How I took down a big toad in Monster Hunter Wilds

It was massive and hurt my cat but I got it in the end

Monster Hunter Wilds / Capcom

I took down a big toad in the first-ever hands-on demo for Monster Hunter Wilds. It may sound cruel, but in fairness, I wanted its jawbone to make a sword.  

Welcome to the world of Monster Hunter. Killing wildlife for body parts is how the series works, as established in the very first game which launched on PS2 in 2004. So, what’s changed?

Firstly, Wilds is a lot more immediately cinematic. My hands-on demo begins on the back of a speeding seikrat – basically an ostrich if it were a lizard. As it runs, giant skinks leap and spin from the desert sands.

To stop them eating me, I fire my grappling hook at animals flying overheard and steal their pods, which are basically my ammunition. I fire these pods at the serpents – the circle of life.

Suddenly, a leviathan opens a giant sinkhole up ahead, and my AI companion’s seikret plunges beneath the surface. I fire my remaining pods into the thrashing body of the beast, and my buddy manages to claw itself up the steep sand bank. This is just the opening mission. 

Admittedly, it doesn’t represent the bulk of Monster Hunter Wilds. Instead, this on-rails chase scene is there to introduce you to the world, help you get to grips with the controls, and give you a taste of its colorful local fauna.

Monster Hunter Wilds / Capcom

The first proper mission sees me venture into the desert to rescue a young girl’s missing brother. He was last seen heading into a cave. Before setting off, it’s time to choose my weapon. 

There are 14 in total, and they differ so much you’re actually given a questionnaire to help determine what suits you best. Rather than you picking the weapon, the weapon picks you (although you can choose your weapon manually if you’d prefer).

Do you like parrying, asks the questionnaire, or are you more into quick flurries? Will you play it safe with a tight guard, or smash through opponent’s defences with unstoppable strikes? 

After a few answers, I’m given the result: a kinsect glaive. This is basically a big metal staff with a scarab beetle on the end that flies about and helps out with attacks.   

Now it’s off to find the brother. After a short journey across the dunes, I come to the cave. Inside is what looks like a massive toad crossed with a bear, aka a chatacabra. 

The kinsect glaive has an impressively long move list, with light and heavy attacks, plus vaulting strikes opening up a whole extra move tree.

Monster Hunter Wilds / Capcom

After sustaining some damage, the chatcabra flees. I give chase, and find it flat on its back. It’s not dead, however. It’s sleeping in a bid to recover from its wounds. No chance of that happening when I have jaw bones to harvest. 

I send up an SOS flare with the D-pad, and I’m joined by an AI companion, although if you’re playing online, other human players will have the chance to join you. 

We combine forces and double the damage. By holding LT, I can enter focus mode and channel the damage into one specific area with the help of a reticule. This lets you create injuries, which glow red. Whacking away at these causes the chatacabra to flee once more, this time with a noticeable limp.

To give chase, I hop on my seikret. There’s an auto-run option, which at first sounds a bit too hands-off, but it’s actually fairly useful. For starters, it ensures you’ll never lose track of monsters and have to start the whole fight over. 

It also lets you concentrate on collecting resources during the trip, which you can do by targeting environmental fauna with your grappling hook. And finally, your seikret will climb up surfaces and amble over outcrops automatically, which looks cool. 

A final flurry on the overgrown amphibian finishes the job, and me and my companion get to carving it up by pressing the circle button. I come away with the much-coveted jaw bone, as well as scales, which I can use back at camp to fashion myself rare weapons and armor.

Monster Hunter Wilds / Capcom

Once the fight ends, you’re instantly transported back to camp. If you’ve not played a Monster Hunter game before, an open-world survival experience this is not. You’re not meant to linger. The post-boss teleportation is Capcom’s way of serving you up the best bits with as little fluff as possible. 

And those bits, for me in this demo, are tracking down a big toad, fighting it, skinning it with a knife, then making myself a gift. 

Wilds is the same core Monster Hunter experience, only with extra cinematic flavor, more accessibility for newbies, and a spectacular menagerie of monsters. Don’t miss the latest Monster Hunter Wilds trailer showing off a battle against a giant spider with a bright red rose on its rear end.