What you need to know
- At Tokyo Game Show 2024, Capcom hosted a gameplay presentation for its upcoming action-hunting game, Monster Hunter Wilds.
- This presentation showcased the world’s first in-game preview of the Scarlet Forest, the second major biome that players will explore during their adventures in the game.
- In addition to showing off the Scarlet Forest, Capcom also gave viewers detailed glimpses of several monsters players will encounter in Monster Hunter Wilds which includes newcomers like the Quematrice, Uth Duna, and the Lala Barina, and the return of Congalala, a classic monster from previous games.
- Monster Hunter Wilds is set to launch on February 28, 2024, for Xbox Series X|S. PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.
On September 28, 2024, Capcom showed up during the third day of the Tokyo Game Show 2024 event to present a live gameplay presentation for its upcoming blockbuster action game, Monster Hunter Wilds. This presentation shows off the world’s first in-game footage of Monster Hunter Wilds’ ‘Scarlet Forest’ locale, new several monsters revealed from the last two cinematic trailers, and the return of an old monster not seen in a traditional Monster Hunter title in many years.
Here is our recap and analysis of the Monster Hunter Wilds Tokyo Game Show 2024 gameplay presentation.
The presentation begins with the player preparing to make their journey into the Scarlet Forest, one of the major biome hunting grounds players will explore on their hunting adventures. However, the player decides to make a brief detour into the Windward Plains biome first to show off footage of one of the many new monsters revealed for Monster Hunter Wilds, the Quematrice.
This chicken-like creature is a Brute Wyvern that hunts carrion in the Windward Plains and attacks its foes by unleashing plumes of flame from its tail. After dodging some flames, the player proceeds to lure the Quematrice to a pack of new small Bird Wyverns with gnarly-looking peaks monsters called Talioth and then have them pounce on the Brute Wyvern to demonstrate the game’s Turf War mechanic.
This mechanic has two types of monsters engage in a cinematic battle that will leave one or both combatants injured or knocked over by its conclusion. This can be an extremely advantageous strategy for players to use during a hunt, as it can severely damage their primary target and leave them briefly vulnerable to attack without fear of retaliation.
After that detour, the player proceeds to make their way to Scarlet Forest. This gargantuan rainforest is filled with all kinds of diverse flora and fauna that have adapted in unique ways in order to survive its sometimes harsh climates. When the player arrives, they proceed to hunt several beasties that call the Scarlet Forest home, starting off with the Lala Barina.
This disturbing, ballerina-esque spider Temnoceran-type monster that attacks its prey by using deceptively fast strikes with its claws, legs, and stinger. It also uses dangerous pollen produced from its body, which can paralyze players should they make physical contact with it.
The player fights the Lala Barina valiantly by using their massive Greatsword to cut through its hide, and calling for their Seikret mount so they can quickly swap their weapon out for a Light Bowgun. The player then uses the Light Bowgun to shoot at the spider from a safe distance and destroy the paralysis pollen the Lana Barina creates to make the battlefield less treacherous to move around in. Afterward, the players lure it to a massive Fanged Beast called a Doshaguma so the Lala Barina will get severely injured during a Turf War to make the fight slightly easier.
After fighting the Lala Barina, the gameplay presentation cuts away to different footage showing a different player hunting a new monster revealed in Monster Hunter Wilds’ release date reveal trailer, Uth Duna.
The Uth Duna is a monstrously huge Leviathan-type monster that can only be encountered during the Scarlet Forest’s ‘Downpour’ Inclemency state, a weather effect that periodically occurs in the region that covers it in rainstorms. The player in the presentation struggles to deal decent damage to the monster because Uth Duna’s body is protected by a veil of a water-like substance covering its body that softens incoming blows.
The Leviathan then proceeds to punish the player for their assault by performing belly flops to crush them underneath its heavy body. These belly flop attacks also cause small tidal waves to appear when Uth Duna performs them in watery environments like rivers.
Fearing that they’re currently unprepared for this fight, the player abandons fighting Uth Duna for now and proceeds to hunt a different target that long-time Monster Hunter fans may recognize — the Congalala.
The Congalala is a Fanged Beast-type monster that’s been a part of the Monster Hunter series since Monster Hunter Dos on the PlayStation 2, and hasn’t been seen in a traditional Monster Hunter game since Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate on the Nintendo Switch. We were given a tease of Congalala’s return in Monster Hunter Wilds Dual Blades weapon showcase trailer with a Congalala-looking armor set, but now it’s been officially confirmed thanks to this gameplay presentation.
This crossbreed between a hippo and a gorilla is often regarded as one of the foulest, most repugnant beasties a hunter could ever have the misfortune to encounter. It spends its days lazying about eating mushrooms, sleeping, and attacking anything that wanders into its personal space. After being rudely woken up by the player with a Mega Barrel Bomb explosion to the face, the Congalala proceeds to attack them alongside its young infants called Conga.
The Congalala is not the most graceful of monsters as it mainly attacks by swinging its arms like a maniac (and falling over itself in the process), shoving its rock-hard belly in a player’s face to knock them over, and farting on them.
The fart attack must be avoided at all costs because not only will you suffer a great deal of embarrassment, but you will also be inflicted with the ‘Stench’ status effect. ‘Stench’ is a very dangerous status effect because it prevents you from using all your items due to them being covered in toxic waste. To cure this effect, you will need to use curative items called Deodorants to clean the rest of your items so that they can be useable again.
Foul farts that lockout item usage isn’t the only trick up the Congalala’s furry sleeves. It can also perform a disgusting breath attack that can also inflict the Stench status. In addition, the Congalala will also search for mushrooms to change the properties of its breath attacks so it can instead inflict poison or paralysis status effects, or set you on fire depending on what it eats.
After fighting the Congalala (and siccing a swarm of bees on it by using the Hook Slinger gadget to disturb a nearby beehive), the gameplay presentation concludes with the player doing some fishing mini-games to unwind and meeting up with the Wudwuds, a tribe of Lynian creatures that live in the Scarlet Forest.
On your travels, you will occasionally encounter NPCs that reside in the various biomes of Monster Hunter Wilds. If you interact with them, they may give you sidequests that offer lucrative rewards should you complete them.
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New and classic monsters await us to challenge them in Monster Hunter Wilds
After watching this presentation and the recent Sony State of Play trailer, my already high anticipations for this upcoming Xbox title and upcoming PC title have flown through the roof. The new monsters look crazy and fun to fight, the new biomes are gorgeous, and we’re getting to see some classic monsters return and reimagined with exquisite next-gen graphics thanks to Capcom‘s patented RE Engine.
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If classic monsters like Yian Kut-Ku and Congalala are making a comeback, then I hope that some of the monsters from my Monster Hunter Wilds wishlist will be added as well like the Tetsucabra, Zamtrios, or the Yama Tsukami. Either way, I can’t wait to play Monster Hunter Wilds when it unleashes on February 28, 2024, and hunt all these cool monsters alongside my friends online.
Monster Hunter Wilds, the next-gen successor to one of Capcom’s best Xbox games and best PC games, Monster Hunter World, is scheduled to launch on February 28, 2025 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.
