically called 3 more CPU hunters to help out with the hunt.

One of the most important tools of a hunter is its feathery companion, the Seikret, and this mount allows hunters to jump in and out of battle with ease. With vast environments and a world full of unknown dangers, running around is faster and safer with the Seikret. When faced with the Alpha Doshaguma, luring it away from its pack was easy due to our increased mobility, and leading it through falling boulders and vine traps was a breeze.

The Seikret is not only a mount to be used for mobility but is also a tool that adds a new layer of strategy to hunts because it also carries a second weapon a hunter can use and switch to at any time. Of course, it seems you can only switch while mounted, but having a second weapon is definitely a godsend for when encounters go sideways due to some unforeseen circumstances.

After luring the Alpha Doshaguma from its pack, a sandstorm approached and enveloped us and the monster, turning the place into a new thunderstruck environment that was home to the apex of the area. Thankfully, it had caught the attention of the Alpha, resulting in a turf war that we wanted no part of. These weather cycles not only affect the surrounding area but also the endemic life, leading to more items of that element.

A surprising new mechanic in Monster Hunter Wilds, Focus Mode, allows hunters to aim a certain parts of the monster’s body for increased damage. Dealing blows to the monster will result in wounds, and when struck with a Focus Mode attack (in this case, R1 while holding L1), the hunter will unleash an impressive combo. It’s a great addition to the already dynamic combat system, which makes the hunt feel more rewarding.

Coming from Gamescom reports that the Monster Hunter Wilds build was plagued with performance issues, it didn’t feel as bad during our playthrough. While there were some frame rate dips here and there, it generally felt steady even during busy moments, and it could be entirely possible that Capcom has fixed this demo from last time.

Overall, Monster Hunter Wilds is shaping up to be quite the effort from Capcom that incorporates learnings from previous titles and improves the overall pace of combat, resulting in a frenetic title that will surely be another massive success for the developer. We can’t wait, and we know that you can’t either, but we’ll give Capcom as much time as it needs to give us another title worthy of hundreds of hours of our time.

Monster Hunter Wilds is scheduled for a February 28, 2025 launch for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC.