``” which will be released on Friday, February 28, 2025Monster Hunter Wilds (hereinafter referred to as Wilds)”. Opportunities for advance play, studio tours, and developer interviews were held at Capcom's Research and Development Building in November.
In this article, I will share my impressions of the first 6 hours of this work, which I experienced during the preliminary play. We will take a closer look at the story of Monster Hunter, which is seamlessly woven at an unprecedented tempo, the battles with new and returning monsters, and the creation of the world.
◆“Monster Hunter” as a seamlessly connected “story”
What I was able to experience this time was a build that was "close to the retail version" and I played it for about 6 hours. I was able to spend a lot of time in the Forbidden Land, including the beginning of the story, which I was able to play during the beta test.
As you can see from the beginning of the story, you get the impression that this work is made with an emphasis on "seamlessness." For example, it is natural for a cutscene to transition naturally to the playable version, but when you go to the village of the person you meet at the beginning of the story, a conversation scene will occur while riding a secret with your friends, or you can "watch" the natural place you want to see. ``There is a lot of production involved.
We could see glimpses of this in the past work "Monster Hunter: World" (hereinafter referred to as "World"), but the production is more focused on "showcasing the world", which can be described as a "story-oriented AAA title". Lots of variety.
In addition, when hunting large monsters in the early stages, environments that can be used for hunting such as "Sibiregas Frog" and "Ivy Trap" in the field are set as optional targets, allowing you to learn naturally. Anyway, the wiring is neat.
I was left with a strong impression that communication occurred closely.
In this work, Airu and the player character (main character) actively talk, as well as Alma, who plays the role of a partner, Nata, a boy who seems to hold the key to the story, and is rumored to be the "processor's daughter" from "Monster Hunter 4". There are enough conversations that each character, such as Gemma, is firmly established. Of course, optional conversations are also possible, so I have a feeling that the total amount will vary depending on the player, but even with that in mind, there are a lot of conversations available.
In the previous series (especially in the works before ``World''), characters were interpreted based on the imagination of the characters, but in ``World'' it was more directly depicted, but in ``Wilds'' That gives me the impression that it is a more modern work. The expressions are richer, and the design allows you to immerse yourself more fully into the world thanks to the high quality of the images and beautiful production.
◆Evolved action and hunting tempo brought about by Secret
I'm sure many readers touched on the evolution of the action side during the recent "Tokyo Game Show 2024" preview and beta test, but each weapon has been added with great moves, evolving into more dynamic (and cool) action. I'm doing it.
In particular, I love the long sword, and I love the new action ``Reiki Release Musou Slash'' derived from Oniba Kabutowari, so I can't help but have fun hunting it to make it a hit. (Please note that some weapons will be adjusted based on feedback from beta test users. Please wait for further information.)
In addition, the addition of the spice secreto removes the inconvenience from hunting in vast fields. In addition to speedy movement, you can attack while riding, safely recover, and use a whetstone. Besides that, it is also possible to collect it, which is very convenient.
Unlike Gark in Monster Hunter Rise, one of Secret's charms is that he can move based on his own judgment, such as automatically chasing guide insects and automatically moving while dodging monster attacks. . There is autonomy.
Although the action itself has been expanded in ``Wilds'', as long as it is based on the traditional basic action, the structure of confronting monsters with weapons within a certain range remains the same. I feel that the addition of Secret here has the effect of creating the break time that was present in previous games, allowing players to take a break when moving between areas. I also got the impression that the game created a well-defined tempo as an action game, rather than just lazily confronting monsters.
◆Baba Konga is not “bushy” but “unkempt” which is impressive.
During this trial run, I was able to meet about 7 large monsters. I can imagine that it was probably designed intentionally, but monsters with different characteristics such as the bisexual "Chatakabra", the beast dragon "Kematris", and the fanged beast "Babakonga" appear one after another, and it is not a weapon action game. I get the impression that they are paying close attention to the action aspect of facing monsters.
What particularly impressed me was the chelicerae species, Labara barina. The visual, which resembles a spider carrying a rose flower on its back, is beautiful, combined with the mysterious crimson color of the field ``Scarlet Forest'', giving it a sense of biological beauty. The real pleasure of the series is that when you are fascinated by it, it is extended with malicious attacks, but Labara Ballina is no exception, and it is paralyzed by slow falling attacks like red spores, and it uses long legs. I am grateful for new encounters, such as being at the mercy of mobile attacks.
In addition, we will be reunited with "Baba Konga", who is familiar to fans of previous works. There are probably many hunters who have a close relationship with each other, but Baba Konga, who I haven't seen in a long time, is very bushy. However, it doesn't have the beautiful fluff of eyelashes, but rather an unkempt look. It was a reunion that was visually enhanced, with the slightly damp and dirty feeling on the tip of her nose, which perfectly matches the image of Baba Konga.
◆Creating an “ecosystem” that players can touch
Also, what leaves an impression is the "creation of the world". Even though it's a bit of a build-in, we've covered it in our magazine in the past."The monster's corpse turns into bones."In addition to the "ecosystem," the graphics of the mountains rising in the distance, the environmental creatures, and the beastmen known as Morivar who live in the "Scarlet Forest" are all carefully crafted to allow players to feel them from the field.
The small things that give people a sense of life are clearly expressed in the villages, allowing you to imagine how they live, and the field takes on completely different faces depending on the period of desolation, abnormal weather, and fertility, which is similar to Monster Hunter. There are many expressions that allow you to become more immersed in the world.
Another nice point is that they are tied to gameplay. For example, a large monster sneaks up on a simple camp and suddenly destroys it, or the bones of a monster's corpse can be collected as a bone mound.The way the world lives is directly influenced by the player. Anyway, I want to know what's happening in this world right now.
What I was able to touch on this time is only a part of this work. I'm not sure how it will be evaluated in the future, but at least from my experience playing this time, I got the impression that all three aspects of action, story, and world creation have been greatly improved.
As mentioned above, the hunting experience, or in other words, the enjoyment of action games, has greatly improved due to the dramatic evolution of weapon actions, the enhanced use of the environment, and the improved convenience brought about by secrets.
The story unfolds seamlessly, and you can play it as if you were watching a foreign drama all the way through.The story is filled with curiosity about unknown "forbidden places" that dig deeper into the world, and the large monsters that swarm around the world. I got the impression that the level of power-up from ``World'' to ``Wilds'' is incomparable to previous ones, due to the detailed depiction of the world where you don't want to miss even a moment of the beastmen who live there. .
I hope it will be released as soon as possible. Where will this story continue, what kind of encounters will there be, what kind of monsters will there be, and what kind of hunting will await us there? I can't wait for the release.