Monster Hunter Wilds: Protagonist Aims Beyond Extinction

The Monster Hunter series is renowned for its thrilling battles against colossal beasts, but Capcom aims to deepen the narrative by highlighting the symbiotic relationship between hunters and nature in Monster Hunter Wilds. Dive deeper to explore what's in store for this exciting new installment!

Monster Hunter Wilds Will Focus On Humans And Nature

A Deeper Understanding Of What It Means To Be A Hunter

In Monster Hunter Wilds, Capcom is intensifying the series' core theme of symbiosis between monsters and humans. The development team is eager to showcase this relationship more prominently while also injecting more personality into the player character.

The thematic essence of Monster Hunter Wilds (MH Wilds) revolves around the intricate bond between nature and the inhabitants of its world. Game director Yuya Tokuda shared with PC Gamer, "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. There are many other things we have planned down the line that are aligned to the concept of Monster Hunter Wilds, and we're confident this game was able to achieve what we wanted to express with it."

To bring this vision to life, Monster Hunter Wilds will emphasize dialogue, allowing players to infuse their hunter characters with more personality. Tokuda highlighted the diversity of characters like Nata and Olivia, who hail from different backgrounds and have unique approaches to dealing with the monster situation. "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. What would they feel? How would they think? Everybody is different, so we decided to add those kinds of elements to Monster Hunter Wilds."

This approach marks a departure from the series' tradition of silent protagonists and minimal dialogue choices. However, for fans who prefer a focus on gameplay over narrative, Tokuda assures that this shift won't compromise the combat system.

"There may be players who prefer to skip all that and just 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," Tokuda explained. This is just the beginning, as he also hinted at "many other things planned down the line" that will further explore the core theme of the bond between humans and nature.

For a comprehensive look at the underlying themes and narratives of the Monster Hunter series, don't miss Game8's featured article on What Monster Hunter Is Really About.