Why doesn't Monster Hunter Wilds bring back underwater combat? Former series producer reckons it's like making a whole extra game: "It's really, super hard"
Aug. 26, 2024At least we’re getting some more leviathans in Monster Hunter Wilds
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Kojima was assistant producer on Monster Hunter Tri and had been on the series in some capacity since the original PS2 cult classic, ending his run with Monster Hunter Generations. AsAutomatonspotted, with underwater discourse resurfacing yet again in the lead-up to Monster Hunter Wilds, he discussed the challenges of recreating the fighting style, likening it to “making a separate game.”
“If the game already has ground-based battles, then [adding underwater combat] is like making a separate game,” hesaid in a tweet(translated by Automaton). “It’s difficult. It’s really super hard.”
Underwater fights functioned a bit like the dramatic set piece encounters in World in the sense that they totally upended normal combat, but instead of gimmicks and tools they came with a whole new suite of movement and attack animations for your character. Moving, gathering, and especially fighting underwater looked and felt totally different, and even though there are only a few water fights relative to the whole monster roster of Tri, these sections had a big impact on the feel and flow of the game.
Monster Hunter Wilds, which is notably adding at least one of the leviathan-type monsters previously featured in underwater combat, is evidently following a similar route: focusing on what it’s best at rather than trying out game-warping experiments. But hey, at least we can swim and gather things underwater in Wilds.
Monster Hunter World turned a cult classic into a phenomenon, andCapcom wants Monster Hunter Wilds to go even further beyond: “There are certain things you have to have in place to be a global level hit.”
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