One Apparent Monster Hunter Wilds Emphasis Could Be a Knockout

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home November 15, 2024 33 Views 7 Min Read
One Apparent Monster Hunter Wilds Emphasis Could Be a Knockout



Key Takeaways

  • Monster Hunter Wilds may prioritize story, a departure from the series’ norm, potentially increasing its appeal.
  • A fully voiced protagonist and named NPCs hint at a more narrative-focused direction for the game.
  • The compelling story, dynamic open world, and engaging gameplay in Monster Hunter Wilds could revolutionize the series.



Even ahead of its release, it appears as though Monster Hunter Wilds is going to be one of the most distinctive Monster Hunter titles yet, which could either make it or break it in the end. With a fully-voiced protagonist, named NPCs, a useful mount, and one of the most dynamic open worlds ever featured in a Monster Hunter game, Monster Hunter Wilds has a lot going for it that even veteran fans likely aren’t prepared for.

Monster Hunter Wilds may be breaking many traditions of its own franchise, but that could potentially come with a huge upside that the mainline series has never fully explored before. Specifically, Monster Hunter Wilds‘ apparent emphasis on its story may be what it takes to push it to the front of the line once it releases in February 2025.

Monster Hunter Wilds protagonist and Dragon's Dogma 2 dragon

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Monster Hunter Wilds’ Apparent Story Emphasis Could Be Huge


The Monster Hunter Franchise Has Largely Left Its Story on the Back Burner

For the most part, the Monster Hunter franchise has never really been about its narrative — except for, perhaps, the Monster Hunter Stories series. By and large, the mainline Monster Hunter games have similar premises, seeing players step into the shoes of a formidable Hunter to ward off something that has caused the monsters near a settlement or settlements to go on a destructive rampage. More than anything, Monster Hunter‘s narrative usually takes a back seat to its engaging gameplay, with light story elements thrown in here and there to provide at least some context for the ongoing matter at hand.

More recent installments, like
Monster Hunter: World
, have attempted to prioritize narrative a bit more, but story development is still minimal compared to the focus on the gameplay loop of hunting monsters and crafting new equipment.


Several Aspects of Monster Hunter Wilds Make It Appear More Story-Driven

While the Monster Hunter franchise has largely put its stories on the back burner, Monster Hunter Wilds may be taking the mainline series in an entirely different direction — at least, according to what has been revealed for the game so far. As it stands, the story of Monster Hunter Wilds revolves around a mysterious boy named Nata and an entity known as the White Wraith.

Years before the events of Monster Hunter Wilds, a boy named Nata was discovered near the edge of the Forbidden Lands, a remote area the Guild had long assumed to be uninhabited. Nata spoke of a mysterious monster that had attacked his village, spurring the Guild to launch an expedition. The Hunter is then assigned to a unit with the mission of locating the White Wraith and rescuing Nata’s people, the Keepers. It’s unclear how or if the protagonist Hunter’s backstory will play into this, but gameplay footage makes it appear as though there is some significance to their role in the story.


Monster Hunter Wilds
‘ apparent emphasis on its story may be what it takes to push it to the front of the line once it releases in February 2025.

Apart from the compelling and somewhat unconventional premise, Monster Hunter Wilds has several elements that make it appear to be more story-driven than its predecessors. For example, Monster Hunter Wilds features plenty of named NPCs, which isn’t normal for the mainline series. This, alone, implies a step in a more narrative-heavy direction than previous installments. Additionally, Monster Hunter Wilds‘ protagonist, for the first time in a mainline Monster Hunter game, is fully voiced, suggesting a stronger focus on narrative than ever before.


If this is the case, and Monster Hunter Wilds does turn out to be one of the most story-driven mainline Monster Hunter installments ever made, it could mean big things for its success. While the main appeal of the Monster Hunter series has always been its gameplay, a greater emphasis on its story could potentially grow its audience beyond its current borders — perhaps even more so than Monster Hunter: World was able to accomplish. Time will tell, but Monster Hunter Wilds certainly looks capable of changing things for the series forever.

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