So The Game Awards (which can be called TGAs, depending on which year of Geoff Keighley you’re looking at) final reveal was Monster Hunter 7. Yes, I know we can all call it Monster Hunter Wilds, but it’s the 7th major Monster Hunter title though some fans are making it more confusing to call it Monster Hunter 6 because of the logo with the supposed Flagship Dragon having a little number six for its tail.

Anyway, the trailer dropped, and the first thing we can tell is that it’s likely to be more like Monster Hunter World. You can see this from how the world is rendered more realistically, and nothing like wirebugs for movement, at least for now.

In this article, I plan to share with you my speculations with the tiny minute that was given to us, so remember that operative word, “speculation.” I’ll draw up information that I think is reasonable to say given the trailer, but that may change months from now depending on what Capcom is willing to show us.

A More Interactive World

We are first greeted by what looks like an oasis in the desert, where many beasts appear to inhabit the area. It’s hard to say how big they are, but they are definitely of different sizes. Given how purposeful their designs were during Rise, I think the same philosophy continues here. They’re not just increasing the population of other creatures here just to flex the capabilities of the RE Engine, it’s likely that these groups of animals out in the wild will be made as some sort of resource. It could be your typical collection for food resources or other consumables, maybe you can use them as camouflage to ambush a monster, or perhaps the very herds are what a monster could be targeting. I simply think that this idea of herds moving in a formation is novel to the game, and there’s no way it’s not going to play a part in the actual gameplay.

It’s a Bird! it’s a Plane! it’s… a Dinosaur?

The feathered question in the room is the appearance of the hunter as some sort of cavalry rider. With no sign of a Palico or Palamute either, even World had Palicoes, so I’m wondering if they’re foregoing what would be as iconic a mascot as a Rathalos is for the series.

Anyway, our blue Chocobo can not only move faster than our standard running speed but can negotiate even trickier terrain with ease. Heck, it can even fly!

Another key hint that they subtly hid within their trailer was the fact that it was carrying a weapon aside from the one the hunter had. Suggesting that we can carry more than one load-out at a time. Unless that is, the new companion can somehow use a Light Bow-Gun on its own.

Combining the ideas of having large, open spaces, a way to traverse whatever area with ease, and an ability to change your loadout on the go, suggests to me that Monster Hunter Wilds plans to have a working open-world component. Where the hunter can wander around a large area and encounter monsters and perhaps even other hunters as part of their emergent gameplay. How much it will deviate from the traditional quest selection and lobby gathering is something only Capcom knows at this point.

A New Type of Monster

A short part of the trailer showed us the hunter being pursued by what appeared to be several buffalo-like creatures. While this can be a beginner quest, this is the first time we’d be seeing monsters fight in a way that seems to be coordinated amongst their allies. Trapping or whittling down a group of monsters as one target is something I didn’t encounter even in Monster Hunter World. Sure, you can say that there were cases where two or three monsters were your enemies on the same map. But it’s not like they moved like they were coordinating their attacks like a herd. Though, there’s not a lot you can draw here, as a few seconds of footage can only let my headcanon go so far.

And Now for the Weather

Through the trailer, we noticed that there was first dusty atmosphere that was almost like fog, which was changed when a charging storm suddenly surged into the screen. We even saw violent wind, and lightning that appeared to be aimed at the hunter. You could argue that some scenes looked like you were in some sort of icy tundra. But at the end of the trailer, the entire area suddenly transforms into a more vibrant wilderness. The presence of powerful monsters influencing the weather is not that new in the series’ history. So I’m going to guess that this phenomenon of the weather changing is caused by the big baddies that you’ll have to take down. Probably the Elder Dragons. Otherwise, it’s probably caused by the Hunter himself.

Now It’s Just a Theory…

This is probably the next step of the series in the direction of Monster Hunter World. This is, you know, only their best-selling game ever, which may be playing a part in why they’re expanding on this in the first place. Considering where MHW ended, Wilds may be trying to further refine its predecessor’s endgame content: The Guiding Lands.

The Guiding Lands was one intertwining map that lets you access all of the sorts of biomes MHW had in the first place. But to put a spin on it, Monster Hunter Wilds may have the hunter cultivate or set up the area itself to lure out the monster they’re trying to hunt. You try to increase a certain type of monster to tease their hunger or gain their enmity by hunting down its kin. Perhaps you can manipulate the terrain to make it more attractive for the hunter’s mark to appear there.

Better yet, what if other hunters can freely enter your instance of the world if you allow it? Those who are looking for a similar mark as you can aid you in preparing or even engaging in the hunt.

And if you end up encountering a monster that you weren’t planning for, you have this alternative loadout that you can access without having to visit a camp to deal with it. If the monster appears on the farther end of the map, you can quickly get there with your new rideable buddy.

Anyway, I know 2025 is a ways away, but I am excited to return to the world where I met the 5th Fleet. Their next big update will be in June of 2024, so guess we can look back at this article at that time to see if I have clairvoyance with Monster Hunter games. What do you think the new game will be like?