Monster Hunter Wilds is the latest instalment in Capcom’s power-selling action RPG series which is out now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Despite the rampant popularity of its predecessor, 2018’s Monster Hunter World, there’s a good chance this fresh entry will attract a new generation of fans, with a considerable number of gamers sat on the fence. One of the questions they may be asking themselves is if they need to play Monster Hunter World (or indeed any other games in the franchise) before they can play Monster Hunter Wilds.
The answer is a simple, albeit emphatic, no. For those new to Monster Hunter, each game is its own entity with no overarching narrative or core cast of characters to keep track of. Sure, beneath the surface there’s a surprisingly dense web of lore though this is all extra-curricular fluff that has little bearing on main, monster-hunting experience.
Monster Hunter World ushered in a new era for Capcom’s long-running series and one that focused on streamlining certain time-consuming elements thereby making it more accessible. For our money, it’s one of the greatest modern RPGs ever made, but if you’re looking to get into the series, we’d advise skipping right ahead and venturing into Wilds.
Yet again, Capcom has reduced the amount of busy work players need to perform between hunts, making everything – from gathering resources to crafting new gear – available at your fingertips almost instantaneously. On the flipside, there are a great deal of new mechanics for veteran hunters to sink their teeth into: each weapon type has an expanded moveset with a plethora of new advanced tools and equipment on-hand.
Multiplayer has always been the most enjoyable part of Monster Hunter, and this is where Wilds has World beat. There’s a good chance that most fans will emigrate from older MH titles to Wilds at launch – not only that, the inclusion of cross-play will make it easier to find online lobbies than ever before.
Still, if you’re looking to get a good understanding of how these games work, there’s no harm in trying Monster Hunter World first. It’s dirt cheap and if you really don’t gel with it (we won’t judge) at least you haven’t paid top whack for Monster Hunter Wilds at launch.
