[Interview] Evolving hunting action 'Monster Hunter Wilds”, aiming for a seamless hunting experience [gamescom]

At the game show "gamescom 2024" being held in Germany from August 21st to 26th, 2024, "Monster Hunter Wilds" (PC / PS5 / Xbox Series X|S) was exhibited as playable. . The exhibit was almost the same as the hands-on report introduced here. Many people were lining up right after the doors opened, enjoying the new Monster Hunter game.


At gamescom 2024, a joint interview with Ryozo Tsujimoto, Yuya Tokuda, and Kaname Fujioka, who are involved in the development of "Monster Hunter Wilds", was also conducted. Let me tell you about the contents of the interview, which talked about new elements introduced in Wilds and a look back at the series as a whole.

――The playable demo of Monster Hunter Wilds was exhibited at gamescom, marking the first opportunity for the general public to experience it. Please tell us your honest impressions when you see the general public playing the game.

Mr. Yuya Tokuda (hereinafter referred to as Mr. Tokuda):
I have been involved in the development of Monster Hunter for many years, and I am very happy that I finally have the opportunity to share it with everyone. I was overwhelmed with emotion when I saw so many people crowding into our booth from the moment the show opened, and how happily they lined up for hours to play.

Mr. Kaname Fujioka (hereinafter referred to as Mr. Fujioka):
It was completely different from test play ourselves, and it was very nerve-wracking to watch the general public play the game. Seeing everyone having so much fun playing the games made me realize once again that it was really a good idea to exhibit this time.

Mr. Ryozo Tsujimoto (hereinafter referred to as Mr. Tsujimoto):
It's been five years since we exhibited Monster Hunter at gamescom, and I felt that the user base has expanded compared to five years ago. Their enthusiasm was truly amazing, and I would like to convey this excitement to the development team to increase their motivation and lead to the creation of even better products.

――I heard that you have continued development since the end of “Monster Hunter: World,” but how long will the specific development period be? Also, please tell us about the most difficult point during development.

Mr. Tokuda:
We started development around 2019. Of course, we didn't develop the game with full members from the beginning, and the team gradually grew larger. Things went relatively smoothly until we turned the concept into reality, but things got tough once we started full-scale development.

The concept of this game was to seamlessly portray the world of Monster Hunter, including humans, and we aimed to eliminate loading between fields. However, eliminating loading means that a huge amount of information must be constantly calculated. Overcoming this technical challenge was the most difficult.

――Please tell us about the new monster “Labala Barina” that was released in conjunction with gamescom. Spider-shaped monsters have appeared in previous games, but how do you differentiate them?

Mr. Fujioka:
Rabala Barina is different from the flow of simple monsters so far, and has been designed as a more complex monster. Labara Ballina lives in an environment called the Scarlet Forest, where red water flows, and its attack pattern is to spit out threads containing toxins, which fall at different times. Players need to think about how to avoid this attack while fighting.

――Please tell us about the characteristics and ecology of the new monster “Glittering Thunder Dragon Le Dau”.

Mr. Fujioka:
Le Dau is a monster that can control lightning. Le Dau itself has the ability to create lightning and crystallize it. By wearing this crystallized lightning, you can develop a unique fighting style. In terms of design, it has a simple yet contrasting appearance that visually expresses its capabilities.

――This work also depicts people's lives, but specifically, how is it different from previous works?

Mr. Tokuda:
Wilds provides a more seamless experience by eliminating loading between fields. Inside, you can get a glimpse of people's lives and observe how they adapt to changes in the seasons and environment. For example, during times of plenty, some people go to fetch water, while during times of desolation, others take risks to extract ore. Furthermore, it also depicts the lives of people living in the world of Monster Hunter, something that previous works did not have, such as depicting people evacuating quickly after detecting the approach of monsters.

――Please tell us about the evolution in the depiction of monster ecosystems.

Mr. Fujioka:
From the early stages of development, we wanted to create as many monsters as possible. Of course, just having too many monsters would be boring, so we created monsters that appear in groups. Herbivorous monsters protect themselves from external enemies by gathering together, and this is how they depict their ecology. By creating variations even within the same group, we strive to create detailed depictions that are enjoyable just by looking at them.

Additionally, the monster's behavior changes as the environment changes. For example, during periods of devastation when the land becomes thinner, there will be more aggressive, carnivorous monsters, and things that previously did not swarm will begin to swarm. And predators that only come out during sandstorms may appear. During the fertile season, the number of large monsters decreases, but various small creatures increase, creating a contrast by expressing changes in the ecosystem according to the environment.

――“Secret” has been introduced as a new mount. Please tell us about its characteristics.

Mr. Tokuda:
Secret was designed to support movement in the vast field. They adapt to changes in the environment and serve as companions for hunters. Although it has no attack ability, it will rush to protect the hunter if it is in danger. We have also made efforts to maintain a seamless experience, such as by making it possible to store supplies in Secret's pouch.

――When I actually played the game, I felt that the feel of the action was different from previous games, and the response was faster. It may just be my imagination, but are there any changes you made?

Mr. Tokuda:
Actually, the speed of the action itself hasn't changed much. However, we have made the connection of movements smoother. We have improved the parts where the movement seemed stationary and poorly connected movements, and now it is possible to perform various actions while moving. As a result, I think it feels like the speed of the action has increased.

――Have any details been changed for each weapon?

Mr. Tokuda: 　
Yes, while maintaining the concept of each weapon, we have made adjustments to enhance the characteristics of each weapon. As a general policy, we are trying to follow as much as possible the movements that have been restricted in the past, and make movements more seamless.

――This game introduces a “concentration mode” and a system that allows you to damage monsters. Please tell us the reason for this.

Mr. Tokuda:
The best part of the Monster Hunter series is identifying the monster's condition and characteristics and choosing the appropriate action. The "Wound" system has the role of showing monsters' weaknesses more clearly. Normal attacks will cause a wound, and attacking that wound will cause great damage. We believe that this will allow players to experience success in a short cycle even during long quests, increasing the player's sense of exhilaration and accomplishment.

――“Group Skills” were announced at gamescom regarding equipment skills. Please tell me the details.

Mr. Tokuda:
Up until now, the system was such that powerful skills were activated by arranging equipment sets for one monster, but this time we have made it possible to obtain benefits even by combining equipment from different monsters. For example, a group skill will be activated by collecting a certain number of equipment belonging to a specific group. We believe that this will enable more diverse combinations of equipment and expand the range of players' strategies.
――What position do you think this work will play in the 20-year history of the Monster Hunter series? Also, what are the biggest changes compared to previous titles?

Mr. Tsujimoto:
In this work, it is now possible to perform expressions that were previously technically difficult, such as controlling swarms of monsters. We believe this will be a game that allows you to experience the world of Monster Hunter even more deeply. We also put a lot of effort into scenarios and stories.
Advances in graphics have made it possible to express the details of the world, providing players with a more immersive experience.
You can say it's a work that did everything possible
. And as for the future of the series...I don't know yet (lol). However, I will take on the challenges I had with Wilds and make use of them in the future, and review the parts that didn't go well.


――The Monster Hunter series seemed to be developing with the global market in mind with Monster Hunter: World. Have you changed anything when you became aware of the world?

Mr. Tsujimoto:
I haven't made any clear changes here, but I have slowed down the release speed of my works. The verification period was about one to one and a half years before the world version, but if it was going to be released simultaneously worldwide, it would have needed to take even longer than that.

Mr. Tokuda:
When expanding into the global market with World, you were careful not to lose Monster Hunter's fundamental appeal. We carefully analyzed the parts that should not be changed and the parts that could be changed, and tried to make it easier to get to the essential fun of Monster Hunter.

――Are there any new challenges you are taking on this time regarding the fusion of scenario and game design?

Mr. Fujioka:
Up until now, I have mainly built stories around monsters, but this time I am trying to depict a worldview that includes the entire ecosystem and human society.We create games from the perspective of incorporating the threats and richness of nature into the game design and creating a story that brings them out.

Also, this time we brought to the forefront a boy character called “Nata”. I think it's a new approach that we haven't really used in the Monster Hunter series so far, which is to create characters for the sake of the story.

――Thank you very much.

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