Monster Hunter Wilds Explains Cooking System

Summary

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

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 variety of meat, fish, and vegetable dishes, meticulously crafted to look incredibly savory, even exceeding realistic depictions.

Cooking has been a staple in the Monster Hunter franchise since 2004, starting with simple monster meat. This mechanic has evolved, with food's benefits increasing and the variety of meals and ingredients expanding. Since 2018, Monster Hunter World emphasized realistic dining experiences, aiming for meals players would genuinely want to eat.

This trend continues and intensifies in Monster Hunter Wilds, launching February 28, 2025. Fujioka and Tokuda highlight the game's unique approach: "Making it look realistic isn't enough to make it look good," Fujioka explains. "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, incorporating special lighting and enhanced food models.

Monster Hunter Wilds Devs Employ Exaggerated Realism in Cooking Scenes

Unlike previous Monster Hunter titles, Monster Hunter Wilds allows players to dine anywhere, emphasizing a casual campfire cooking experience instead of a formal restaurant. A December preview showcased an impressive cheese pull, already captivating fans. The menu includes more than just spectacle; even simple dishes like roasted cabbage receive detailed attention. Fujioka describes the challenge of making roasted cabbage appealing, showcasing its realistic puffing effect upon lifting the lid. Accompanying video demonstrates the cabbage's presentation, topped with a roasted egg.

Tokuda, a self-proclaimed meat enthusiast both in-game and in real life, teases a secret "extravagant" meat dish, keeping its specifics under wraps. The game aims for variety, focusing on a wide range of dishes and the expressive reactions of characters enjoying meals around a campfire, creating an exaggerated yet realistic sense of culinary bliss in its cooking scenes.