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Quick Look: Monster Hunter World – Wildspire Waste
Publisher: Steamforged Games
Year Published: 2022
Design Team: Unlike most reviews where I’d specify the few people involved to bring a title to life, this project had a team of over 50 people. There is a full page on the inside of the rulebook listing the individuals involved but suffice it to say, that a large team of professionals combined their efforts to bring this title to life.
In this cooperative arena combat board game for 1-4 players set in an open world, it’s not you who dictates the flow of battle, but the monster you hunt — and each one is wildly different.
Tasked with protecting the Astera basecamp, you must track down and slay the fearsome creatures roaming the New World. Use the loot collected from your fallen foes to craft powerful new equipment, so you can take on bigger and badder beasts!
The more monsters you slay, the better the weapons you can craft, the bigger the monsters you can hunt
Review:
Initial Impression/Components:
When I first opened the box, the top 60% greeted me with a set of large boss miniatures. One of those minis was so large it was in 3 pieces and had to be (easily) assembled to see its full glory. With that insert lifted out of the way, there was much more underneath: character sheets, game boards, reference cards, dice, a quest book, hunters, terrain, tokens, health dials, and an abundance of cards. If you follow the link for the rulebook download, check out page 6.
As a campaign game, there are too many rules to give you a proper run down that is possible in smaller titles. However, I will say, after playing a lot of these style games, the book is well laid out and the concept is clearly defined. There were a couple of small hiccups along the way, turning back to the rulebook for clarification at multiple points but we were able to locate the answer each time and keep moving forward. Take a look at the full rules for yourself, they offer a free PDF on their website:
– Bang-for-buck: A load of content to get through via quests, campaigns, and character upgrades.
– Epic boss battles
– Combat resolution through card play (not dice-based as most games of this type)
– Solo playability
– Lower player counts having a slight modification rather than “dummy” players common in other games
– Time tracking and campaign/quest limitations to prevent what RPGs would describe as ‘farming’ experience and gear.
– Card decks for each character type for a tailored experience
– Clear rulebook as well as a quick start guide and video instructional video if desired on their website.
– Status and terrain effects
– Sense of urgency and danger in battles; you can’t simply take your time and do whatever you like. The boss will be a challenge.
– Varying monster moves and attacks
– Ability to break monster parts
– Use and exhausting of your own cards through a stamina track. This was particularly well done.
– Monster part collecting and ability to craft new gear
– Time deck / events
– Dodging
– Length of time required to farm animal parts enough to upgrade gear (to be honest, I actually liked how it was difficult and took a long time, I played with 2 different groups that all didn’t like this part though, so I noted it)
– Monster movement was a bit clunky
– Cost of sprinting made it an uncommon choice
– Having to clear a specific card on your stamina board rather than a card of your choice felt punishing at times.
I was thoroughly impressed with the caliber of game that I received and will be seeking out other titles under the Monster Hunter World banner, including expansion packs and new monsters. Following the wildly successful follow up, Iceborne, that recently concluded on Kickstarter, that content will soon be published and available. At the time of this review, they had just finalized the digital files (as per Update #51). I hope to get a chance to play that and see what’s different and what monsters are lurking within.
I want to mention that though this is a campaign and quest-based game it is not the weight and difficulty that might be expected and if you are someone that is thinking about getting into the heavier side of board gaming but are not quite ready to take on some of the popular heavy weights, I’d encourage you to give this one a try and if it proves to be a great experience, it would be a good measure of your ability and desire to venture deeper (or stay at a different level) into heavier genres/games.
Here’s a link to the game on their website:
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Disclaimer: Anytime you see a link to Amazon on our site, it is another way to get your product there for the normally listed price as well as a way to support Everything Board Games and everything we’re doing here, without paying any extra. We appreciate the support!
Brad Hiscock, aka “Zerility”, is a construction project manager and electrician by trade who was the owner of a 6-time award winning electrical company. His passion for board games has led him from playing hundreds of original titles to creating a design and publishing company of his own, Convivial Games. As an up and coming collaborator on many projects, he is always eager to try new games and meet new people.
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All of Brad Hiscock, aka “Zerility”‘s reviews can be found HERE.