If Monster Hunter World was the first big and obvious evolution of the long-running series, Wilds is shaping up to be a clear, exciting progression that takes many of the world’s surprising changes one step further. Where World features individual areas in each region, Wilds removes the loading screens between each region and its base city, already located right on the map; where World allowed you to eat and change gear at camp, Wilds also allows you to set up a portable tent; and where World introduced voices for her human companions, Wilds voices the Felyne Palicos. I learned all this and more in a closed-door demo and interview with the developers of Monster Hunter Wilds at Summer Game Fest.
As is tradition, the hunt I saw began in town, where you can eat, manage your inventory, and craft weapons and armor with the encouraging young blacksmith, Gemma. However, this village was created WITHIN The Windy Plains hunting lodge has no loading screens separating it from the action. In fact, the entire 30-minute demo, from setting up in town to taking down a monster and exploring, was completely smooth.
While still in town, the hunter mounted their Seikret – a new wyvern-type mount for small birds that the presenter mentioned is especially useful because the maps in Wilds are twice as large compared to previous games. Considering how vast the places in the World felt, that sounds massive to me.
The hunter then headed to another small settlement on the Plains. The people here specialized in growing cheese and raising herbivores for livestock, and among them was a cheesemonger. After buying some of her goods, the NPC said “That will be seen gouda use.” Personally, I’m glad to see the classic Monster Hunter games still in the dialogue rotation, though I understand that some might find it a bit cheesy.
Ingredients in hand, next was finding the monster to hunt. The map in the menu now shows the elevation of the area in a sort of 3D rendering instead of the flat illustrated maps we’re used to, and while looking through it, our hunter selected a target for his Seikret to find and track via perfume. This is a more automatic approach and didn’t seem to require much action on the part of the hunter. Seikret can even avoid herds of monsters on his own while traveling.
During those trips, the hunter showed off a new portable tent. The temporary structure allows you to change your gear and eat just like in the usual tents dotted barely on the map. He also cooked a meal to order in the field, using the cheese bought earlier along with some meat. Ready to hunt, he continued on his way.
The hunter targeted an Alpha Doshaguma within a herd of animals. The Alpha’s larger size and redder fur set it apart from the rest, and the hunter donned a Ghillie Cloak to sneak up on him and start the battle with a sneak attack. (So the cloaks are back – at least this one!) Hitting the monster a few times automatically triggered a quest to defeat it.
Trying to fight a large monster in the midst of a herd seemed a bit chaotic, but also cool, and Seikret made it possible for the hunter to lure the mob into a nearby narrow valley. There, Bahalara’s quicksand trap quickly took care of the filler Doshagumas, absorbing them into an apparently sandy grave. Unpredictably, just as the clash hunter and Doshaguma returned to the wild, a new monster appeared to shake things up. This was the “Peak” of the plains – the new wyvern shown in the latest trailer at Summer Game Fest. Usually, this Lightning Flying Wyvern (apparently) appears with a storm, but the presenter said that this time it appeared a little early. To attack, this as-yet-unnamed wyvern grips the ground and “closes” its plate-like horns in a sharp formation to direct an electric beam. It’s an attack that requires a build-up and looks particularly impressive, and while it didn’t happen in my demo, I heard it had the ability to take down an unsuspecting (or unwary) hunter.
The ensuing storm impressed me – the visuals of the lightning striking the sand and flashing in the background were mesmerizing. At one point, the hunter called back to a tent on a cliff and looked into the distance, where the storm was rumbling among a special environmental structure.
Eventually, the hunter was able to escape the new threat and deal with the alpha Doshaguma with the help of several NPCs summoned by an SOS Flare, a mechanic that allows you to seamlessly “summon” other hunters at will into the hunt your current When online, these would be other players, of course.
While the Monster Hunter series toyed with becoming more cinematic with World and even Rise, Wilds really takes advantage of the effect that the camera’s field of view can have to create extra drama and tension in battles. After a power clash, where the hunter fights Doshaguma with a greatsword slammed into its mouth, the camera zooms out so that the savage jaws of the hunter and the monster take up most of the screen, adding to the stress of the moment.
CEO and art director Kaname Fujioka said that while they’re not trying to make Monster Hunter Wilds like a movie, they’re working to use the camera work to “serve what we want players to focus on visually and enhance their immersion”.
Here are some other highlights and details from the demo:
- Director Yuya Tokuda said that Palico now having a voice helps the player understand what’s going on, as there are a lot of “environmental changes” and “things that happen in real time”. For example, Palico spoke up and said, “The shock trap is down and ready for you” in the demo. I can definitely see the audio cues being useful when it’s hard to read text in the middle of the action, but Tokuda-san assured me that you can turn the voice back to familiar cat-speak meows if you choose.
- You can now pick up and reposition barrel bombs.
- Wounds will appear on the monster as you fight it. This is a system related to Focus Mode, which allows you to specifically target attacks and guards where you aim the cursor. When you enter focus mode, Scoutflies will highlight injured areas in red. Attacking these wounds specifically, either in or out of Focus Mode, will eventually destroy them and deal damage. There are even special moves for each weapon designed to destroy wounds faster.
- A red line from a monster towards you indicates when a monster will follow you.
- Each biome in these “Forbidden Lands” has different environmental phases and different materials will only be available during certain periods. For example, the wind plains have dry and abundant phases, accompanied by sandstorm weather events that have strong lightning strikes. Large thunderstorms only occur on the plains during those storms.
- If you are patient, you can watch the endemic life go through their life cycle. For example, a bird builds a nest, lays eggs, and feeds its young. Fujioka said their goal with the Monster Hunter series has always been to make players feel immersed in a living ecosystem, just like a real natural environment, and they aim to deepen that concept in Wilds.
- Horn Hunting is returning to its style from World, but with a few additional changes.
- The Light Bowgun and Heavy Bowgun have “received some of the most types of action changes” of all the weapon types, Tokuda said.
- Tokuda said that they’ve made playing through the multiplayer story much more suited to Wilds than World, but you won’t be able to play perfectly together in sync throughout the story as there are some story elements that you will have to witness them solo before they match. “We’ve introduced new features to the game so that in the background, you’re always connected,” Tokuda explained. “…so once you’re able to go on a quest, it adapts quickly and you can seamlessly jump back into multiplayer.”
Overall, Monster Hunter Wilds looks particularly promising in this first key look. It’s beautiful on the current hardware and seems to be taking full advantage of the technical prowess by introducing concepts like hordes of large monsters and dynamic and changing environments. Of course, I’m excited to see more, and I’m especially eager to learn more about the best changes and additions to the game that will make Wilds fresh and unique. As the start of the sixth generation of the beloved Monster Hunter series, it has high expectations to live up to!
Casey DeFreitas is IGN’s Deputy Guides Editor. You can catch him chatting about monsters on Twitter @ShinyCaseyD