Monster Hunter Wilds shocks fans with a talking Palico Felyne

Capcom released the first trailer for the much-anticipated Monster Hunter Wilds today. The internet has been buzzing with reactions, but some Monster Hunter fans on social media have homed in on the surprise revelation that Palico Felynes can say human words out loud. 

A cat-like race of small monsters, Felynes are a staple of the Monster Hunter series. They often do odd jobs around the villages and can aid your hunter in many ways. Felyne chefs can cook nutritious meals that give you beneficial status effects, while Palico Felynes can accompany you on quests. In previous games in the Monster Hunter series, Palicos and other Felynes have tended to speak in their own unintelligible language, with subtitles and text boxes conveying their conversations to the player. They also make cat-like mewing cries when attacking a monster as part of your party. 

The Palico in the Japanese trailer only says one word – ganbarou! (let’s do our best!). However, a Felyne actually saying a human word out loud was enough to startle some Japanese-speaking Monster Hunter fans and spark discussions on X (formerly Twitter). 

English-speaking fans also expressed various shocked reactions to the talking Palico (who declares “This is gonna be great!” in the English version of the trailer). Some commenters seem to be super surprised, while others hope there is an “off” button or an alternative voice option. 

This is not the first time that Felynes’ way of talking has invited speculation among Monster Hunter series fans. Felynes are known for adding cute cat-like inflections and puns to their speech, such as saying the word “monster” as “meowster” (in Japanese, they add “nya,” which is the sound that cats make in Japanese). This led one Redditor to conduct a survey on whether people thought Felynes actually make cat noises or just say “meow” or “purr” in human speech. 

Monster Hunter Wilds is scheduled to be released in 2025.