Monster Hunter Outlanders preview – “Different than the console version in the greatest way”

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I’ll be honest, I was skeptical about Monster Hunter Outlanders at first. I didn’t think the feeling of those huge, classic Monster Hunter battles could really work on a touchscreen. And honestly, TiMi Studios didn’t try to perfectly recreate the original, and that’s actually what makes Outlanders so good.

The game starts with you as the leader of an Adventurer’s Guild, sent to Aesoland to uncover the secrets of a strange Aurora. You quickly discover your character is both daring and a bit of a risk-taker. The game begins with an amazing scene: you jump from a huge height to attack a dangerous Rathian that’s threatening a village. You then land and fight alongside your team to defeat the powerful monster – a truly spectacular introduction!

A fully voiced protagonist is a novelty for Monster Hunter

It is also worth noting that I am almost certain this is the first time a Monster Hunter protagonist has been voiced, which is pretty cool. So, you save a village, they adopt you, and you explore from there. A fun story, no doubt, but let’s start building up to the main course: the combat.

Before you start any mission, you’ll need to build a team of four characters. This game uses a ‘gacha’ system, so you won’t be able to get everyone you want. Characters fall into three main classes – Assault, Disrupter, and Support – but within those classes, there’s a lot of variety, and it’s not just about the weapons they use.

In the Support role, you’ve got characters like Madelyn, who’s great at healing, and Arkaya, who specializes in creating shields. Plus, each character has a special ultimate ability, leading to a lot of different and engaging team combinations.

You can change your character’s fighting style and weapon at any time. While all weapons are usable, the Assault and Dual Blades styles are particularly effective and fun to play. Currently, the available weapons include the Long Sword, Dual Blades, Great Sword, Bow, Heavy Bowgun, and Lance.

The unique combat styles in weapons return in Outlanders

They each have special properties, such as the Long Sword having a focus, parry and counter-attacking for massive damage, or the Lance being a more defensive option. Then you have the Dual Blades, which turn you into a maelstrom of spinning top with whirly stabs of doom. But with stamina management, you are a sophisticated kind of chaotic.

Now that you’ve chosen your team and target, it’s time to fight – and this is where Outlanders really stands out. As the core of the game, it faced a challenge: hunts in the main series can be very lengthy, but players might only have a few minutes to play.

TiMi adjusted the gameplay to make battles quicker and more action-packed. Fights against large enemies usually only take a few minutes, particularly when playing with a complete team online. Skill still matters, and precise timing is key for blocking and evading attacks. However, I do have some concerns about how the dodging system works.

The game doesn’t feel quick enough to match its fast-paced action. Often, I’ll start dodging when an enemy attacks, but the dodge doesn’t register until I’m already getting hit. While the main games penalize reckless button-mashing, this one should be more forgiving and allow for quicker reactions or the ability to cancel attacks.

Mastering the Ultimate Charge Cycle can lead to apocalyptic combos

As touched upon before, each character has their own ultimate attack. They range from Raya trapping foes so you can wail on them for a few seconds, to Keres whipping people with her hair and leaving a bone spike at the point of impact. She is an interesting one.

The game features a useful system called Ultimate Charge Cycle, where using one powerful ability helps recharge the next, creating a smooth flow – Assault charges Disrupter, Disrupter charges Support, and so on. This makes it easier to unleash a series of strong attacks. Overall, these changes make Monster Hunter more approachable, allowing you to jump in and complete a hunt even during a short break.

I’m honestly a bit conflicted about this change. I’ve been playing Monster Hunter since the games on the PSP, and I’m really accustomed to the older, more deliberate combat style – carefully waiting for openings and having longer battles. But with the new version, you can basically just keep attacking and still win, finishing fights in just a couple of minutes.

I wasn’t sure I’d like it at first, but I realized you have to approach Outlanders as its own thing, separate from the main series. It’s a mobile game designed specifically for phones, and it excels at that. The fast-paced battles are ideal for busy people who don’t have time for long fights, or just prefer something quicker. I think it could even attract people who haven’t played the other games before, because it’s so easy to pick up and play.

A massive open world with perhaps too much to do

But we aren’t finished yet. Why would you think that, because of that epilogue above? That was just for the combat; there’s still a ton more to this game. Exploration for one. Outlanders has an expansive open world, full of just way too much to do and collect. Luckily, this isn’t mandatory, but it’s good fun. You can find treasure chests, save people from ambushes, or one of my surprising favourites, cairn stone stacking. I spent about 20 minutes on one trying to beat the impossible high score. Never even cracked the leaderboard.

The game features a lot of freedom of movement. You can climb almost any mountain, and you’ll be able to build tools to help you get around quickly – like a zip line and a fan that launches you into the air for gliding. Just a friendly reminder: when you’re flying, don’t try to attack a Rathian right away!

As you explore the world, you’ll find plenty of useful resources like herbs, wood, and stone. You can also salvage materials from defeated monsters. And if you’re familiar with the Monster Hunter series, you know what comes next: crafting! Use these resources to create better gear, like armor and weapons made from monster hides, to boost your character’s defense, attack power, and abilities, ultimately making them incredibly strong.

I felt the game relied too heavily on filling the map with collectibles, similar to some Ubisoft titles. There are so many icons and items to find that it feels cluttered and doesn’t quite match the fast-paced, mobile-friendly combat. The battles are designed for quick play sessions, but you’re constantly finding things to collect. If the developers wanted to add more depth, they should have focused on creating longer, optional battles instead.

Initially, when I learned about Monster Hunter Outlanders, I hoped it would feel exactly like Monster Hunter Wilds. I quickly realized, though – within just five minutes of playing – that TiMi Studios had actually crafted an ideal Monster Hunter game specifically for mobile devices. My apologies to Monster Hunter Now for comparing it to Wilds.

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2026-05-27 11:49