Monster Hunter Wilds proves there's power in numbers

In a world of man vs. monsters, humanity finds itself in a more uncertain frontier than ever before. In the upcoming Monster Hunter Wilds, humans are exploring uncharted territory and the hunt feels different. Shacknews recently had an opportunity to go hands-on with the upcoming blockbuster for the first time. In our time with the game, we have come to learn that there is strength in numbers.

The Monster Hunter Wilds demo was split into two parts. The first half is more story and tutorial-focused. The story of Monster Hunter Wilds sees humans venturing into the Forbidden Lands. The player's colony learned about the fabled region after a boy stumbled in and claimed to be from that area. He escaped from a powerful monster through an underground tunnel, but the monster, in giving chase, collapsed the tunnel. The monster is theorized to be the storied White Wraith, thought to be long extinct. The human colony is following the boy's lead in hopes of discovering the White Wraith, but quickly finds that there is much more danger in the Forbidden Lands.

That danger comes through when a herd of Balahara are found pursuing a young girl riding a Seikret. The player hunter jumps atop their own Seikret to lend a hand, fending off the Balahara with their sling. After getting the hang of riding the Seikret and rescuing the girl, she asks for help finding her brother.

It turns out her brother has been cornered by the amphibious Chatacabra. The Chatacabra attacks from a distance with its long tongue and debilitating saliva, but it's possible to weaken it with ranged attacks from weapons like the Heavy Bow. After the Chatacabra is wounded, the player is prompted to send up an SOS flare to call forth some AI-controlled hunters to assist. After subduing the Chatacabra, it started to become clear that the numbers game would be a major component of Monster Hunter Wilds.

The next part of the demo looked familiar. Back at Summer Game Fest, Shacknews was witness to Capcom developers hunting down an Alpha Doshaguma. Now it was our turn. It was time to hunt the Alpha Doshaguma ourselves.

While the Capcom team made this hunt look easy, all I had at my disposal was a series of tutorials to get started. While I was able to select my own weapon in the first part of the demo, the second part threw me in with a Great Sword and a Light Bowgun. Once I found the Alpha Doshaguma, the fight started in earnest and I was too overwhelmed by the action to look through my weapons. That meant barreling in with the Great Sword, but there was a big problem. The Alpha Doshaguma wasn't alone. It was flanked by a pack of lesser Doshaguma.

Victory in Monster Hunter Wilds is about the numbers advantage. That means coming in with help and scattering the enemy's. Alpha monsters will often be accompanied by numerous lesser minions. If those numbers are left unchecked, it's easy to get overpowered. To disperse those numbers, players are encouraged to fire off Large Dung Pods with the hunter's sling. The foul odor of monster droppings is enough to scatter the pack, isolating the alpha and leaving it vulnerable.

Once again, it's time to call forth additional hunters. The SOS flare will prove to be an invaluable asset for solo hunters, because they'll call in AI hunters to help in various ways. They can either pour on punishment themselves or they can act as decoys while you prepare your own attack. The NPC hunters can also help set traps to further weaken the target.

Even with the extra assistance, taking down an Alpha Doshaguma is a tall task. It doesn't help that the terrain frequently changes. Real-time weather effects will often kick in during battle. At one point, I witnessed brush form around me at points, creating a flammable source. At different moments, thunderstorms kicked in, meaning I had to be careful when riding my Seikret to keep it from rushing into lightning strikes.

The Forbidden Lands are an ecosystem filled with different monsters. Some can be used to your advantage. During the Summer Game Fest demo, I noted that the developers were fortunate to run into an Apex Monster, one that has since been revealed to be a Rey Dau. The Rey Dau is a dangerous winged creature that can discharge electricity. While the developers were caught in the Rey Dau's sights, I was fortunate enough to stay off its radar. The Alpha Doshaguma was not so lucky and was instantly wrecked with thousands of HP worth of damage after the Rey Dau attacked it. The alpha limped away, wounded in multiple places and offering plenty of focus points for extra damage.

While the Capcom developers took the alpha down after 25 minutes, I was able to topple it after a mere 13, thanks largely to the fortuitous Rey Dau attack and some assists from nearby Balahara. Like the devs, however, I slayed the alpha right next to another lesser Doshaguma, which became hostile and attacked my party, even as the hunt technically ended.

Monster Hunter Wilds is lining up to be an incredibly fun experience, the kind that leads to entertaining anecdotes at the water cooler. The addition of the Seikret, which allows hunting parties to pursue wounded monsters, is a great addition to the formula. Even if there's a lot of information to take in (judging by the videos above, I very clearly didn't use every tool available to me), it's still possible to jump in, take part in a monster hunt, and have a good time. Monster Hunter Wilds is coming to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S in 2025.

This preview is based on an early PS5 build played at a press event in Los Angeles, CA. The final product is subject to change.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?