At TGS 2026 Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance felt like an apology, while the basegame somehow runs on Switch 2

During Tokyo Game Show 2026, I had exactly two questions relating to Monster Hunter - how is Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance shaping up, and how the heck did they get the basegame running on a Switch 2? Longtime readers would know that I was incredibly excited for Wilds prior to launch, mostly because I was a big fan of the immersiveness that Monster Hunter World provided. I still put hundreds of hours into Rise and Sunbreak, but my hope always was that Wilds would scratch the sort of it that World did - and was promptly dashed once I finally had the chance to play it for an extended period of time for myself. So, what is Ascendance's response to the mixed reception to Wilds?

Well - it's a bit early to have a fully definitive answer, but after having the chance to tackle a few hunts with the new Ascendance changes, it seems like the team is retreating back to a more arcade-y style of gameplay, more like Monster Hunter Rise. The star of the show this time is the Boost Bracer; over the course of a hunt, and especially as you land attacks, you'll gather charges for this new implement - once filled, simply pressing R2, Triangle and Circle at the same time activates Boost. You'll use a special action as a flourish, and then for about half a minute or so every action you take will be "boosted", increasing your motion values for your attacks and in some cases drastically changing some of the attributes of your attacks entirely. Try landing an offset counter while in boost; using a Greatsword, the follow-up strike has the hunter jumping into the air with their best impression of Monster Hunter Generation's Aerial style.

Unlike Monster Hunter World: Iceborne's clutch claw, or Wilds' own focus mode, the Boost Bracer truly doesn't change the flow of battle - instead the player themselves chooses when best to make use of their charges to either counter a monster's rage state, or capitalize on their weakness. It's flashy, but the trailers maybe give a different impression from how it feels to use it in practice. It's another layer on top of existing hunts, rather than an entirely new paradigm you have to go out of your way to plan around. It's an elegant solution that leaves the solution for how you'll want to use it strictly in the player's hands. I dig it!

As for new challenges, our demo had us squaring up against either an Alpha Araketa or a Teostra. The former was a new Bird Wyvern that rockets around using air pockets attached to its wings like a diet Valstrax. All jokes aside; it's a neat addition, and I had a lot of fun taking it down, while also getting to grips with the new map in the Skybound Eyrie. As for Teostra - I can't help but feel a bit targeted. Last year we had an early chance to go hands-on with the Omega fight for basegame Wilds, a fight which I somehow managed to take down on my own during the preview session. This go around, Capcom came prepared so that this wouldn't happen. A strict 20 minute time limit, for one; while I managed to get it limping on my second attempt, I didn't quite have enough time to cross that finish line. Maybe if I'd abandoned my morals and had switched to Longsword.

Teostra is, well, Teostra. He's gotten a bit of a boost, and appears to borrow some of his abilities from Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, though it's hard to say for sure if that's just my memory playing tricks on me or not. I like Teostra, and it's as fun a fight as ever - but I do wish there'd been a properly new Elder Dragon to square off against for the demo. I'm sure there will be plenty to contend with come the expansion's full release, or at least new variants and subspecies, so I'll just have to wait and see.

Of course, while we had about an hour to go hands-on with Wilds: Ascendance - we also had a half hour allotted to attempt a hunt in handheld mode with Wilds' brand new Switch 2 release. This of course comes with a few caveats; the port is still a few months away from release, and as such visual fidelity and performance both still potentially have room to improve. Visually, it reminds me quite heavily of what I've played of Dragon's Dogma II: Dark Arisen on Switch 2, which about makes sense. It doesn't look as good as Wilds running on a powerful PC handheld like my MSI Claw or OneXPlayer 3, but it looks well enough and mostly sticks the landing with the 30 FPS cap.

There's the option to play it uncapped which will be nice in a decade when we've got Switch 3, but I'd highly suggest sticking to the 30 FPS cap. There were some clear dips below that target during my Seregios hunt, but nothing that can't hopefully be smoothed out by launch; even if not, it's not like portable Monster Hunter is a stranger to frame drops. The port at the very least passes the sniff test and I'd gladly recommend it to folks looking for a way to play the game on the go. As for docked play, we were unable to partake - so you'll have to wait for Mikhail's judgment in the months ahead.

Speaking of "in the months ahead", I'll be eagerly awaiting the date when I'll have the chance to fully veg out with Ascendance when it launches for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Nintendo Switch 2. Even if I don't expect it to scratch that same itch as Monster Hunter World, I'm more than ready for my next dose of Monster Hunter.