We get a general idea, at least conceptually, of what development of a AAA game like Monster Hunter Wilds entails. We know Capcom uses motion capture, employs a number of composers and performers, and there are dozens of people who we might see featured as prominently as the director or producer. But as part of my time spent in Osaka at Capcom’s offices for a Monster Hunter Wilds preview session, I got a chance to see firsthand how all of these things come together and the kinds of creativity that goes into creating these titles.
For example, the tour of Capcom’s facilities started with a peek at one of the motion capture studios. There are three in the building for in-house motion capture for games, with 26 cameras in the studio where the demonstration took place. As Animator Naohiro Taniguchi described the process and facilities, the motion actors Daichi Miura and Masatoshi Fukidome performed in the background while the Player Lead Animator Hiroya Sasaki and Enemy Lead Animator Kenji Yamaguchi supervised and discussed that being processed in RE Engine. But it didn’t just mean watching them go through the motions. Both genuinely performed in their roles as a Great Sword-wielding Hunter and the new monster Doshaguma.
But even so, I didn’t expect to see how they’d get into it. Miura, as the Hunter, included grunts and cries you’d expect to accompany such actions, even though those weren’t being recorded in the moment. Fukidome immediately adopted all of the mannerisms of Doshahuma, and later a Palico, during the segments. When Fukidome first growled and shouted for his part in the performance, it even caught me off guard! Also learning that the animators themselves, including Sasaki, would take part in the recording process was one of those moments where you’d go, “Of course that would happen,” but might not realize it ahead of time. It’s one of those things where you know how human input plays a part, but seeing it in action really shows how the human element plays a part.
From there, we headed into the foley studio at Capcom to see how ordinary and newly-invented instruments come together to create the monster cries we will hear in Monster Hunter Wilds. Rey Dau was the star of that moment, as Lead Sound Designer Wakana Kuroiwa showed the flute she created for the monster’s cries while Sound Director Hideki Hosoi discussed the creative process and Sound Designer Daichi Sugimura edited what we were hearing to come together for the bellowing roar. Since Rey Dau is supposed to sound like a more sly sort of monarch that doesn’t need to scream to be heard. There’s more of a subtlety to the new wyvern, which comes across in the flutes combined with natural animal sounds. We were able to watch Kuroiwa play the instruments, then see the sounds combined by Sugimura. It all closed out with a final “performance” of the actual in-game roar.
It was off to the music studio for the final part of the preview tour, which involved Music Director Akiyuki Morimoto leading us through the Monster Hunter Wilds main theme “Beauty of Nature.” We learned how Lead Composer Miwako Chinone and Composers Mana Ogura, and Yuna Hiranuma would take inspirations from the game and its elements to influence the songs, with Lead Game Audio Mixer Takashi Moriguchi blending it for the final version. The more natural instrumentals and orchestral elements inspired the sounds of the Plenty, the season in which everything is flourishing and lush. The Inclemency separates that from the more stripped down Fallow, with synthesizers and more technology-laden instruments and elements coming into play during the weather event and leaner parts. Throughout the track, which we could hear during the game’s first trailer, we’re seeing the difference in the instrument choices. At the 1:15 minute there, when the standstorm hits, we can hear the Inclemency drop on the hunters and the more synthetic and unnatural noises used for the music therein. But once the typical seasons return, in particular when the 2 minute mark hits and we’re seeing the season of Plenty, the backing track rises up and becomes fuller to pair with the suddenly enriched environment. At the same time, we can hear the traditional Monster Hunter theme come through at parts.
It’s seeing how everything comes together that better illustrates how much went into each individual part prior to it becoming part of a whole. There’s so much going on when it comes to the development process for Monster Hunter Wilds. Seeing things add up makes it easier to appreciate and understand the work that goes into it development.
Monster Hunter Wilds will come to the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on February 28, 2025. People who pre-order get the Guild Knight Set layered armor and Hope Charm.
Published: Dec 3, 2024 11:00 am