Monster Hunter Wilds brings a fresh wave of changes, new features, and quality-of-life improvements to the beloved Monster Hunter series. Interestingly, the seeds for these innovations were planted during Monster Hunter World's crossover events. Notably, insights from Final Fantasy 14's director, Naoki Yoshida, during the FFXIV crossover, and the enthusiastic response to The Witcher 3 crossover, directly shaped new gameplay elements in Monster Hunter Wilds.
During the collaboration for the FFXIV crossover, discussions with Yoshi-P led to a significant change in Monster Hunter Wilds' heads-up display (HUD). The new feature, inspired by Yoshi-P's suggestion, displays attack names on screen as players perform them. This concept was initially tested during the 2018 FFXIV crossover event in Monster Hunter: World, which included unique elements like catchable Cactuars, a crystal-hunting Kulu-Ya-Ku to Chocobo music, and the challenging Behemoth fight. In this event, Behemoth's moves were displayed in text, a feature now fully integrated into Monster Hunter Wilds.
The positive reception to The Witcher 3 crossover in Monster Hunter: World played a pivotal role in introducing more dialogue options and a speaking protagonist in Monster Hunter Wilds. In the crossover, players took on the role of Geralt of Rivia, engaging in conversations and choosing dialogue options, a stark contrast to the traditionally silent protagonists of earlier Monster Hunter games. This successful experiment encouraged the development team to incorporate a voiced protagonist and richer dialogue in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Monster Hunter Wilds director Yuya Tokuda, while not actively developing the game during World's collaborations, was already envisioning the future of the series. His proactive approach in seeking a collaboration with CD Projekt Red for The Witcher 3 crossover demonstrated his forward-thinking strategy, which has paid off in the evolution of Monster Hunter Wilds.
These insights were revealed during an exclusive visit to Capcom’s Japan offices as part of IGN First. For more details, don't miss the full hands-on preview, in-depth interviews, and exclusive gameplay of Monster Hunter Wilds:
- Behind Monster Hunter Wilds' New Approach to Starting Weapons and Hope Series Gear
- Monster Hunter Wilds Interview and Gameplay: Meet Nu Udra, Apex of the Oilwell Basin
- Evolving Monster Hunter: How Capcom’s Belief in the Series Made it a Worldwide Hit
- Monster Hunter Wilds: Gravios Returns in This Exclusive Gameplay
