Monster Hunter Wilds has an accessibility mode for players who fear spiders and insects 

Monster Hunter Wilds official beta test opened to PS Plus members on PS5 today, offering players the chance to experiment with the game’s extensive character creator and start the story. Amidst exploring the world and battling Chatacabra and Doshaguma, some players may have noticed that Monster Hunter Wilds features a rather unusual accessibility option. 

Thanks to its HD graphics, Monster Hunter Wilds’ environments, characters and monsters are very detailed and realistic. However, this means that certain monsters in the game might create a problem for players with a fear of spiders or insects. 

Taking players’ fears into account, the developers of Monster Hunter Wilds have implemented an Arachnophobia Assistance feature, that can be turned on in the options menu. This not only adjusts the appearance of the game’s arachnids, but also makes insect–like small monsters and creatures look less disturbing for those with an aversion to bugs.  

If you switch the Arachnophobia Assistance feature on, the appearance of all insect and spider-like creatures will change to a blobby slime. Rest assured that this has no effect on the monsters’ difficulty or movements. 

Although “Arachnophobia Assistance” is an unusual option, Monster Hunter Wilds is not the first game to implement such an accessibility feature. Hogwarts Legacy also received a post-launch update which added this option for the spider averse. Similarly, Horizon Forbidden West added a Thalassophobia mode for its Burning Shores DLC to make the game’s underwater swimming sections more bearable for those with a fear of deep water. 

In the Monster Hunter Wilds open beta, we have only seen how the game will deal with some insect-like monsters in Arachnophobia Assistance mode. When the full game comes out, it will be interesting to see what alternative appearances the devs have come up with for monsters like Lala Barina, which has a fluffy, mushroom-like body atop long spiny, insect legs. 

In other news, the Arachnophobia Assistance mode has inadvertently brought joy to people with slime fetishes.

Monster Hunter Wilds is scheduled to be released on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam) on February 28, 2025. The PS Plus-exclusive early open beta test is being held from October 29 to October 31. The open beta for other platforms will be held from November 1 to November 4.