Highlights

  • Monster Hunter Wilds introduces a fully-voiced protagonist and new monsters, but those aren't the only ways that it's changing the series' iconic gameplay formula.
  • Players in Monster Hunter Wilds may have to separate hunted monsters from their packs, adding a new challenge to hunts.
  • Monster Hunter Wilds' gameplay requiring players to strategize when separating monsters' packs should make for a challenging experience, and it will be interesting to see all the ways that creatures can be separated from their group.

The next mainline installment in the Monster Hunter franchise, Monster Hunter Wilds, just received another major reveal in the latest PlayStation State of Play, confirming even more about the game that was previously only founded upon speculation and rumors. The reveal shows several different satisfying changes being made to the franchise's iconic formula, including what appears to be a fully-voiced protagonist and two brand-new monsters. Furthermore, at one point during the Monster Hunter Wilds reveal, the protagonist and another character are seen hunting monsters together when the protagonist makes a comment that potentially changes the series' familiar gameplay.

At around a minute into Monster Hunter Wilds' State of Play reveal, the protagonist can be heard saying, "Now to lead it away from the pack. We'll make for the desert!" This is in reference to a large monster — now confirmed to be a Doshaguma — that the two were in the process of hunting. The Doshaguma was traveling with a sizable group of other, smaller monsters like it and needed to be separated from them for the hunt to succeed. As the two Hunters begin leading the Doshaguma away from the pack, the player character pulls off some tricky maneuvers to ensure the pack stays behind. Based solely on what was revealed during the State of Play, all of this means Monster Hunter Wilds is adding another layer to the series' familiar gameplay formula, which could potentially transform it entirely.

Monster Hunter Wilds Making One Big Move With Its Protagonist Would Have Some Clear Upsides
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How Monster Hunter Wilds' Packs Might Change the Series' Gameplay

Monster Hunter's Hunts Traditionally Involve Fighting One Monster at a Time

There have always been smaller monsters for players to hunt during their expeditions to take down larger, more threatening monsters in Monster Hunter. However, once players reach the monster they've set out to hunt, the fight generally involves that monster alone. Smaller monsters have been known to get involved in the fight, but they are typically very easy to take down. Regardless of how long the series has kept this pattern up, however, it seems that's all about to change in Monster Hunter Wilds, based on what was shown during the recent State of Play.

Monster Hunter Wilds' Packs May Add a New Challenge to Hunts

According to the State of Play footage for Monster Hunter Wilds, players may frequently be required to separate the main monster they're hunting from its pack. It appears large monsters won't necessarily be accompanied by other large monsters, only by smaller versions of themselves. Still, the need to lead the target monster away from its pack suggests the pack could be just as deadly. This adds an entirely new challenge to Monster Hunter's iconic monster hunts — one the series has never seen before.

If Monster Hunter Wilds' gameplay is truly like what was shown in the State of Play reveal, players will be required to perform various evasive and defensive maneuvers to keep a large monster's pack away from them. In the footage, the player character can be seen breaking off a chunk of rock from an arch above the pack of mini Doshaguma, which eventually results in the rock falling on the pack and preventing them from advancing. This will require quick thinking on the player's part, and it's possible they could find themselves in an even more challenging battle should they fail to separate the target monster from its friends.

If players are unable to separate a large monster from its pack in Monster Hunter Wilds, it could potentially make the fight with that monster even more difficult by making a mob out of what might have otherwise been a fight with only one monster. It's unclear what all pack mechanics will entail in Monster Hunter Wilds, but the recent State of Play footage makes it fairly clear that players are in for a challenging experience unlike what they may be accustomed to in a Monster Hunter game.