Genre: Third-Person Action
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom

Monster Hunter Wilds is a tale of two hunts: during cut-scenes there are rich shadows, superbly-detailed character models, and myriad depth-of-field effects-- all of which combine to give the game a decidedly "next gen" appearance. But then the cut-scenes end, and virtually all of the shadows disappear giving the presentation a very flat look, with objects looking weirdly ungrounded. On rare occasions such as during the daytime in the first map, the waving fields of grass in the sunlight look great-- but more often, the visuals are mired in an unappealing fog effect, and just look muddy and ugly.

The music in "Rise" on the Switch may have suffered from a lot of Hollywood tropes, but at least it had that cool traditional Japanese title screen song and the other tune with the singing children's choir. In Wilds, this reviewer can't even remember any of the music-- it's that forgettable. On top of that, the English voice acting is downright annoying, right down to the now-talking Palicos! Thankfully there is a Japanese voice track, and the cats can also be toggled back to merely meowing when they "speak". The game's sound effects are ho-hum, and lifted largely from previous Monster Hunter games.

At first it's jarring to not have the wirebugs from "Rise"-- especially on "stand-up" after having been knocked down. There are other changes too: the mounts in this game run by themselves to the targeted destination. There is no more management of a stable of pet companions with different customizable skills, as there was in "Rise"-- the player just has the one Palico. Meals can be cooked in the field, and quests can be started from anywhere. The new systems feel watered down, but more streamlined. The core combat is superb, and the actual fights are as engaging as ever.

Monster Hunter Wilds is very much a mixed package: the graphics are frustratingly inconsistent with the game bordering on "ugly" much of the time; many core mechanics have been slipstreamed almost into oblivion, it's a wonder they won't eliminate sharpening in the next game, or eating; but biggest of all, the game is relentlessly story-driven, with constant interruptions from lengthy triple-A style cut-scenes. Once the story is completed the game world opens up into the state it should be in right from the start. Wilds is partially saved by its combat which is wonderful-- but just like other PS5 games such as "Gran Turismo 7", it's a shame so many missteps were made in the game design surrounding the excellent core gameplay.