Back in 2018, the instant success of Monster Hunter World catapulted the game and the Monster Hunter franchise into the global spotlight. Lush maps, deep combat, and memorable monsters helped make it one of Capcom’s most successful projects ever. Today, millions of players are eagerly waiting for the 2025 sequel, Wild monster hunter.
New footage from Play status and the Summer Game Festival gave players plenty to dissect, from new monsters and abilities to extreme, dynamic weather. But a recent hands-on presentation during the Summer Game Festival allowed me to see first-hand gameplay and, crucially, how the game’s new features impact the experience.
In just 30 minutes of playtesting, I saw a few things that made me fall in love with Wilds. The new map is much more detailed, especially in terms of verticality. Some maps in World are quite dense and can overlap or even flip themselves over. Perfect for monster lairs, but sometimes confusing for players. This time, between the map and new UI elements that tell you which direction the target monster is in (and how far away they are), tracking your target will be much easier.
The target monster is Doshaguma, new to Monster Hunter Wilds. In Wilds, players can select a monster on their map and begin the quest by engaging that monster on the battlefield (Capcom did not confirm other ways players can begin the quest missions or other types of missions in the game). After that first hit, an astonishing score rises to open up the quest with full orchestral power and a dramatic, dramatic sense of conflict. As the hunt continues, the sand monster Balahara appears with a deep hole that pulls Doshaguma down. They fight in a classic Turf War battle, with smaller monsters running everywhere. Chaotic and violent, and about to escalate further.
Not long into the battle, a majestic wall of dust and sand formed on the horizon. It quickly covered the area in blue/black darkness, illuminated by stray lightning bolts. These weather events change what monsters can appear on the map, including a mysterious new Apex creature that can shoot lightning from its head.
Immediately after the demo, I was able to speak with the game’s trio of leaders to learn more about what I’d just seen: Series Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, Director Yuya Tokuda, and Art Director/CEO Kaname Fujioka.
PlayStation Blog: Monster Hunter World was a huge success when it launched in 2018. How did its unprecedented success help you approach Monster Hunter Wilds?
Ryozo Tsujimoto: What we did for World, both the base game and the expansion, really impacted Monster Hunter Wilds. Our approach to keeping players constantly interested in the World has helped us learn what players want to see in the future. That doesn’t just mean the things we want to improve in the game, but also how we deliver information to players and how we ease them into the game.
Speaking of making it easier for players to get into the game, Monster Hunter Wilds has a ton of quality-of-life improvements. For example, the map seems more detailed and more useful for navigation. Things like quest and monster tracking, item placement, and a great sense of map verticality. Is there anything else new that returning players can look forward to?
Yuya Tokuda: You have realized that it is now much easier to approach monsters and find monsters on the map. We’ve received feedback that they’re sometimes a bit difficult to reach, especially in very vertical maps where you have a lot of different geographical elements. And, with the introduction of Seikret, it will be easier for players to figure out where to go and where to find monsters on the field.
In terms of things we’ve improved, one example is that selecting items is now much easier. We’re really paying attention to providing more options for players with different types of item preferences, because selecting and navigating through items is something that can be difficult during the hunt. But hopefully by giving players more options and more customization, we’ve improved this experience for returning players.
The phrase “living breathing ecosystem” is used to describe Monster Hunter World. The maps are huge and full of life, you can see monsters tangled in vines, creatures will interact with each other, etc. How are you expanding that idea and making it relevant? Does it feel bigger and more interactive?
Kaname Fujioka: We’re focusing on designing monster herd behaviors that are truly suited to each of their environments and ecosystems. So we wanted to have well-designed and detailed monster behavior as they moved around in these larger herds. How players interact with them during the hunt is our first small step toward enhancing a beautiful, livable environment.
I noticed in the demo the hunter used both a Great Sword and a Heavy Bowgun. So now you can carry two weapons on a mission. Previously, players would have to commit to using the weapon, bringing it on missions, it was your weapon. How does this change play out for Wilds?
Yuya Tokuda: One of the important things about Wilds is that the environment itself is much more dynamic and adaptable. Things are changing frequently, and even the monsters available to hunt can change from moment to moment. It’s important for us to give players the ability to adapt to that and change their own play style. So they can carry different weapons or the same weapon but with different components for those situations. We’re really designing the game around allowing players to adapt to the environment.
Focus and wound modes are new to Wilds. Can you talk a little about how these systems work and how/when players might want to participate in these systems?
Yuya Tokuda: So you don’t need to be in Concentration Mode to create wounds. Attacking a monster will naturally cause damage or wounding. As long as you attack the wound, you will deal more damage to the monster.
Switching to Focus Mode will highlight monsters’ wounds so you can target them a lot easier, and there are special attacks you can perform in Focus Mode that will Deals more damage to the wound. However, Focus Mode isn’t really just for wound targeting.
The cursor that appears on the screen allows you to aim attacks as well as aim other moves such as defending and blocking attacks. The real advantage of Concentration Mode is that it helps players locate and keep their distance from monsters, so that even players who may not have much experience with action games or games similar to Monster Hunters, also have an easier time practicing their attacks.
In short, if you could say anything to Monster Hunter World players who really love it, but maybe they abandoned years ago and they’re curious about Wilds, what would it be?
Ryozo Tsujimoto: We’re really just trying to make a great game for everyone. We expect Wilds to be a superior experience to anything that has come before in the Monster Hunter series, and indeed gaming in general.
Yuya Tokuda: For players who don’t enjoy the action [of World], we are planning to build a really thorough support system for players to learn about the game and play it from start to finish. We hope that will allow players to experience the best that Wilds has to offer.
The hunt begins when Monster Hunter Wilds comes to PS5 next year.
