Monster Hunter Wilds introduces a variety of changes, new features, and quality-of-life improvements to the Monster Hunter series. Interestingly, the seeds for these innovations were sown during the crossover events of Monster Hunter World. Specifically, insights from Final Fantasy 14’s director, Naoki Yoshida, during the FFXIV crossover, and the positive feedback from The Witcher 3 crossover, significantly influenced the development of new gameplay elements in Monster Hunter Wilds.
During the collaboration for the FFXIV crossover, Naoki Yoshida, affectionately known as Yoshi-P, suggested to Monster Hunter Wilds Director Yuya Tokuda that players appreciate seeing the names of their attacks displayed on screen as they execute them. This feedback led to the implementation of a new heads-up display (HUD) feature in Monster Hunter Wilds, which you can see highlighted in the image below.
The FFXIV crossover event in Monster Hunter: World in 2018 showcased this feature to a certain extent. The collaboration was extensive, featuring catchable Cactuars, a giant Kulu-Ya-Ku with a crystal hunted to the Chocobo music, the stylish Drachen armor, and much more. A standout element was the challenging Behemoth fight, where players could see the boss's moves appear in text on screen, similar to how it is in many MMORPGs. You can witness this in action in the video below.
Completing the repel quest for Behemoth unlocked the Jump emote, inspired by the Dragoon's movements in Final Fantasy. When using the emote, the text "[Hunter] performs Jump" appears on the screen, marking a unique instance of an attack name being displayed in Monster Hunter before the feature's full integration in Monster Hunter Wilds.
The Witcher 3 crossover also played a crucial role in shaping Monster Hunter Wilds. Director Yuya Tokuda was inspired by comparisons between Monster Hunter Wilds’ new dialogue options and gameplay elements to The Witcher 3. This crossover served as a "test" to gauge player reactions to more dialogue and options in the Monster Hunter series.
In The Witcher 3 crossover in Monster Hunter: World, players took on the role of Geralt of Rivia, who speaks and engages in conversations with other characters, allowing for dialogue choices. This contrasts with the silent protagonist of previous Monster Hunter games. In Monster Hunter Wilds, players can now enjoy a voiced protagonist who interacts with NPCs, as seen in the image below.
Although Monster Hunter Wilds was not actively in development during World’s collaborations, Tokuda was already considering future possibilities. His enthusiasm for a The Witcher 3 collaboration led him to directly approach the CD Projekt Red team, resulting in a successful crossover event.
These insights were shared during an exclusive visit to Capcom’s Japan offices as part of IGN First this month. Don’t miss the full hands-on, final preview of Monster Hunter Wilds, new in-depth interviews, and other exclusive gameplay from January’s Monster Hunter Wilds IGN First:
- Behind Monster Hunter Wilds' New Approach to Starting Weapons and Hope Series Gear
- Monster Hunter Wilds Interview and Gameplay: Meet Nu Udra, Apex of the Oilwell Basin
- Evolving Monster Hunter: How Capcom’s Belief in the Series Made it a Worldwide Hit
- Monster Hunter Wilds: Gravios Returns in This Exclusive Gameplay
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