Monster Hunter Wilds launches this month, and should be on every action game fan's wishlist here's why it's likely to be one of the biggest games of this yearTech15:00, 11 Feb 2025Monsters fighting each other remains a highlightIn my last job, I was lucky enough to play Monster Hunter: Wilds at Gamescom last year. I mentioned at the time that it made World, the game that got me into the series, feel like a first draft, adding additional layers and expanding the scale while keeping the same loop ol hunting monsters, grabbing materials to make better weapons, and hunting bigger monsters.So, when Capcom invited me to play the game again last month, I wasnt sure what else it could sell me on after all, theres no need to keep drilling if youve struck oil. What I found instead was a more polished version of Wilds that ran better, played better, and looked better, and even gave me a look at some upcoming monsters that havent been seen yet.Monster Hunter World is one of my favourite games of all time after hundreds, possibly thousands of hours, and Im more convinced than ever that Capcom is about to repeat the trick.Palico's are back, and as fun as everWhile my prior experience with Wilds took place right at the start of the game and was sadly a much shorter session, I was pleased to have much more time here. Thats not just to admire the games scenery (Wilds offers some absolutely huge regions) but also to get to grips with my weapon of choice, the Insect Glaive.Between life getting in the way and a ton of other releases, I hadnt actually got to try out my favourite weapon with Wilds as yet, despite the beta periods, but I did know that something had felt off about it for some players, leading Capcom to work in player feedback.Thankfully, whatever special sauce they used was absolutely the right way to go. The Insect Glaive, a weapon predicated about movement issuing orders to your bug companion, feels perfect. It really does feel as close to World as it could, but with the added bells and whistles offered by Wilds.Monster Hunter Wilds could be the biggest game of 2025 so far(Image: Capcom)The most important of those is the new Wound system. Attack a monster in the same space enough times and a wound will open up. You can hit it for bigger damage, but you can also use a focused strike to more specifically target that spot a godsend as monsters scurry, slam, or fly around.Even the focused attack feels like it has the margin for error dialed in perfectly this time around, leading it to feel much more useful than it did in my prior preview. And, when the Insect Glaive hit just right, leaving my on the monsters back, I could open up a wound and unleash a slick pirouette with my blade to do huge damage.Rompompolo is, well, grossNaturally, combat is only fun if youre challenged, and Monster Hunter: Wilds is very happy to throw some big beasties your way. I must admit, I wasnt knocked out a single time during my multi-hour playthrough, but I put that down to two reasons.The first is that I made liberal use of using the SOS flare to summon AI teammates that were much more useful than some folks Ive played online with. They utilise all of their abilities and items in a match, and that meant as they tackled the monsters I was able to set out more nefarious traps.I can see it being a great way to introduce players to higher-level online play, letting them get to grips with Monster Hunter staples like planting explosive barrels or using shock traps.The other reason is that, despite my relatively modest gaming abilities, Ive put so much time into Monster Hunter World that many of those skills transfer over nicely. Other press at the event, notably those with less experience with the series, had more difficulty, so thats worth considering.How about those monsters, though? Aside from the usual small monsters, I was lucky enough to tackle a bunch of varied foes in my time with the preview. Balahara, which has been shown in plenty of early game cinematics, was very fun, slipping under the sand and emerging quickly like a mini Dune sandworm but one which hunts in packs.Nerscylla looks like it crawled in from BloodborneCongalala returns, too, with the monkey-like creature unleashing claws and trail strikes, as well as no small amount of comical (and damaging) flatulence. Right when youve avoided him farting on you, hell burp instead, keeping you on your toes (and likely giggling, if youre anything like me).Naturally, some quests are more story-focused than others, and one objective where I had to repel Uth Duna was one such example. While I didnt get to finish it off (Ill let you experience what happens when the game launches ), I loved this fight. The huge beast is at once hulking and graceful, but as it takes damage its limbs and extremities will actually wither as it loses water.Similar can be said of Rompopolo (what a name), a creature that looks like an overgrown ant, with the power to poison you or trigger explosive gas geysers from the ground. As you wail on it, it becomes less recognisable, becoming saggy in shape.One monster not seen yet is Nerscylla, the spider-like creature that births lots of tiny spiders to slow you down (and not to be confused with Lala Barina which is similarly horrific to look at but uses a paralysing flower attached to itself). In my fight with it, it attempted to get under the web we were fighting on before tearing through. Thankfully, its possible to switch weapons now, so I was able to deliver a very satisfying thonk with my greatsword.Monster Hunter Wilds is, as expected, the logical next step from World. Its bigger, meaner, and I dont doubt itll be rammed with monsters new and old to hunt.Add to that the promise of post-launch content, and Monster Hunter Wilds might be the everlasting gobstopper that Worlds was, and then some.Article continues belowPreviewed on PS5