Monster Hunter Wilds Explains Cooking System

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 appetizing in-game food, according to key developers Kaname Fujioka and Yuya Tokuda. The game features a wide array of meat, fish, and vegetable dishes, meticulously crafted for maximum visual appeal, even exceeding realistic representation.

Cooking has been a core element of the Monster Hunter franchise since 2004, initially featuring simple monster meat dishes. This mechanic evolved, with increased importance and a broader range of meals and ingredients. Since Monster Hunter World (2018), the focus on realistic dining experiences, creating meals players would genuinely want to eat, intensified.

This trend continues and expands in Monster Hunter Wilds (launching February 28, 2025), according to Fujioka and Tokuda, who note the scarcity of games with truly appetizing-looking food. Fujioka explains in an IGN interview that "Making it look realistic isn't enough to make it look good. You really have to think about what makes something look delicious." This involves a blend of realism and stylized exaggeration, drawing inspiration from anime and food commercials, utilizing special lighting and exaggerated food models.

Monster Hunter Wilds Devs Employ Exaggerated Realism in Cooking Scenes

Unlike previous installments, Monster Hunter Wilds allows players to dine anywhere, emphasizing a casual campfire cooking experience over a formal restaurant setting. A December preview showcased an impressive cheese pull, already captivating fans. Other notable dishes include a roasted cabbage, presenting a significant challenge for Fujioka, who achieved a visually appealing effect by realistically depicting it puffing up as the lid is removed, topped with a roasted egg.

Tokuda, expressing a personal fondness for meat both in-game and in real life, hints at a secret, "extravagant" meat dish, although details remain undisclosed. The game aims for variety in its dishes and emphasizes the expressions of characters dining around a campfire, enhancing the exaggerated realism and enjoyment of food-related cutscenes.