As a stalwart member of the Dual Blades community, Monster Hunter Wilds has done us dirty by not importing Rise's beloved Wirebugs

I'm a Dual Blades man when it comes to Monster Hunter. Always have been, always will be, and Monster Hunter Wilds is no exception. I dabble in other weapons from time to time (it's not a monogamous relationship), and I'm not above meeting a Long Sword or a tautly-strung Bow for a quick dalliance. But I'll always return to my beloved Dual Blades, with which I carve through Rathian plating like a buzzsaw. And I still love using them in MH Wilds, but I can't say it's been the highlight of our marriage.

That highlight's been and gone: it was Monster Hunter Rise's Wirebugs, the unique movement system that was introduced one game prior. This is the moment where many fans will roll their eyes and say that obviously Rise only incorporated them as a one-time USP and gimmick, and in response I tell them that when you've found a gimmick as fantastic as that, you don't just throw it on the trash heap afterwards.

Wire-slinging

For those who don't know, Wirebugs were a built-in grappling hook system that massively increased mobility across the board, among other things. Players could throw out a little blue insect to which they were secured by a length of string, then use it as a fixed point to hoist themselves towards. A Rathalos spitting a fireball in your direction? Yank yourself to the side for a rapid dodge. A Gravios attempting to trample you into the dirt? Let your Wirebug sling you upwards like a reverse bungee jump. And that's to say nothing of the skills nominally tied to Wirebugs, like snaring monsters for a quick rodeo or the special Switch Skills.

Wirebugs were a shot of agility that did a lot for the series' pace and challenge for players of every stripe. But for a Dual Blades user, it was a gamechanger like nothing else. Already a weapon type that emphasizes speed and agility, suddenly I had become a human Beyblade, a blur of omnidirectional violence that could instantly throw itself in any direction, treating gravity as a mere suggestion. If a Nargacuga lunged at me, I'd suddenly be six feet above it, cackling maniacally, knives drawn and ready to carve up my attacker like a hibachi chef.

I really like Monster Hunter Wilds, don't get me wrong, but its leaner design philosophy in comparison to Rise has arguably thrown out the baby with the bathwater. No, I didn't want many of the gimmicks in that game to come back (I'm thinking of the rather dreary tower defense sequences) but Wirebugs absolutely justified their ongoing inclusion in the core series, to the extent that if forced to pick between a pouch full of those flying spiders and the series' foundational Palico cat companions, I'd pick the Wirebugs every time. Sounds blasphemous, but I'm sorry: they're just more fun.

Iceborne and Sunbreak were massive DLC shake-ups for their respective Monster Hunter games that effectively sounded the horn for "2.0", reinventing and adding to the mechanics of the games they were tied to. If that trend continues for Monster Hunter Wilds, it'd be a perfect moment to make the game much more buggy – and all the better for it.

Monster Hunter Wilds revived a play style I fell in love with almost 10 years ago, and now it's one of my favorite ways to play all over again