Despite being the most successful release in the history of the franchise,Monster Hunter Wilds' notoriously poor performance isn’t exactly a secret. Even with the recent launch receiving significant critical acclaim, there was still plenty of backlash over what was seen as yet another unpolished PC port by Capcom. While many fans are reasonably upset by the current state ofMonster Hunter Wilds' on PC, its reaction could have worse consequences for future releases.
Despite significantly improving several in-game features and performance after its open beta test,Monster Hunter Wildsis still far from reaching the full potential of what it could achieve. Even for those with systems strong enough to run the game, there doesn’t seem to be as muchchallenging end-game content inMH Wildsto engage with. While Capcom has a good track record when it comes to updating their releases, the backlash fromWildscould have a lasting impact on their player base.
The Next Monster Hunter Might Not Be A Simultaneous Release
A Significant Downgrade For Future Monster Hunter Enties
With the backlash and negative reviews forMonster Hunter Wildsstill pouring in,there’s a chance that Capcom might return to delayed releases for its PC editions. WhileMonster Hunter Worldwas groundbreaking as the first global release in the series to make its way to PC, there was still over a six-month wait following its initial console release. Even the next major entry in the franchise,Monster Hunter Rise,was only released a staggering 9 months after its first debut on the Switch.
Before Monster Hunter World, the franchise saw regional PC releases, including the Japan-exclusive Monster Hunter Frontier and the Chinese Monster Hunter Online.
While it was great to see the next console release finally transition over to PC once again, thedelayed release schedule ofMonster Hunter Risedid little to take advantage of renewed interest in the series brought byMonster Hunter World.WhileMonster Hunter Risedidn’t reach the same peaks as its predecessor, it was still a widely beloved entry that broke new ground with overhauled combat mechanics. While not all of these new features made their way intoMonster Hunter Wilds, the improvement of a simultaneous release and drastically improved fidelity level helped make up for the loss.
10 Things In Monster Hunter Wilds That Make Absolutely No Sense
Monster Hunter Wilds has many strange features, some of which are products of such a long series, and while they are staples, they also make no sense.
Following the significant backlash thatMonster Hunter Wildsis still receiving over its poor performance and many bugs, there’s a growing chance that Capcom might rethink its release schedule. While delaying a game’s release to avoid a disastrous launch is a common practice nowadays in the PC market,previous entries have shown that the extra wait might do more harm than good for theMonster Hunterfranchise.
Even Delayed Releases Have Their Share Of Performance Issues
World Was Far From Perfect At Launch
While it’s incredibly easy to makecomparisons betweenMonster HunterWildsand its official predecessor,Monster Hunter World, its launch was met with a fairly similar reaction at the time.While the performance requirements weren’t quite as high asMonster Hunter Wilds,there were many claims thatWorldwas another lazy PC port with mixed reviews on Steam. Despite frequent crashes, networking instability, and overall performance dips,Monster Hunter Worldstill went on to become the most successful entry in the franchise, currently sitting at a very positive rating on Steam of 92%.
Monster Hunter Wilds Mod Adds Much-Needed Feature Missing From Base Game
New Monster Hunter Wilds mod adds a much-needed feature to the base game, becoming one of the most popular MHW mods on Nexus Mods in less than a week.
Even after bringingMonster Hunter Worldto a much more stable point and shifting the focus towards new content updates,the eventualIceborneexpansion again caused PC performance to take a significant downturn. Thankfully, the modding community was quick to put out quick fixes and patches in the meantime, with some ofMH Wilds' most popular modseven being remade fromMonster Hunter Wilds. Even after fixing the new issues introduced withIceborneand its subsequent title updates more rapidly the second time, it was still a frustrating experience to repeat after the initial launch performance.
Even thoughMonster Hunter Risedidn’t have nearly as many issues on PC, being a Switch port meant there was a lot more room for error regarding performance requirements.
After stabilizing Wilds' performance and learning from its past, hopefully, Capcom won’t repeat the same mistakes withMonster Hunter Wilds’inevitable Master Rank expansion. While there’s still reason to hope for the future thanks to Capcom’s tried-and-true track record of sticking with its releases,given the initial performance problems, the issues might just be a tradition for the franchise at this point.
Despite Its Flaws, Wilds Offers One Of The Best Monster Hunter Experiences Yet
Offering More Accessibility And Exciting New Mechanics
WhileMonster Hunter Wildsis still sitting at mixed reviews nearly a month after release, that hasn’t stopped it frombreaking several recordsin player count and sales for Capcom. AlthoughWildshad a significant advantage as the true next-generation sequel toWorld,the staggering amount of accessibility options, new mechanics, and ambitious environments created the perfect storm for another smashing success for the series.
If a PC port is going to be flawed either way, it’s better to let the entire community experience it simultaneously.
While many ofWild’snew features aren’t without flaws, such as the unfortunate multiplayer systems breakingWild’smost innovative new mechanics, there’s still plenty to enjoy for both veteran hunters and new fans. Although it may be tempting for Capcom to revert its release schedule to avoid harming its public image,the negative impact delays would have on the community doesn’t seem worth it.If a PC port is going to be flawed either way, it’s better to let the entire community experience it simultaneously, especially when there are fewer expectations from extended development time.
Many ofWild’simprovements worked together to make the moment-to-moment gameplay experience much more seamless than before.
Despite not drastically changing the gameplay formula, many ofWild’simprovements worked together to make the moment-to-moment gameplay experience much more seamless than before, on top of countless new quality-of-life features. From reworked armor systems, easy item usage, dynamic questions, and more, there’s plenty to tide over fans before releasing the next wave ofMonster Hunter Wilds' content updates.
Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds is the highly anticipated follow-up to Capcom’s multi-million seller, Monster Hunter World. Announced at The Game Awards 2023, Monster Hunter Wilds will put players into a sprawling world where they’ll hunt monsters to create new weapons and armor while protecting their home base and uncovering the secrets of unexplored lands with friends or alone.
