Monster Hunter Wilds, the latest installment in the beloved Monster Hunter series, has finally arrived, and it's clear that the developers at Capcom have outdone themselves. The game's focus on spectacle is what sets it apart from its predecessors, with battles that feel truly monumental and cinematic. From fighting a gigantic spider in a blood-red environment to dodging the onslaught of a twisting dragon amidst a desert storm, each battle is a thrilling experience that will leave players on the edge of their seats.

The Monster Hunter series has always been built around a specific gameplay cycle: prepare for a hunt, study your target, and then spend a long time whittling down the health of a giant monster before killing it. Wilds follows this same structure, but moves it to a new, mostly uninhabited locale known as the Forbidden Lands. The story is minimal, serving as an excuse to take on increasingly challenging hunts across this surprisingly diverse landscape.

There are a few new details to Wilds that set it apart from its predecessors. A targeting system allows players to focus on a particular part of a monster's body in battle, causing massive damage. Players can also store a second weapon type on their mount, opening up more options in combat. And, of course, there are new monsters, items, and locations to explore. The Forbidden Lands eventually open up to include locales like a lush jungle teeming with wildlife and a volcanic oil field that looks ripped out of a post-apocalyptic future.

What's really different this time around, though, is how massive and cinematic the battles feel. The action set pieces are ripped right out of a blockbuster movie, with each battle having its own unique feel. Whether it's the almost horror-like sensation of fighting a spider while your vision is filled with red or facing off against a beast during a dramatic downpour with the wind creating huge waves crashing down all around you, these moments can be terrifying, thrilling, or exciting – and often all three at the same time.

In many ways, Wilds represents the MonHun team slowly perfecting its more modern formula. While it doesn't represent a dramatic change, it does build on the open-world foundation laid down by World, including more seamless transitions between areas that make it feel like one big, cohesive place. Even in its first real competition with 2023's Wild Hearts, which infused monster hunting with Fortnite-like building, Wilds shows that there's still nothing quite like the thrill of a hunt in MonHun.

Monster Hunter Wilds launches on February 28th on PC, PS5, and Xbox, and is sure to be a must-play for fans of the series and newcomers alike. With its focus on spectacle and massive battles, it's clear that Capcom has outdone itself once again.

For more information on Monster Hunter Wilds, be sure to check out our related stories, including How new technology helped make Monster Hunter World's beasts even more terrifying and Wild Hearts is a fresh take on Monster Hunter with a dash of Fortnite.