Monster Hunter Wilds looks heckin great and is coming in 2025
My hunger for new lizard pants grows
Capcom have unveiled the next entry in their dinosaur hat/pants/jumper-making sim this evening, and it's called Monster Hunter Wilds. A kick in the dino groin to this year's monster hunting pretender Wild Hearts, perhaps? Who can say. Formally unveiled at tonight's Game Awards, this new Monster Hunter is coming in 2025, and looks to be the jazzed-up successor to Monster Hunter: World. That's not a diss on Rise (which was excellent). Just that it's being developed for PC and consoles first, rather than Switch. And it looks rad as heck. Come and watch the reveal trailer below.
Honestly, I thought Geoff might close out his chorus of World Premieres tonight with a look at Elden Ring's DLC expansion, but nope, this ain't your Daddy's Elden Souls. This is something much better if you ask me, and looks to combine the best of World and Rise to stunning effect.
On the World side, you've got those expansive, ultra-detailed environments stuffed full of critters and beasts to slay, and cor, just look at those numbers. Dozens of 'em, big and small, just waiting to meet the end of my dual blades.
On the Rise side, you've got your handy human-sized appropriate stead to whisk you through these lands at top notch speed, only this time it's not the back of a giant dog you're riding around on, but a proper scaly ostrich lizard. Ho ho ho, yes please. I'm particularly intrigued by how the camera seems to shift into third person over the shoulder as the rider enters a swarm of overgrown armadillos in the trailer, but given it cuts to a rear view shot almost immediately after to show the growing sandstorm approaching from behind, maybe it's just a simple camera angle shift and nothing more. We'll have to wait and see.
But man alive, those weather effects sure do look a lot more pronounced than previous Monster Hunter games, with mega sand/thunder and lightning storms all in the mix. And look! Your ostrich lizard can, in fact, spread its wings to glide in mid-air. Truly, a most talented creature.
And that final shot of the desert wastes? (or should that be wilds?). Stunning. Beautiful. Give it to me right now. Alas, we'll have to wait until at least next summer before Capcom are ready to reveal more details, so the wait is on folks.
Can't get enough of Geoff's annual advert hype machine? Find all the announcements and more on our Game Awards 2023 hub page, and why not pop into our liveblog while you're here?