As the release of Monster Hunter Wilds draws closer, a few of the game's developers have commented on the desire for it to be more beginner-friendly, while still keeping the difficulty that the series is known for. Launching on February 28, Monster Hunter Wilds is perhaps the most highly-anticipated release in the series, building off the breakout success of Monster Hunter: World and Rise. Going into Wilds, the game's developers are focusing on creating a welcoming introduction to the game, while still retaining the difficulty that veterans of the series have come to expect.
In an interview with Polygon, Wilds' producer, Ryozo Tsujimoto, and its director, Yuya Tokuda, commented on how the game is trying to be more welcoming to beginners, with Tsujimoto stressing the importance of "Finding the balance between both experienced Monster Hunter players and first-time players," while also saying that "we don't want to change the core Monster Hunter experience." As Tokuda elaborates, much of this beginner-friendliness is implemented through the game's early monsters, which are intended to teach players specific mechanics like "how to avoid big attacks," and "how to control their camera."
Monster Hunter Wilds Will Be A Great Starting Point For Newfound Fans Of The Franchise
The Early Monsters In MH Wilds Will Teach New Players How To Play, According To The Game's Director
Though Tsujimoto and Tokuda stress in the interview that Wilds will ramp up to a similar difficulty as past Monster Hunter games past the beginning hours, the game does seem to take painstaking efforts to create a better onboarding experience than past entries. Notably, this is a trend that the series first established in World, which greatly streamlined many aspects of the Monster Hunter experience to make it more accessible to a wider audience - and, given World's success and the hype for Wilds, it seems like a proven approach.
Monster Hunter Wilds Hands-On Preview: The Most Approachable Franchise Entry Yet
Screen Rant traveled to Osaka to go hands-on with Monster Hunter Wilds and left impressed with how detailed and accessible the title is.
In World, however, many of the steps taken to make the games more widely accessible took the form of mechanical changes, like streamlining inventory systems, allowing the item box to be accessible during hunts, and making weapons easier to use, for example, by adding the ability to roll backward. With these mechanical changes already in place, Wilds seems to be taking a slightly different approach - as previously mentioned, Tokuda cites early monsters like Chatacabra, Quematrice, and Lala Barina as, essentially, invisible tutorials for various mechanics, and the article also points to the auto-piloted Seikret mount as another onboarding method.
Hardcore Monster Hunter Fans Won't Be Disappointed Either
Wilds Should Still Pose A Challenge Even For Experienced Players
Past the game's beginning, however, Tokuda promises that the game becomes "much more challenging," which should be welcoming news for players who are already familiar with and fond of the wider series. The inclusion of monsters like Nerscylla and Gore Magala in Wilds, for example, is already a good sign for fans of "classic" Monster Hunter (meaning any game before World), as it's a sure sign that Wilds is making the effort to strike a balance between bringing new things to the series and honoring its past entries.
Of course, in making the series more accessible, some elements of friction aren't likely to ever return to the franchise, and which might be missed by some fans of the classic games. For the majority of fans, old and new, however, Monster Hunter Wilds seems like it will continue to preserve the series' core while making a concerted effort to bring in new audiences.
Source: Polygon
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