Monster Hunter Wilds doubles down on the series’ penchant for delicious-looking food 

Monster Hunter Wilds’ Gamescom 2024 trailer showcased numerous franchise staples that fans love: co-op gameplay, new monsters, bustling hub areas, and last but not least, appetizing food. As the trailer ends, the player character comes back into view and cooks up a delicious meal for them and their talking Palico companion. 

For those who are not in the know, food plays a critical role in the Monster Hunter franchise. Cooking and eating dishes increases different stats and provides everything from simple health and stamina buffs to preventing knockbacks when carving monster parts. Past Monster Hunter games had other characters creating tasty dishes in safe areas as well as allowing the player character to cook in the field. The cooking cutscene that plays in Monster Hunter Wilds’ Gamescom trailer takes place just outside a camp, which could hint that the player character will be cooking for themselves instead of their handler, Alma. 

Monster Hunter Wilds is running on Capcom’s RE Engine, which has been used in various projects since 2017’s Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. Despite the engine’s age, Monster Hunter Wilds still delivers some jaw-dropping visuals, food included. With Capcom forgoing a Nintendo Switch release in favor of graphics, perhaps Monster Hunter Wilds can double down on the fidelity of its food. Incidentally, Capcom also went the extra mile for Dragon’s Dogma live-action meat grilling scenes and the traditional Japanese food in their recent Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess.