Wilds' Weapons Revamped: IGN Exclusive Interview

Monster Hunter Wilds: Weapon Tuning and Design Philosophy

With each Monster Hunter release, players eagerly anticipate experiencing their favorite weapons in a new game. Monster Hunter Wilds, aiming for a seamless hunting experience, presents unique challenges and opportunities for weapon design. We spoke with Kaname Fujioka (art director and executive director, also director of the first Monster Hunter game) and Yuya Tokuda (Wilds director, involved since Monster Hunter Freedom) to delve into the weapon tuning process.

Seamless Hunting and Weapon Adjustments

The seamless map and dynamic weather of Wilds necessitated significant weapon adjustments. Tokuda highlighted changes to the Light and Heavy Bowguns and the Bow, addressing the challenge of unlimited ammo and coatings without base restocking. The solution involved balancing around gauge management, allowing unlimited use of basic ammo types while retaining the option of crafting powerful, attribute-based ammo.

Fujioka emphasized the visual enhancements, particularly for Bowgun charging animations, showcasing the impact of technological advancements on gameplay representation. The focus was on natural weapon usage within various gameplay situations, even without player input. This led to improvements like allowing healing item use while moving, previously impossible due to animation limitations. The introduction of Focus Mode, allowing directional movement during attacks, further enhances player agency and fulfills the vision of intuitive, responsive gameplay.

Focus Strikes and Wound System

Wilds introduces Focus Strikes, powerful attacks performed in Focus Mode on wounded monsters. While visually distinct for each weapon, Tokuda clarified that the damage output of Focus Strikes is standardized across weapon types after open beta adjustments, maintaining weapon individuality without excessive disparity.

The wound system adds strategic depth, encouraging targeted attacks to accumulate damage and inflict wounds, opening opportunities for devastating Focus Strikes. However, wounded areas scar, preventing repeated wounding in the same location. The dynamic world allows for pre-existing wounds from environmental factors or monster battles, adding unexpected elements to hunts.

Great Sword as a Development Prototype

The Great Sword served as the development prototype for weapon tuning, influencing the design of other weapons. Its deliberate, heavy tempo provides a baseline for comparison and differentiation. The team focused on creating a satisfying experience with the Great Sword, ensuring its balanced nature and straightforward combat style. This approach then informed the design of faster-paced weapons, maintaining the core Monster Hunter feel.

Weapon Uniqueness and Player Feedback

The developers prioritized preserving weapon uniqueness over achieving perfect balance. While acknowledging the potential for a most-popular weapon, they aimed to highlight individual weapon characteristics. The Hunting Horn, for example, emphasizes area-of-effect damage and sound-based mechanics, rather than solely focusing on raw damage output. Open beta feedback led to adjustments, particularly for the Hunting Horn and Lance, ensuring that their unique strengths are effectively balanced.

Decoration System and Skill Builds

The decoration system in Wilds is similar to Monster Hunter World, with skills activated by placing decorations into weapon or armor slots. However, the introduction of alchemy allows for crafting single-skill decorations, eliminating the frustration of skill acquisition.

Developer Perspectives

Tokuda favors long-range weapons and the adaptable Sword and Shield, while Fujioka remains a dedicated Lance user. They both highlighted the impact of player feedback from the open beta, particularly concerning the Lance, which is undergoing significant improvements for the release version.

The developers' commitment to player feedback and their dedication to preserving the unique identity of each weapon type ensures that Monster Hunter Wilds will deliver a rich and engaging hunting experience.