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Monster Hunter Wilds

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Monster Hunter Wilds
Cover art, featuring the game's flagship monster, the Arkveld
Developer(s)Capcom
Publisher(s)Capcom
Director(s)Yuya Tokuda
Producer(s)Ryozo Tsujimoto
SeriesMonster Hunter
EngineRE Engine
Platform(s)
ReleaseFebruary 28, 2025
Genre(s)Action role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Monster Hunter Wilds is an upcoming action role-playing video game developed and published by Capcom. A successor to Monster Hunter: World (2018), the game is set to be released for Windows PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S on February 28, 2025.

Gameplay

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See also: Monster Hunter § Gameplay, and Monster Hunter World § 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 Hunter character who travels to the "Forbidden Lands", an unpopulated landmass filled with monsters, in order to locate a missing expedition party.[1] As with previous games in the series, the player's Hunter tracks and fights monsters, either capturing or slaying them, from which they gain rewards in the form of monster parts and other resources. Along with other resources collected in the game world, the player can then craft new armour, weapons, consumables, and other gear which allow them to fight more difficult monsters.

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 larger world and their hunter village where they can cook food, replenish their supplies, and craft new gear. 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, and can also be ridden while in combat.[3][4] The Seikret allows the player character to carry two distinct weapons while hunting monsters, though armour can only be changed in the village.[5]

All 14 types of weapons from World return in Wilds, though new moves and actions were introduced.[6] The Slinger also returns in Wilds with new features added, allowing players to grab items from afar and trigger environmental hazards.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9]

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.[10] As with World, a player can launch an SOS flare to bring either these live or computer-controlled allies to aid in the middle of a hunt.[4] The game includes an option for players with arachnophobia by replacing models of spider-like creatures with amorphous blobs.[11]

Development

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Wilds is currently being developed by Capcom, using their internal RE Engine. Following the large influx of players from Monster Hunter World, the developers spent more time on research and development to determine what features they wanted to include to meet the wider range of players anticipated for Wilds, according to art director Kaname Fujioka. By 2024, Wilds had been in development for at least five to six years.[12]

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 cycles, and watch how monsters interact with each other. Monsters do not stay in a single location on 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 even if 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.[13] To further increase immersion, the player-controlled character, as well as their feline companions (known as the Palico) are fully voiced.[9][14] 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.[15]

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 S and Series X on February 28, 2025, and will be the first game in the series to see simultaneous release on all launch platforms.[16][17] The game was made available for public demonstration at the 2024 Gamescom show, where it won four show awards selected by attendees, including Most Epic, Most Entertaining, Best PlayStation Game, and Best Trailer.[18]

Downloadable content is planned for the title, though according to Tsujimoto, these will remain as only cosmetic items such as layered armor gear, and will not be "pay-to-win items".[19]

The open beta for Monster Hunter Wilds, which began on October 26, 2024, attracted over 460,000 concurrent players on Steam, highlighting significant player interest despite some reported technical issues.[20] The game was nominated for Most Anticipated Game at the Game Awards in November 2024.[21]

References

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  1. ^ Cope, Alexander (August 21, 2024). "Monster Hunter Wilds' *WILD* new gameplay trailer reveals a range of new monsters". Windows Central. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Fenlon, Wes (June 12, 2024). "Monster Hunter Wilds looks like exactly the evolution of World I hoped for". PC Gamer. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  3. ^ Cryer, Hirun (May 31, 2024). "Monster Hunter Wilds is trying something brand new for Capcom's series – your mount will automatically find its way around the open world". GamesRadar+. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Kobari, Sachie (August 22, 2024). "Monster Hunter Wilds: hands-on report". PlayStation Blog. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  5. ^ Wood, Austin (June 12, 2024). "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". GamesRadar+. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  6. ^ Bailey, Kat (May 31, 2024). "Monster Hunter Wilds Gets New Trailer While Confirming Several New Monsters - State of Play 2024". IGN. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  7. ^ Denzer, TJ (August 5, 2024). "Monster Hunter Wilds shows off Seikret mount & new Slinger features". Shacknews. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  8. ^ Peppiatt, Dom (August 21, 2024). "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". VG 247. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Deferitas, Casey (June 13, 2024). "Monster Hunter Wilds: The First Preview". IGN. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  10. ^ Fuller, Alex (August 20, 2024). "Monster Hunter Wilds Introduces New Areas, Monsters, More". RPGamer. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  11. ^ Scullion, Chris (October 29, 2024). "Monster Hunter Wilds is the latest game to feature an 'arachnophobia assistance' option". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  12. ^ Francis, Bryant (August 26, 2024). "Capcom's close communication culture is key to sustainability, say Monster Hunter Wilds devs". Game Developer. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  13. ^ Fillari, Alessandro (June 21, 2024). "Monster Hunter Wilds' open world leap is thanks to growing global popularity". Game Developer. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  14. ^ Bustos, Joseph (May 30, 2024). "Monster Hunter Wilds: new gameplay details from today's State of Play". PlayStation Blog. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  15. ^ Seipke, Jean-Luc (June 12, 2024). "Monster Hunter Wilds Will Throw Way More Monsters At You". GameSpot. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  16. ^ Webster, Andrew (December 8, 2023). "Capcom announces Monster Hunter Wilds for 2025". The Verge. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  17. ^ Park, Morgan (September 24, 2024). "Monster Hunter Wilds finally has a release date, will mark the first simultaneous PC launch in the series". PC Gamer. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  18. ^ Gerblick, Jordan (August 23, 2024). "Monster Hunter Wilds was "the big winner" at this year's Gamescom 2024 Awards, with Supermassive's Little Nightmares 3 following close behind". GamesRadar+. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  19. ^ Koselke, Anna (August 28, 2024). "Monster Hunter Wilds DLC won't include any "pay-to-win items" but will remain cosmetic only, as "always" in the action RPG series". GamesRadar+. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  20. ^ Obedkov, Evgeny (2024-11-02). "Monster Hunter Wilds beta peaks at over 460k concurrent players on Steam, indicating strong interest in IP". Game World Observer. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  21. ^ Maas, Jennifer (18 November 2024). "Game Awards Nominations 2024: Astro Bot, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Lead With 7 Nods Each". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on 18 November 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
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