Monster Hunter Wilds is a lushly beautiful and ceaselessly thrilling entry in the series, but its performance and on-rails story can be distracting.

Monster Hunter Wilds reviews are in from critics, and it's shaping up to be a hit, much to the delight of fans.

Wilds sets out to split the difference between these two experiences. Its combat is faster than Worlds, but slower than Rise's. It's bigger and much more vertical than World, but without Rise's wirebug – a sad casualty of a move to a more traditional game – much of that verticality is wasted.