Capcom has just announced that the long-awaited arrival of the Monster Hunter Wilds Free Title Update 2 is at the end of June; however, granting such huge hype does nothing but fuel a growing wave of mixed reviews. The official Twitter account of Monster Hunter urged people to “stay tuned for more details,” and already, fans have been scouring for any possibilities just to air out their dissatisfaction.
The positives first. It’s free, and Gee whiz! Any extra thing in addition is free. No paywalls or battle passes, just more content added to a game that already had monsters big enough to want to slay. But what’s really inside the update? Now that very question has cast a shadow toward the update announcement. A big pay-off for keeping the details close to the chest for now, but of course, the community can’t help itself, running into wild speculation. One player called AmariTakahashi highlighted the fire around Lagiacrus in the old trailers being a potential showdown against Rathalos in a fashion similar to how Glavenus faced off against Rathian in MH World. That would certainly translate well into great monster fighting if true.
That does not mean everyone’s happy about it. SeekDWay called, “performance on PC should be top priority.” Worse is the fact that CorvusMOSR also called the game an early-access title with atrocious performance” and “non-existent” endgame. Then we have DrowsyDom shouting at the merchants, “ya and still no performance update no one gaf.” Well, harsh but fair, especially if these folks paid $60-plus for a game that stutters worse than an old pickup truck.
Content-wise, that’s another big issue. Some say the updates are too lightweight. HelloPanda once again roasted the patch: “Basically one new monster for 2 months, and some monster quests are limited time.” IvanCouto97, on the other hand, leans a little toward “would be happy with 2 monsters and 1 arch tempered per update.” It’s a tightrope walk. Capcom wants to keep their players entertained without exhausting anyone—perhaps even themselves—but the appetite for more monsters is real.
Then it’s time for the… “interesting” discussion around the Street Fighter collaboration. One player, x5jailed_k03B01, described Chun-Li’s in-game character model as “an Indian in blue that hasn’t discovered showers yet” and then asked, “When is Vergil from Devil May Cry coming to the game next?” Priorities, right? On the other hand, basedtweetsonly ranted about how “women should be attractive” in game culture, which is… well, okay then.
Amidst this chaos, some players try to keep the perspectives intact. Sandor Nagy reminded the world that “monsters are WAY TOO EASY” compared to older entries like Rise, where fights could drag on for 45 minutes. FredDoesVox reminded that it was a bad comparison to pit Wilds against an older title such as MH3U, since 3U had G-rank from day one. Valid points but, maybe don’t charge $70 for a game that feels like an incomplete compared to a ten-year-old 3DS game?
What’s the verdict? The hype is at the zenith, and so are the expectations. Capcom has quite a lot to deliver—performance fixes, big content, possibly even Marrying of Valstrax (thanks for that crazy theory, Mindisfrozen). Whether Update 2 turns out to quench the fanbase’s thirst or stoke a bigger backlash remains to be seen. There’s one thing for sure: Monster Hunter players have one big loud voice, and it better reach Capcom.
June cannot come fast enough—or maybe it can, if they need more time to polish. Here’s hoping the update brings the heat (and not just from Lagiacrus).
