While Monster Hunter Wilds' performance issues dominated the conversation about its reception on PC, one of the other ongoing sources of player frustration was the entry's approach to difficulty. Initially, a number of players thought the game was too much of a sleepwalk—but once later updates started amping up the threat level, many of those same players thought Capcom's solutions were inelegant, relying on arbitrary increases to monster damage.
In an interview with PC Gamer at this year's Tokyo Game Show, Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance director Takuro Hiraoka said Capcom's goal for the base game was to avoid driving away newer players—but he's working to ensure the expansion's endgame will satisfy players who thought its approach to difficulty missed the mark.
Speaking via translator, Hiraoka said balancing difficulty is "one of the most challenging things to get right in a game," and his objective—first and foremost—is to prevent a situation where players don't feel like they can finish the game they've purchased, because it's not likely that those players will ever come back.
"In my mind, that's where the difficulty curve should be for Wilds, and I think we achieved that—but the player base was so good and so skilled. We had a bit of a gap in expectations. Maybe players got better than we expected in the intervening years," Hiraoka said. "We've grown the audience greatly since Monster Hunter: World, and that was a game where a lot of players dropped off before finishing the story because it got too hard too quickly. We're trying to tackle that issue, which I see as a problem."
The reception to Wilds' difficulty, he said, has been a learning experience for Capcom, informing how the studio is working to appeal to "not just the hardest of the hardcore" with the Ascendance expansion while making sure challenge-oriented players don't feel alienated by the effort.
"We expect that if you purchase the DLC, you're going to want to see as much of the story that we've presented as possible—but for players who want to go far beyond and have the really toughest challenges, we expect that the endgame loop is what really satisfies their needs," Hiraoka said. "We're working on that balance at the minute."
Along similar lines, Hiraoka said that the aggression showcased in Capcom's recent Ascendance weapon breakdown videos shouldn't lead players to believe that they'll be able to completely outclass monsters with their new Boost Bracer attacks. While the videos are edited to highlight the impact of those new mechanics, he said it's "not quite so constant and aggressive" over the course of an actual hunt.
"There is a cadence to it, where the player is building a gauge, keeping an eye on how many charges they have, and deciding when they want to bust out those actions. And you only have a certain amount of time in boost mode whenever you do activate it," Hiraoka said. "Overall, the player hasn't become this hyperaggressive, constant demon mode type of presence. It's a new tool in your box. How to strategize on when to use it, and the way it changes each weapon's gameplay, is for the players to discover."
Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance launches in 2027. You can wishlist the expansion on Steam now.
