Monster Hunter Wildsis a phenomenal masterpiece that Capcom should absolutely be proud of. However, the same cannot be said for its dreadful PC performance which has dragged the game down massively, and even hurt its review scores. Fans have been complaining since the game launched, which has prompted many to not only worry about the state of the game but also the state of PC ports in general, which, as of late, have been consistently poor and often unjustifiably broken.
However, despiteWilds’performance dropping its review scoreson platforms like Steam, it continues to be a runaway success, the likes of which most developers can only dream of. It has been so successful, that it has even broken numerous records. Naturally, this prompts a more nuanced examination of the state of PC ports, andjust how important a stable and playable PC build is when the likes ofMonster Hunter Wildscan get away with such an unplayable experience.
Rough Performance Hasn’t Stopped Monster Hunter’s Steam Success
It Is A Record-Breaking Game
It is no secret thatMonster Hunter Wildsis a humongous successfor Capcom.WildsbeatBaldur’s Gate 3andElden Ringwhen it comes to having the highest 24-hour concurrent player count on Steam. It also, according toIGN, is seemingly responsible for Steam breaking its own concurrent player count across the entire platform, with it seeing over 40 million people on the platform at one time during the weekend that Wilds released.
Monster Hunter Wildsis alsoCapcom’s fastest-selling game, managing to hit eight million copies in just three days, a feat so staggering that most AAA games don’t manage that in their lifetime. To put it into perspective,Elden Ringsold five million copies in its first week,Monster Hunter Worldsold 1.2 million, and, for something a little less niche,Hogwarts Legacy, the game based on a best-selling franchise, sold 12 million copies across its first two weeks.
Yet,despite it all, players continue to tolerate it asMonster Hunter Wildsis simply worth it.
Of course, this is all despite the fact thatMonster Hunter Wilds’PC port is famously terrible. Players have sufferednumerous crashes inWilds, as well as progression-based bugs that have caused them to lose progression and be unable to progress further. There have been multiple graphical issues, poor performance, and a plethora of other issues that fans have had to suffer through just to be able to play it. Yet,despite it all, players continue to tolerate it asMonster Hunter Wildsis simply worth it.
Troublesome PC Ports Are Criticized But Tolerated
Some People Are Happy To Wait For Patches
Monster Hunter Wildsisn’t the first PC port to have poor performance yet still do well financially, but it is perhaps the most successful example. Previously, the likes ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthand PlayStation’s buggyMarvel’s Spider-Man 2PC porthave performed well commercially, but not critically. They’re often riddled with issues that fans are seemingly content with putting up with simply because it is better than nothing.
This is often the case with PC ports of console exclusives, including the aforementioned Sony titles, as it gives PC players an opportunity to experience games they otherwise wouldn’t be able to. However, this isn’t the case withMonster Hunter Wilds, which is what makes it rather surprising. It is perhaps even more surprising considering thatCapcom has a track record of releasing badly optimized PC ports, such as thedreadfulDragon’s Dogma 2port.
Monster Hunter Wilds Might Be Better Off With Even More Cutscenes
Monster Hunter Wilds is far more story-heavy than previous entries, but, despite featuring a lot of cutscenes, it could do with implementing more.
It had awful performance and a myriad of issues when it launched, a lot of which still haven’t been completely fixed. It still retains its Mixed review score on Steam, indicating it never got to a satisfactory state to help tip the balance.Players evidently had enough faith inMonster Hunter Wildsas a game that they weren’t concerned that Capcom simply wouldn’t be able to rectify the many issues with its PC portthat the media was heavily covering prior to its release.
Monster Hunter Wilds Is The Kind Of Game That Can Forge Ahead
Capcom Is Already Updating It
Fortunately, it doesn’t look likeMonster Hunter Wildswill suffer quite the same fate asDragon’s Dogma 2. Capcom has already delivered a number ofgame-saving patches forWilds, including ones that fix its biggest bugs. While performance patches are still needed, Capcom has also promised a wide slate ofupcomingMonster Hunter WildsDLC, including new monsters, quests, and more. It is actively listening to the community, which isa great first step in ensuring that the PC port lives up to the game’s otherwise impeccable quality.
Monster Hunter Wilds Is Another Great Capcom Game With The Same Silly Caveat
Capcom has once again made a masterpiece with Monster Hunter Wilds, but it has one huge caveat that the developer can’t stop adding to its games.
So, whileMonster Hunter Wildsmay have started off with a buggy PC release, it will hopefully not end that way. However, as great as it is that Capcom is addressing the plethora of issues withWilds’performance across all platforms, it is still unacceptable that PC ports remain inconsistent when it comes to quality. While PC players may be willing to put up with a lot, they absolutely deserve better, especially when it comes to games likeMonster Hunter Wildsthat have become so overwhelmingly hyped that everyone feels compelled to play them.
