Monster Hunter fans have been eating good these past few weeks. Not only did we get our first look at the upcoming Monster Hunter Wilds at the May PlayStation State of Play, but also a second trailer at the Summer Game Fest! I was already brimming with excitement after the first trailer, but two sent me into cardiac arrest. After recovering and then watching both trailers multiple times, I’m ready to give you a breakdown of the key details you need to know from the first two trailers for Monster Hunter Wilds.
The first thing everybody will notice when watching the trailers is that EVERYTHING LOOKS SO GOOD! Everything from the cinematics to the character models to the environment, it’s all jaw-droppingly gorgeous. The facial animations, in particular, looked like a massive step up from Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter Rise. And as I was staring at those beautiful faces, they started to look a bit familiar. The running theory online is that the new smithy Gemma is actually the kid smithy from Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and that the Commander that sends you on your adventure into the Forbidden Lands is the Ace Commander (also from 4 Ultimate).
Combine these (possible) returning faces with the desert area shown in the trailers, and I’m starting to think Wilds is just a sequel to 4 Ultimate. Crackpot theories aside, the other characters, like the new handler Alma and your trusty Palico partner, all look great as well. But the thing that looks the best is undoubtedly the combat, and they’ve made some very interesting choices this time around.
We got to see a decent chunk of gameplay across both trailers, and it showed off a lot of what we know and love about Monster Hunter. There’s exploring areas, gathering materials, and fighting big ol monsters. The mounts from Rise are returning, except instead of riding a Palamute, you’ll be riding on Seikret (think chocobos, but more like a dinosaur). The slinger and clutch claw also look to be making a return, and I’ll never say no to added mobility in Monster Hunter.
The significant changes appear when you can summon your mount to help you after being knocked down (definitely will come in handy), and the massive new thing of being able to equip two weapons at once. It looks like you’ll be able to switch between them on the fly, which I hope can lead to some crazy combos. Just imagine it; you use your insect glaive to get high above your foe, only to switch to a heavy bow gun and rain hellfire down on every living thing around you. Or you can just have two giant hunting horns for maximum vibes. Either way, the new mechanics look like they’ll be fun to mess around with, especially when going toe-to-toe with some of these new monsters.
It wouldn’t be a Monster Hunter game without some new monsters to fight, kill, and make into fashionable armour sets. We got a look at some of the new creatures making their debut in Wilds, and it’s a unique batch. There’s Doshaguma, which looks like a bear cross with a monkey with no eyes (I think). These big bois typically travel in packs, so it’s safe to assume you won’t ever be fighting only one. Then there’s the amphibian Chatacabra, whose long tongue is just begging to be cut off. After the large number of wyverns in World, I’m glad that Wilds has more variety in its monster designs. Lastly, we have the Balahara, which are leviathans that live in the sand. They look like they might be a bit of a pain to fight, what with them ducking in and out of the sand all the time, but it should hopefully be a fun fight. We also got a glimpse at what I can only assume will be the flagship monster during the second trailer. It looked like a dragon that could control electricity, and it looked pretty badass. We’ll have to wait and see about his deal, though.
Alongside the new monsters, there are always returning favourites in each game. Monsters such as Rathalos, Rathian, and Zinogre are sure bets to be in the game, but after seeing Balahara and how it moves, my hope for the best monster in the franchise to make a return is sky high. Yes, I’m talking about the one, the only, Lagiacrus! Ma boi wasn’t in World (even though he was in the tech demo), and I’ve been missing him ever since. But now is the perfect time to bring back my electric water leviathan and make everyone happy (mostly me). Please, CAPCOM, I beg of you, just give me Lagiacrus, please! I’ll give you anything; I just want my boi back!
Monster Hunter Wilds looks like it’ll be another banger entry in the Monster Hunter series. My excitement levels are high, and it’s only been two trailers! While I do hope that Lagiacrus will be making a comeback, I’m certain that this game will be amazing. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go play some Monster Hunter World. Keep it locked to Couch Soup for more Monster Hunter and gaming coverage to feed your hungry nerd soul.
Did you see the trailers for Monster Hunter Wilds? What did you think? Which monster do you want to see return? Let us know in the comments where we can all agree that Lagiacrus needs to be in this game!
