Capcom's Monster Hunter series has long been celebrated for its thrilling monster hunts, but with Monster Hunter Wilds, the focus shifts to a more profound theme: the intricate relationship between hunters and the natural world. Dive deeper to discover what's in store for this exciting new addition to the series!
Monster Hunter Wilds Will Focus On Humans And Nature
A Deeper Understanding Of What It Means To Be A Hunter
In Monster Hunter Wilds, Capcom aims to highlight the symbiotic relationship between humans and monsters, a core aspect of the series. Game director Yuya Tokuda emphasized this theme in an interview with PC Gamer, stating, "The relationship between people, nature, and monsters, and what exactly is a hunter's role in a world like that…We wanted to illustrate that not just through the gameplay, but a very deep story. There are many other things we have planned down the line that are aligned to the concept of Monster Hunter Wilds, and we're confident this game was able to achieve what we wanted to express with it."
To enrich this narrative, Monster Hunter Wilds introduces more dialogue, allowing players to infuse more personality into their hunter characters. Tokuda highlighted the diversity of the game's inhabitants, using characters like Nata and Olivia as examples. These characters, coming from different backgrounds, bring unique perspectives to the monster situation. "There are many people with different perspectives living all together. And we also wanted to illustrate how the hunter would feel in a world like that. What would they feel? How would they think? Everybody is different, so we decided to add those kinds of elements to Monster Hunter Wilds."
This shift to a more dialogue-driven experience is a fresh approach for the series, which traditionally features silent protagonists with minimal dialogue. However, Tokuda reassured fans that this narrative focus will not detract from the core combat system. "There may be players who prefer to skip all that and just go keep on hunting the next monster—that's possible too. The volume of the text that's available in the game will not affect the number of monsters available, so we can satisfy everybody." This balance ensures that both story enthusiasts and action-focused players will find something to enjoy.
Tokuda's comments suggest that this is just the beginning, with "many other things planned down the line" that will further explore the bond between humans and nature. For those intrigued by the deeper themes and narratives in Monster Hunter, check out Game8's featured article on What Monster Hunter Is Really About for a comprehensive look at the series' underlying messages.