Monster Hunter Wilds Protag Isn't Trying to Just Hunt Monsters to Extinction, Even If You Are

The Monster Hunter franchise, renowned for its thrilling monster hunts, is shifting its focus. Capcom aims to highlight the series' core theme: the intricate relationship between hunters and the natural world. Discover more about the upcoming Monster Hunter Wilds!

Redefining the Hunter's Role: A Deeper Dive into Human-Nature Dynamics

Monster Hunter Wilds (MH Wilds) will emphasize the interconnectedness of nature, humanity, and monsters. The game's narrative will explore the hunter's role within this complex ecosystem. Capcom's development team is committed to showcasing this theme through both gameplay and a richly developed storyline. Game director Yuya Tokuda stated, "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. We're confident this game was able to achieve what we wanted to express with it." (PC Gamer interview).

Enhanced dialogue will allow players to imbue their hunter characters with distinct personalities. Tokuda highlighted the diverse perspectives of the game's inhabitants, using Nata and Olivia as examples of characters with contrasting backgrounds and approaches to monster conflicts. "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," Tokuda explained.

This marks a departure from the series' tradition of silent protagonists. However, players who prefer a more action-oriented experience can rest assured that the combat system remains a core element.

Tokuda confirmed that the narrative depth won't compromise gameplay: "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 enhanced narrative is just the beginning, with the director hinting at future expansions further exploring the human-nature bond.

For a deeper understanding of Monster Hunter's overarching themes, explore Game8's insightful article on the series' core narrative.