Monster Hunter Wilds

(This economics graduate spends her leisure time preparing for the zombie apocalypse)

- Anusha Ganapathi

EXPLAINING Monster Hunter Wilds is rather redundant. It's right there in the name. You hunt monsters, most of which are in wild, forbidden lands. It is the latest game in the series, which has been around for 20 years. So, this review is for those who have kept themselves shielded from it for this long.

One elaborate character creation menu later, the game jumps right into it. An unexplored piece of land with ancient tribes is disturbed by a mysterious earth-shattering event. A little child escapes and is saved by futuristic adventurers. He turns up to his saviours and begs: "You must save my people, you must help me find my village"! You are one of those saviours. A monster hunter.

While the role of the Monster Hunter is important, it is often hard to be solemn while executing your assigned task. Especially if one of the monsters that you have to fight to kill is a "Congalala": a baboon that shoots noxious fart fumes. Many such creatures exist, and some of these are a little more beautiful, a bit more smarter and nuanced than others.