I played a lot of games over the weekend including Monster Hunter Wilds and Split Fiction. If you’ve got someone to play it with, Split Fiction is a blast. It’s full of fun, unique cooperative mechanics that will have you and whoever you're playing with working together to navigate each new level. Kara and I had planned on giving it a quick try and then playing some Marvel Rivals but once we fired it up we couldn’t stop and spent the rest of the night in Split Fiction. The hook is also great as the game has you bouncing between the imaginations of two different writers, one who does fantasy and the other who does Sci-Fi. Don’t skip this one if you have a gaming partner. It would also make a great entry point if you have someone who isn’t a gamer yet but you want to play something with them. Kara and I give it all the thumbs up.
I also played a shit ton of Monster Hunter Wilds. After about 22 hours, I’m almost finished with the campaign. Right now it’s crazy fun monster fights separated by painfully boring exposition. Thankfully you can skip some of it and believe me I’m doing that whenever I can. I absolutely love the new wound system that has you opening huge gashes in the monster’s skin by focusing your attacks. Once a wound is open you can use special moves to bust it and score tons of damage. That sounds really gross and pretty fucked up honestly but it is important to remember these are monsters.
As much as I love the game I’m still mystified by its menus and multiplayer. Here at the 20 hour mark I am still learning how to get to what I need in the menu. It also has about a dozen different multiplayer modes and so far I only understand the SOS system which I use to launch a flair and call randos to my game when I need help with a hunt. These things have always been problems in MH titles in my opinion and at this point you have to assume it’s on purpose. Once I wrap up the campaign I intend to investigate the co-op play more and see if I can’t run some hunts with some friends.
I’ve played about 12 hours of Monster Hunter Wilds and I think I’m starting to figure out some of these menus now.
— Gabe (@cwgabriel.bsky.social) March 5, 2025 at 2:54 PM
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The first zone you find yourself in is a little drab but as the game opens up you discover some really impressive places. These are honestly some of the most convincing natural environments I’ve ever seen in a game. The monsters also look great which is good because you spend a lot of time very close to them and sometimes underneath them. As always the hit boxes feel incredibly precise. Right now I’m playing sword/shield and I love sliding between a monster's legs slashing as I go. Movement and combat feels so smooth and responsive you will find something to love about each different weapon.
If you’re new to Monster Hunter then Wilds is a great starting point. The beginning of the game is a very gentle ramp designed to teach you everything you need to know about hunting these monsters. You’ll start off beating the shit out of beasts around your size and end up fighting things the size of a fire station. If you’ve always wanted to try a Monster Hunter game, give Wilds a try.
In other news, I had to pause my monthly commissions because I’ve had a lot of other work including a new batch of cards for Marvel Snap! I’m not sure when these will hit the game but I’ll share more details with you including art as soon as I am able.
-Gabe Out
