It’s a wild world.
Buried under Capcom’s Osaka, Japan headquarters is a small foley studio.
Dozens–if not hundreds–of shoes are tucked into cubbies outside the door.
The walls are adorned with household appliances, fabrics, and tools of every kind.
Unlike most instruments, Murmurs of a King does not sound pleasant.
Its bass-y screeches don’t even sound like an imposing monster, at least at first.
This approach to monster sound design is new for the series, they tell us.
However, what makes Wilds so enticing is how Capcom has streamlined the experience without sacrificing its depth.
Chief among these changes is the seamless open world.
Up until now, Monster Hunter’s hub area has been cordoned off from its hunting maps.
In Wilds, however, everything is connected.
This may seem like a small change, but it fundamentally changes the pace of the Monster Hunter experience.
Once you’ve defeated the beast, you might continue exploring the world or fast travel back to camp.
To help you get around the world, you have a trusty steed called a Seikret.
Unlike Monster Hunter Rise, though, Wilds is much bigger in scale.
Wilds' first area, the Windward Plains, is significantly bigger than the Shrine Ruins from Rise.
Alongside Wilds' bigger world, it introduces seasons called Fallow and Plenty.
In between each season, there’s a turbulent period called Inclemency.
The environment, the fauna, and monster behaviors change depending on the season.
During Plenty, the world is lush and monsters may be a little more docile.
However, for one quest I did get to experience the Inclemency period, which is a spectacle.
During this hunt, other changes that Capcom made further enabled the seamless open-world structure.
A change that might be more controversial is the reduction in length of hunts in Wilds.
While the fights were still intense, many of the hunts felt shorter than they have in previous games.
According to the director, this was intentional.
However, Capcom didn’t make the monsters easier or shrink their health pools.
Instead, the focus mode and injury system are what speeds up the fights.
Focus mode lets you pinpoint injuries and aim your weapon at said injuries.
During my session, I fought seven monsters, and each fight felt dynamic, deadly, and impressive.
The highlight was the Lala Barina.
Its erratic movements, weird shape, and swift attacks made it a formidable opponent.
Part of what makes these monsters so imposing are their animations.
One was a hunter toting a foam greatsword.
The other took on the role of the monster.
After the director called action, the two actors duked it out.
As good as it looked, the work is far from over.
These animations tend to be ones that require impossible acrobatics, such as the Insect Glaive’s aerial combos.
While they may not be as useful as player-controlled hunters, they were certainly competent enough to be beneficial.
They’d draw aggro, deal decent damage, and keep things from getting too out of hand.
Wilds feels like a logical step forward for the Monster Hunter series.
Monster Hunter Wilds comes to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S on February 24, 2025.
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