Monster Hunter Wilds is set to elevate the visual appeal of in-game food to new heights, as revealed by key members of its development team. The game will feature an extensive range of dishes, from meat and fish to vegetables, with a focus on making them look irresistibly delicious. The developers are going beyond mere realism, incorporating exaggerated elements inspired by anime and commercials to enhance the visual allure of the food.
Since the inception of the Monster Hunter series in 2004, cooking has been a core element, allowing players to enjoy meals made from the monsters they've defeated. Over the years, the importance of these meals has grown, and the variety of dishes has expanded. With Monster Hunter World in 2018, the focus on food intensified, aiming to create dining experiences that players would crave in real life.
Scheduled for release on February 28, 2025, Monster Hunter Wilds will continue this trend, as confirmed by executive director/art director Kaname Fujioka and director Yuya Tokuda. They believe that few games successfully depict appetizing food, emphasizing that realism alone isn't sufficient. "Making it look realistic isn't enough to make it look good," Fujioka stated in a recent IGN interview. "You really have to think about what makes something look delicious." This approach involves a blend of realism and exaggeration, using special lighting effects and enhanced food models.
Monster Hunter Wilds: Exaggerated Realism in Cooking Scenes
In Monster Hunter Wilds, players can enjoy their meals anywhere, embracing a camping grill atmosphere rather than a traditional restaurant setting. A preview in December showcased an enticing cheese pull, but the menu promises more. Even a simple dish like roasted cabbage, which posed a significant challenge for Fujioka, can be visually appealing. The cabbage realistically puffs up as the lid is lifted, and it's presented with a roasted egg on top, as demonstrated in an accompanying video.
On the other end of the spectrum, Tokuda, with his passion for meat both in-game and in real life, hinted at a secret "extravagant" meat dish. While keeping the details under wraps, he expressed excitement about its inclusion. The game aims to offer a diverse array of dishes and capture the expressions of characters dining around a campfire, delivering an exaggerated yet realistic sense of food-related bliss in its cooking cutscenes.
