It’s been quite some time since Monster Hunter Wilds, the next entry in the venerable multiplayer RPG series, got any information since it was first unveiled during last year’s Game Awards, but then that’s to be expected considering it wasn’t promising more details until this summer. “Summer” apparently meant during yesterday’s PlayStation State of Play showcase, which is where Capcom provided some initial new details and a new gameplay trailer.
Wilds looks to be combining some elements from World and Rise in the form of a trusty bird mount known as a Seikret that lets players use items or sharpen weapons while riding and the clutch claw-like hook slinger item, but these additions bring new mechanics to the familiar hunting action, like the ability to switch to a second weapon while mounted, some new mounted combat, and the ability to use the hook slinger to gather items at a distance or engage contextual actions either on-foot or on birdback. There’s also a look at some new NPCs, a small tease of the game’s story, and confirmation that player characters will actually have voiced dialogue.
As for all-new features, Wilds is introducing a focus mode that grants players precise control over aiming, guarding, and attacking monsters’ weak points; adding pack movement and tactics to most monsters (even the big ones); and introducing “multi-dimensional” environments with conditions that can change in multiple ways. The RPG’s familiar 14 weapons are also confirmed to be coming back, each with some promised new moves.
Of course, there are big beasties to slay, with two new creatures showcased in the video: the territorial Doshaguma who appears to want to desperately charge at things and the amphibian-like Chatacabra that uses its sticky saliva to attach hard pieces of rock to itself like armor. As for the game’s multiplayer feature set, it looks as if the SOS flare mechanic is back once again, while team size looks to be the classic four-person affair.
The footage generally skews towards the teaser side of things and doesn’t precisely drill down any of these mechanics, but it does obviously show them in action, which is going to make the 2025 launch window on Steam, PS5, and Xbox X|S either easier or harder to swallow, depending on one’s patience.
