Monster Hunter Wilds: New Cooking System Revealed

Summary

• Monster Hunter Wilds prioritizes visually appealing in-game food, employing exaggerated realism.
• Dining is flexible, offering a campfire cooking experience rather than a formal restaurant setting.
• The game boasts a diverse culinary selection, including a secret, extravagant meat dish, maximizing the enjoyment of food-related gameplay.

Monster Hunter Wilds aims to redefine the visual appeal of in-game food, according to key developers Kaname Fujioka and Yuya Tokuda. The game features a wide variety of meat, fish, and vegetable dishes meticulously crafted to look incredibly appetizing, even exceeding realistic standards.

Food has been a staple in the Monster Hunter series since 2004, initially featuring simple monster meat. This mechanic evolved, with its importance and ingredient variety increasing over time. Monster Hunter World (2018) significantly enhanced the realism of food presentation, striving for visually appealing meals.

This trend intensifies in Monster Hunter Wilds (launching February 28, 2025), where Fujioka and Tokuda aim to surpass existing game standards for food visuals. Fujioka emphasizes that realism alone isn't sufficient; "Making it look realistic isn't enough to make it look good," he stated in an IGN interview. Achieving delicious-looking food requires a blend of realism and stylized exaggeration, drawing inspiration from anime and commercials, incorporating special lighting and exaggerated food models.

Monster Hunter Wilds Devs Employ Exaggerated Realism in Cooking Scenes

Unlike previous entries, Monster Hunter Wilds allows players to dine anywhere, embracing a casual campfire cooking atmosphere instead of a formal restaurant setting. A December preview showcased an impressive cheese pull, generating significant fan excitement. Further menu highlights include seemingly simple dishes like roasted cabbage, which presented a considerable artistic challenge for Fujioka. The final product, however, features realistic puffing as the lid is removed, enhanced by a roasted egg topping (as seen in accompanying video).

Tokuda, a self-proclaimed meat enthusiast, teases a secret, extravagant meat dish, though he remains tight-lipped on the specifics. Overall, the game focuses on diverse dishes and expressive dining animations around the campfire, creating an exaggerated yet realistic sense of culinary bliss in its cooking scenes.