Despite a late announcement, Sony is kicking off the 2024 summer showcase season with its State of Play. The showcase will unveil what PlayStation’s roadmap will be for the next 12 months. Check out the round-up of all the exciting new announcements from the Sony State of Play below. Including a new trailer for Capcom’s Monster Hunter Wilds!
Monster Hunter Worlds May 2024 Trailer
Capcom has stated the following about this exciting follow-up to Monster Hunter Rise and Monster Hunter World;
Greetings, PlayStation fans! Today during State of Play, we revealed some exciting new information for Monster Hunter Wilds. It’s been some time since we first announced the game last December, so the team is thrilled to show off our newest trailer to everyone. It’s still a small taste of things to come, but we hope you can pick up on one of the game’s main themes: “the living world.” Beyond the new trailer itself, we’d also like to introduce some of the monsters, characters, and even share some info about the hunter’s new mount.
Trailer Breakdown
A major element of this new Monster Hunter is weaving elements from the prior two titles together. One of these key elements is a ridable mount, something that was introduced in Monster Hunter Rise. However, that title was a Nintendo Switch exclusive before finding new homes on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC a year or so later.
This new release will leverage the power of more powerful platforms, opening up new gameplay possibilities with the mounts not present in Rise.
Dynamic Battlefields
One specific highlight that both the trailer and the PlayStation Blog post break down, are dynamic battlefields for hunts.
In Monster Hunter Wilds, locales are dense, deep, and three-dimensional. Let’s start with the Windward Plains shown in the trailer, which is a vast, untamed land ready to be explored. While exploring this new locale, hunters will discover harsh environments contrasted by abundant landscapes teeming with life, and even extreme weather conditions that transform the locale in unexpected ways.
Having dynamic weather systems adds a new layer of strategy to the hunt. Not only does the player need to keep their loadout in mind for specific monsters, but now they have to consider other possibilities.
Could I get struck by lightning in the middle of a fight? Or will the intense rainfall impact my ability to climb specific monsters or locations on the map? And could I even use a sandstorm to escape from a higher-level monster?
A Narrative with Potential Depth
Something that both the trailer and the PlayStation Blog post breakdown is a focus on the narrative. They describe the premise with the following;
The story takes place in the Forbidden Lands, where you will set foot into a vast region that the Guild has yet to investigate. What discoveries await you in this unexplored land, full of new faces to meet and monsters to discover?
A big focus during the gameplay trailer was various NPCs talking to the Hunter, your player character. But unlike prior titles, your character will have voiced dialog throughout the story. This is seen a few times in the trailer and also reaffirmed in the PlayStation Blog post.
The series is mainly known for its multiplayer-focused hunts, but a focus on the story is something the series slowly has been building toward. Both World and Rise featured a bigger focus on narrative, so seeing Wilds build on this is exciting news.
Bonuses for Returning Hunters
For those returning hunters or those who dabbled with the series prior, saves from both Monster Hunter World and it’s Iceborn expansion will get some goodies.
Closing Thoughts
The Monster Hunter series is one I simply could never get into. Even though the newest installments offered plenty for newcomers, the slower movement and a focus on planning out your hunt never appealed to me.
But with a focus on narrative, dynamic world, and gameplay innovations from the last two installments carrying over? Sounds like Monster Hunter Wilds will be a fantastic jumping-on-point for newcomers and seasoned hunters alike.
Monster Hunter Wilds is set for a 2025 launch across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
What did you think about the PlayStation State of Play? Did any announcement or trailer stand in particular? Sound off in the comment section below. Be sure to subscribe to both the Lords of Gaming YouTube channel and the Iron Lords Podcast channel.
