Monster Hunter Wilds will have a "living world" - and it could shape open world game design

New details emerged of Capcom's anticipated Monster Hunter Wilds open world role-playing game at the latest PlayStation State of Play. The new trailer showcased how broad and deep the latest entry in this series will be, and suggest a new elevation to how deep game design can go in an open world.

"Every locale, monster, and person acts with their own thoughts and motivations, combining dynamically to bring an immersive and constantly changing Monster Hunter ecosystem to life," said Joseph Bustos, social media and community manager at Capcom USA on the PlayStatin Blog.

Joseph explained further on the blog, revealing more details of Capcom's approach to open world design. New features, including monsters that interact in herds and packs, as well as sharing the new visual design for the game's new mount, the Seikret.

While the core hunting, exploration and crafting loop of the Monster Hunter series returns, how you interact with the world will take on a new, deeper sensation. One new idea is the introduction of "changing environments".

Joseph explained: "In Monster Hunter Wilds, locales are dense, deep, and three-dimensional. Let’s start with the Windward Plains shown in the trailer, which is a vast, untamed land ready to be explored. While exploring this new locale, hunters will discover harsh environments contrasted by abundant landscapes teeming with life, and even extreme weather conditions that transform the locale in unexpected ways."

He describes the new Windward Plains map as "a vast sand plain and the first locale that the investigation team will explore after setting foot into the Forbidden Lands. The locale consists of a variety of unique areas made up of sandy deserts, swaying grasslands, and twisting rock formations."

Naturally new animals are key, and Monster Hunter Wilds continues the series knack for delivering unique and bold creature design. One revealed at PlayStation State of Play is Doshaguma, a fanged beast with "a tough, strong-looking build". Doshaguma are "highly territorial, have a wide habitat range, and can be very aggressive. Large packs of this monster have sometimes been spotted".

Chatacabra is an amphibian creature with "adhesive saliva to attach ore and other substances to its forelegs to strengthen itself," shared Joshua. While Ceratonoth has a new, clever AI: males of the species will protect females, "by catching lightning strikes with the well-developed dorsal horns on their backs and releasing them to the ground," explains the Capom dev, adding, "They form large herds with the male Ceratonoth at the centre".

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Monster Hunter Wilds will release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC in 2025. If you're inspired by Capcom's approach open world design, maybe pick up a new laptop for programming and start creating? Or if creature design is your thing, read our Procreate tutorials for new workflow ideas. You can find more details at the Monster Hunter web portal.