Monster Hunter Wilds interview: How Capcom is evolving its apex franchise
blog.playstation.comBack in 2018, Monster Hunter World’s immediate success propelled the game, and the Monster Hunter franchise, into the global spotlight. Its lush maps, deep combat, and memorable monsters helped it become one of Capcom’s most successful projects ever. Today, millions of players now eagerly await 2025’s follow-up, Monster Hunter Wilds.
New footage from State of Play and Summer Game Fest has given players lots to dissect, from new monsters and abilities to harsh, dynamic weather. But a recent hands-off presentation during Summer Game Fest allowed me to see live gameplay, and crucially how the game’s new features impact the experience.
In just those 30 minutes of demo gameplay, I saw several things that got me stoked for Wilds. The new map is much more detailed, particularly regarding verticality. Some maps in World were pretty dense and could overlap or even turn back on themselves. Perfect for a monster’s den, but sometimes confusing for players. This time around, between the map and new UI elements that tell you which direction the target monster is (and how far away they are), it’s much easier to keep track of your targets.
The target monster was the Doshaguma, new to Monster Hunter Wilds. In Wilds, players don’t have to formally sign up for a quest and then head out from camp. You can simply find the target monster out in the wild and initiate the quest by engaging the monster. Upon that first hit, an incredible piece of music swells to usher in the quest with full orchestral might and a driving, dramatic sense of conflict. As the hunt goes on, the sand leviathan Balahara appears with a deep pit that pulled Doshaguma down. They brawl in a classic Turf War scrap, with smaller monsters scurrying all around. Chaotic and intense, and about to escalate even further.
Not long into the battle, an imposing wall of dust and sand forms on the horizon. It soon blankets the area with a blue/black darkness, illuminated by stray lightning strikes. These weather events change which
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