While it's true that judging a Monster Hunter only by the hours you put into the “story mode” (let's call that the period before unlocking High Rank), I think in the case of Wilds it's a very good showcase of everything the game has to offer.
Chasing Monsters
One of the things that I'm thankful they didn't bring over from World was the constant searching for clues to keep refilling the monster research bar. However, the total absence of the system also shocks me a bit. We're supposed to be in a COMPLETELY unfamiliar place. I understand that the Seikrat knows how to search for the monster just by its scent, but I think it would have been a good complementary system if they had simplified it a bit more. In the end, whether you hunt or capture, you end up knowing 99% of the monster's stats with a single hunt.
Hunting is very fast, between the absence of research, how fast the Seikrat goes, and how close the monsters tend to change places after a certain time. The time between zones is spent sharpening your weapon, healing or creating items, so it's enjoyable. And, while all this seems like improvements, I do miss the “hunter” factor, investigating a monster, needing to capture it to study it better (and thus unlock more weaknesses or drops), or simply having to track it at the beginning to have it on the map.
Unraveling a “new” world
Its weakest point but also the least relevant. A mandatory step to get to know all areas of the game and gradually acclimatize to what is coming post-game (which is not really post-game in my opinion).
At the beginning the characters are promising but the game is declining as it progresses, without having much more context or depth than a few lines in the almost 15 hours it lasts. That said, it's not relevant but it's a nice touch to get to know a bit more about the ecosystem in which we'll spend hours and hours hunting to get our precious favorite sets.
David vs Goliath (we're Goliath)
Weapons feel midway between World and Rise, and I think it's a great fit. You feel the weight of the weapon along with its AMAZING abilities that make for a cinematic experience as soon as you enter the zone. My main weapon since World, the Long Sword, has received a couple more tweaks and feels lighter and livelier than ever. Also, the ability to charge the blade level with focus attacks gives the whole charging system even more pizzazz.
I think this is the perfect balance between the realism of World and the more “arcade” of Rise, and it certainly makes you want to get out of your comfort zone and start handling new weapons to see what's new and enjoy different types of gameplay.
Also, the Seikret is not just for moving from point A to B, but also is a KEY piece in combat. One of its greatest uses is to get you out of the way if you've been knocked down, with virtually no cooldown to perform this action and it gets you out of almost any predicament, and you can also heal and sharpen your weapon while doing so. This gives you another level of depth and also serves as a springboard to jump onto the backs of monsters and try to activate the grab.
My feeling with everything surrounding the combat is very good. Of course, there is no shortage of elements in the area to inflict more damage, be it floating rocks, logs or watery landslides. It feels like a reward to be mindful of your surroundings and make the most of them to accomplish the hunt.
However, there is one negative point that has had me hovering in my head for most hunts, and that is the constant feeling that we are the predator. While it's true that in Rise this isn't a problem because it's more of an action game, in World I did have the feeling that I had to take even more advantage of my surroundings, go better prepared to the hunts and have to adjust my equipment more. While it is true that this is something that is alleviated with more advanced monsters, these are not found until you finish ALL the main quests (past the end of the game).
In the hunt for better performance
I think this is one of the most talked-about aspects at the launch of the game. Despite being able to play games that look much more detailed like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, MHWilds has forced me to play with FSR and Frame Gen CPU to be minimally enjoyable. DLSS is horrible and the difference with FSR+FG is ABISMAL.
And maybe it's just me, but I think using REEngine is what cost them this performance hit. The level of quality and detail of games like Resident Evil 2 or 4 with a MORE than good performance gives me to understand that this engine is made for closed and narrative games.
Maybe using Unreal Engine 4 would have had more advantages than disadvantages, but that's something we'll never find out.
We live in a society
Yep, unfortunately we live in a society, and specifically in video games, in a time frame where practically every month they bring out the next big thing. And unfortunately, they've got me hooked.
Xenoblade Chronicles X is just around the corner and the desire I have to play it will make me completely stop my adventure in the Forbidden Lands, probably relegating it to a game in which to hunt a couple of monsters and that's it... And it's a shame, because I feel I could put many more hours into it.
But of course, I've enjoyed the time I've spent with it and I'm 100% sure I'll continue to spend time with it from time to time.