Longtime readers of Game Industry News are probably well aware that Save State columnist Vincent Mahoney is a huge fan of the Monster Hunter series. Not only does he work on all of the Monster Hunter reviews – you should definitely check out his very in-depth look at Monster Hunter Wilds – but he also enjoys writing about it and trying to get other people to give it a try.

For me, there was not an instant love for that title. I first tried the Monster Hunter series on the PSP and really loathed it. It may not be the game’s fault, but I detest any title where the right stick of my controller is the action button. Call me old and unable to handle avant-garde mechanics, but I believe the right stick should be for camera movement. Ever since then, Vincent attempted to get me to try the series again. He tried really hard with Monster Hunter World and again when Monster Hunter Rise released. And he actually succeeded in getting me to try out the series again with Rise. It was fine, but after 10 hours I just kind of let it drop.

But then a new title entered the fray: Monster Hunter Wilds.

Vincent talked me into trying out Monster Hunter Wilds. His logic was that because the Monster Hunter series has undergone so many upgrades even since Rise, that it would be worth trying it out again with Wilds.

Now, one thing that kind of held me back with the previous titles in the series is that I was forced to use a lance to fight. I really struggled with the melee aspects of that. Vincent had a solution, however, and handed me a gun lance when we started playing Monster Hunter Wilds co-op. Giving me a ranged weapon really opened things up for me as the gun lance produces explosions. This critical change really helped as it totally fit my preferred playstyle. I could block with a shield and balance its strong defense with a devastating counterattack called Wyvern’s Fire. Suddenly, I was pretty good at Wilds, especially when fighting with a friend.

The amazing story and the high-quality of the graphics also got me interested in Monster Hunter Wilds. Right from the onset, the cinematics made me feel like I was in a movie. I can hear its title now: Escape From the Balaharas (because the Balaharas are the serpentine looking alien things that are some of the scariest monsters in Wilds).

So, with Vince by my side, I was ready to go on my first hunt with my cat-like creature battle companion Palico and my Seikret mount. We were hunting for the illusive Chatacabra. That hunt was the first time I ever felt like I was actually decent at a Monster Hunter game. Yes, there was a lot of difficulty during the hunt but not to the level of something like a Dark Souls game.

The monster design for the Chatacabra and every monster in Wilds was developed by a brilliant group of artists. I especially liked the Lala Barina monster with its six jointed legs and sharp-looking spikes. I crafted armor from that creature and used the layer armor feature to display it.

Remember how I didn’t like the controls before in the Monster Hunter series? Well, in Wilds, I feel like the controls and the gameplay have been greatly streamlined since the last time I played the series. That really helped.

I am also part of a team now with Vincent, as we go on multiple hunts and share the resources. We also do our best to help save any other players who are having trouble with their hunts, and we have saved so many of them. So, if you ever need some backup to fight a really tough monster in Wilds, simply fire up an SOS flare to call for our team’s help. Vincent and I refer to ourselves as the Yee Haw Boys, and we always come riding in like thunder in Wilds. We show up, bounce a monster across the arena until it dies, and then party on to the next hunt, often leaving those we rescue standing there looking at us in awe.

We are pretty good as a team in Wilds. Wilds did have one challenging update when it introduced a Mizutsune hunt and allowed us to hunt the main boss Zoh Shia again. Zoh Shia was an absolute handful, and that fight was one of only a couple times I felt overly challenged by the title. Eventually, Vincent and I figured out how to beat them. It took about ten minutes once we had the strategy down. Since then, we have helped quite a few other people beat Zoh Shia.

I really enjoyed all of my time with Monster Hunter Wilds. Will I become a herald for it like Vince? Probably not. But I am enjoying playing Wilds. I have completed the main quest and sunk about 80 hours into playing it so far.

If you are looking for something fun to play, consider Monster Hunter Wilds. You should give it a chance even if you have bounced off of other Monster Hunter series titles in the past. It’s a lot of fun, and doubly so if you can play with a talented hunting partner or even form an elite monster hunter rescue team like the Yee Haw Boys.