Monster Hunter Wilds - Details We Know So Far

Recently, in the May PlayStation Showcase, we finally have a gameplay trailer for Monster Hunter Wilds along with a website to detail what’s going on in this new entry. So I wanted to take the time to go over all the information available at the time of writing.

Story and Characters

We have a whole host of new characters that will help you on your journey into the new Forbidden Lands. Most shockingly of all, they aren’t just given titles like Handler and Smithy. Instead, we have Alma and Gemma. Alma will be taking care of all the paperwork and providing info, and Gemma will be helping you craft your armour and weapons (and might be a grown-up Little Miss Forge from Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate). There’s also a kid named Nata accompanying you. Not much info on him, but more likely than not, he'll be a key player in whatever threat that might disrupt the ecosystem.

Besides your companions, the player character and their Palico now have a voice. This isn’t exactly the first time this has happened, with Palicos being able to talk in Monster Hunter Stories and hunters having voice lines when out on a quest inMonster Hunter Rise, but now they’ll speak in cutscenes instead of silently nodding. It seems they’re really trying to improve the overall storytelling in this entry, and while I heavily suspect it will go with the tried-and-true formula of “the flashship monster isn’t the real problem, go kill the actual one”, it’s a welcome change in effort.

Monsters

Two new large monsters were featured in the gameplay trailer: the fanged beast Doshaguma and the amphibian Chatacabra. Both live in the Windward Plains, the map featured in the trailer, and they’ll likely be the monsters newbie hunters will cut their teeth on before they face bigger and more dangerous prey.

Not every monster is meant to be turned into nice hats though. You have a mount called a Seikret (how is this pronounced!?) that you can call at any time to either help you travel faster or support you in a fight. Also, did you see the baby Pukei-Pukei? They’re really making me sad over hunting and capturing their brethren…

The Forbidden Lands

Wilds is set primarily in the Forbidden Lands, a new area of the Monster Hunter world to explore and fight in. Your hunting grounds will be much more dynamic than ever, with herds of small monsters that might interrupt your fight and an ever-changing landscape that will make your life easier or harder depending on the weather. For example: the Windward Plains can be peaceful one moment, when in the next you might be caught in a sandstorm or even made to fight in the middle of a thunderstorm! It’s a dangerous world out there, so preparation will be more important than ever.

Old Weapons, New Tricks

All 14 weapons from the previous game will be making a comeback, featuring a few new moves to keep things fresh. However, this time around, you’ll be able to bring two weapons and switch them on the fly. How this system will change how you build your armour sets remains to be seen, but it will encourage players to experiment and find their playstyle. It also looks like slingers and scoutflies from Monster Hunter: World will be brought back to help tackle the Forbidden Lands. It also slows down the combat speed that wirebugs brought in the last entry.

There is also a new mechanic that replaces the maligned Tenderise mechanic: Focus Mode. According to the website it “allows you to aim your attacks and guard abilities”, pinpointing a monster’s weaknesses in order to deal damage and buy some breathing room for yourself and your friends. Hey, you probably shouldn’t hunt alone!

There’s still a lot not shown to us yet, and I have my fingers crossed that there will be a new weapon introduced, but not to worry, my fellow hunters! Monster Hunter Wilds is also making an appearance at Summer Game Fest 2024 on the 7th of June. The release date is set sometime in 2025 so stay tuned for more updates.