Monster Hunter Wilds Explained

Monster Hunter Wilds
Developer:Capcom
Publisher:Capcom
Director:Yuya Tokuda
Producer:Ryozo Tsujimoto
Series:Monster Hunter
Modes:Single-player, multiplayer
Released:2025
Engine:RE Engine
Genre:Action role-playing

Monster Hunter Wilds is an upcoming action role-playing video game developed and published by Capcom. A successor to (2018), the game is set to be released for Windows PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S in 2025.

Gameplay

Similar to its predecessor, Wilds is an action role-playing video game played from a third-person perspective. In Wilds, players take the role of a custom character who travels to the "Forbidden Lands", an unpopulated landmass filled with monsters, in order to locate a missing expedition party.[1] The game world features several biomes, each of which is a large open world for players to freely explore. In Wilds, players can seamlessly move between the hunter village where they can cook food, replenish their supplies, and craft new gears and weapons, and the rest of the world. Quests can also be started whenever players locate their targets in the wilds.[2] The game introduces a type of mount named Seikret which aids player exploration and directs them towards their current objective.[3] The Seikret allows the player character to carry two distinct weapons while hunting monsters, though armour can only be changed in the village.[4]

All 14 types of weapons from World return in Wilds, though new moves and actions were introduced.[5] The Slinger also returns in Wilds with new features added, allowing players to grab items from afar and trigger environmental hazards.[6] The game features a Focus mode enabling players to launch targeted attacks against specific body parts of a monster. Wounds on a monster can be further exploited to deal extra damage.[7] Monsters in the game will interact with each other, with predators hunting prey and certain monsters exhibiting herd behaviors to better protect themselves. Weather and time of day also affect the behaviours of monsters, some of which appearing only when the weather condition favours them.[8]

The game supports four-player cooperative multiplayer, though players who prefer to play solo can enlist the help of three support hunters controlled by artificial intelligence to aid them.[9]

Development

Wilds is currently being developed by Capcom. The team strove to create a realistic ecosystem and simulate a natural environment in the game. According to Yuya Tokuda, the game's director, players can observe the life forms in the game as they live out their life cycle, as watch how monsters interact with each other. Monsters do not stay in a single location in the map and will instead move around freely. Predators follow prey, and the state of the world is persistent. Players can use the changing environment to their advantage, but the effects of their actions cannot be undone if even they quit the game or return to the settlement.[2] The team also decided to move away from the "excursion" model of previous games, and introduce a larger, more seamless world to encourage players to interact with the game's various gameplay systems.[10] To further increase immersion, the player-controlled character, as well as their feline companions (known as the Palico) are fully voiced.[8] [11] The team listened to feedback from players of World and Rise, and decided to make exploration more accessible for players through the introduction of mounts that automatically guide players to their target.[12]

Monster Hunter Wilds was announced in December 2023 at The Game Awards. The game is set to be released for Windows PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S in 2025.[13]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Monster Hunter Wilds' *WILD* new gameplay trailer reveals a range of new monsters. Alexander. Cope. Windows Central. August 21, 2024. August 21, 2024.
  2. Web site: Monster Hunter Wilds looks like exactly the evolution of World I hoped for. Wes. Fenlon. PC Gamer. June 12, 2024. August 21, 2024.
  3. Web site: Monster Hunter Wilds is trying something brand new for Capcom's series – your mount will automatically find its way around the open world. Hirun. Cryer. GamesRadar. May 31, 2024. August 21, 2024.
  4. Web site: Monster Hunter Wilds interview: The future of the franchise, new tricks for all 14 weapons, and the "seamlessness" that really started with Monster Hunter World. Austin. Wood. GamesRadar. June 12, 2024. August 21, 2024.
  5. Web site: Monster Hunter Wilds Gets New Trailer While Confirming Several New Monsters - State of Play 2024. Kat. Bailey. IGN. May 31, 2024. August 21, 2024.
  6. Web site: Monster Hunter Wilds shows off Seikret mount & new Slinger features. TJ. Denzer. Shacknews. August 5, 2024. August 21, 2024.
  7. Web site: Monster Hunter Wilds gameplay preview: creating wounds, and then ripping them open, may be the best thing Capcom has ever done for the series’ combat flow. Dom. Peppiatt. VG 247. August 21, 2024. August 21, 2024.
  8. Web site: Monster Hunter Wilds: The First Preview. Casey. Deferitas. IGN. June 13, 2024. August 21, 2024.
  9. Web site: Monster Hunter Wilds Introduces New Areas, Monsters, More. Alex. Fuller. RPGamer. August 20, 2024. August 21, 2024.
  10. Web site: Monster Hunter Wilds' open world leap is thanks to growing global popularity. Alessandro. Fillari. Game Developer. June 21, 2024. August 21, 2024.
  11. Web site: Monster Hunter Wilds: new gameplay details from today’s State of Play. May 30, 2024. August 21, 2024. PlayStation Blog. Joseph. Bustos.
  12. Web site: Monster Hunter Wilds Will Throw Way More Monsters At You. Jean-Luc. Seipke. GameSpot. June 12, 2024. August 21, 2024.
  13. Web site: Capcom announces Monster Hunter Wilds for 2025. Andrew. Webster. The Verge. December 8, 2023. August 17, 2024.