Monster Hunter Wilds Explains Cooking System

Summary

• Monster Hunter Wilds prioritizes visually appealing in-game food, employing exaggerated realism.
• Dining is flexible, emphasizing a casual camping grill atmosphere rather than a formal restaurant setting.
• The game boasts a diverse culinary selection, including a secretive, extravagant meat dish, enhancing the overall enjoyment of food-related aspects.

Monster Hunter Wilds aims to redefine the standard for appetizing in-game food, according to key developers. The game features a wide variety of meat, fish, and vegetable dishes, meticulously crafted to appear incredibly savory, even exceeding realistic depictions.

Cooking has been a core element of the Monster Hunter franchise since its 2004 debut, initially featuring simple monster meat. This mechanic evolved, gaining importance and expanding its recipes and ingredients. Monster Hunter World (2018) significantly enhanced the food presentation, striving for realistic dining experiences with appealing meals.

This trend continues and intensifies in Monster Hunter Wilds (launching February 28, 2025), according to executive director/art director Kaname Fujioka and director Yuya Tokuda. They believe few games showcase truly appetizing food. Fujioka stated in an IGN interview, "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 blending realism with exaggeration, drawing inspiration from anime and commercials, incorporating special lighting and stylized food models.

Monster Hunter Wilds Devs Utilize Exaggerated Realism in Cooking Scenes

Unlike previous entries, Monster Hunter Wilds allows players to dine anywhere, adopting a campfire cooking aesthetic instead of a restaurant setting. A December preview showcased an enticing cheese pull, generating considerable fan excitement. Other notable dishes include roasted cabbage, which presented a significant challenge for Fujioka. He achieved an appealing effect by realistically depicting the cabbage puffing up as the lid is removed, complemented by a roasted egg topping (as shown in accompanying video).

Tokuda, a self-proclaimed meat enthusiast both in-game and in real life, hinted at a secret "extravagant" meat dish, though he remained tight-lipped about its specifics. Overall, the game emphasizes diverse dishes and expressive dining animations around the campfire, aiming to create an exaggerated yet realistic sense of culinary bliss within its cooking sequences.