Monster Hunter Wilds Explains Cooking System

Summary

• Monster Hunter Wilds elevates in-game food presentation with exaggerated realism, making dishes look incredibly appetizing.
• Players can enjoy meals anywhere, embracing a campfire cooking aesthetic rather than a formal restaurant setting.
• The game boasts a diverse culinary selection, including a secret, extravagant meat dish, promising a heightened sense of food-related joy.

Monster Hunter Wilds is set to redefine the visual appeal of 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 to look incredibly delicious, even exceeding realistic depictions.

Cooking has been a staple of the Monster Hunter franchise since 2004, initially featuring simple monster meat. Over time, this mechanic evolved, with food's benefits increasing and the variety of meals expanding. Starting with Monster Hunter World in 2018, the focus on realistic and appealing food presentation intensified.

This trend continues and intensifies in Monster Hunter Wilds, launching February 28, 2025. Fujioka and Tokuda highlight the rarity of truly appetizing-looking food in games. Fujioka emphasizes that mere realism isn't sufficient; a blend of realism and exaggeration is key, drawing inspiration from anime and food commercials, employing special lighting and stylized food models.

Monster Hunter Wilds Devs Employ Exaggerated Realism in Cooking Scenes

Unlike previous entries, Monster Hunter Wilds allows players to dine anywhere, adopting a casual campfire cooking style instead of a restaurant setting. A preview showcasing a stunning cheese pull already captivated fans, but the menu holds more delights. Even simple dishes like roasted cabbage, a challenge for Fujioka, are visually enhanced, realistically puffing up as the lid is lifted, adorned with a roasted egg.

Tokuda, a self-proclaimed meat enthusiast, hints at a secret, extravagant meat dish, though he remains tight-lipped about its details. The game emphasizes a diverse menu and expressive character animations during mealtimes, creating an exaggerated yet realistic sense of culinary bliss in its cooking sequences.