Monster Hunter Wilds was announced at The Game Awards in 2023 and given a release window of 2025, leading to a resurgence of players toward previous games in the franchise. Monster Hunter Rise is the latest game in the series, but many fans have opted to return to 2018's Monster Hunter World. Although World has visually dense environments and bears a closer resemblance to Wilds than Monster Hunter Rise does, Rise could be the better choice for players preparing for Wilds in 2025.
Monster Hunter Rise has its limitations in comparison to MH World, but it also boasts several advantages. Like World, Rise features open environments for hunting, unlike older entries with fragmented maps. Initially designed for the Switch, Rise may be less visually stunning than its predecessor, yet its environments are fully explorable with dynamic traversal options.
Monster Hunter Rise: A Foreshadowing of MH Wilds
Rise has revamped movement and a high-speed mount in the form of Palamutes, contributing to enhanced exploration. These changes, along with faster hunts, encapsulate Rise's overall sense of speed and convenience.
Monster Hunter Rise's Wirebugs enable unprecedented navigation within environments. With Wirebugs, players can propel themselves into the air in any direction. This, combined with climbing and wall-running, grants players access to every corner of the map.
While Wirebugs are not confirmed for Monster Hunter Wilds, the reveal trailer showcased a bird mount that could leap between rocks and glide through the air, echoing Rise's focus on aerial mobility and expanded traversal. However, this isn't the only aspect from its predecessor that Wilds seems to be adopting.
Rise's Rampages Possibly Influenced Monster Hunter Wilds
Notably, Monster Hunter Rise introduced a new Rampage quest-type mode, requiring players to defend their village against waves of creatures. This mode draws on tower defense game mechanics, enabling players to deploy units and tools to fend off monsters, representing a significant departure for the series.
In the Monster Hunter Wilds trailer, the player is seen navigating a stampede of small monsters. Wilds' increase in creature density appears to draw inspiration from Rampages, suggesting that players may face multiple large monsters simultaneously.
A Comparison of Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter Rise
Monster Hunter World offers superior graphics and more interactive environments. Locations like Wildspire Waste teem with life-like monsters, aspects that players anticipate in the return of Wilds. Rise represents a step back in these regards, despite its emphasis on traversal and fully explorable environments that seem to influence Wilds as well. The next Monster Hunter is poised to learn from both games, but owing to the substantial enhancement in player movement and the newfound combat freedom in Rise, Monster Hunter Wilds is likely to draw more inspiration from it.
Monster Hunter Rise and Monster Hunter World are both exceptional games with much to offer players. The unveiling of Monster Hunter Wilds clearly indicates that the next installment will incorporate elements from both games. For those willing to overlook a graphical downgrade, however, Monster Hunter Rise with its faster-paced hunts, extensive customization, and advanced traversal, is an incredibly suitable game to play before the release of Monster Hunter Wilds in 2025.