Monster Hunter Wilds directors reveal a whole new locale and ferocious monster to beat through an exclusive interview. Read on to find out more about the Oilwell Basin and its king, the Nu Udra.
Monster Hunter Wilds Introduces The Black Flame, Nu Udra
Welcome To Oilwell Basin
In an exclusive interview with IGN, Monster Hunter Wilds directors Yuya Tokuda and Kaname Fujioka introduce players to one of the areas they'll be able to explore in the full game: the Oilwell Basin, as well as the formidable monster that rules over its lands, the Nu Udra.
Oilwell Basin stands out with its unique vertical structure, a departure from the typical horizontally broad locales of the series. "We had two horizontally broad locales in the Windward Plains and Scarlet Forest, so we decided to make the Oilwell Basin a vertically connected place. ... The deeper you go, the more magma-filled and hot it gets," said Fujioka. He added that the top strata mostly consist of oil-like swamps, creating a "gradation" in its overall structure.
Tokuda explained that the entire area transforms during the event known as the Plenty. When you enter around the center or bottom level, the area resembles an underwater volcano ecosystem. The team leveraged their experience from creating the Coral Highlands in Monster Hunter World to design the Oilwell Basin in this state. "During the Fallow and Inclemency, smoke emerges from everywhere in the Oilwell Basin, resembling a volcano or hot spring. But during the Plenty, it adopts a clear, marine-like tone. If you look closely at the environmental biology, you'll discover that it's a region inhabited by creatures you'd expect to find on the ocean bed."
These creatures are distinct and native to the Oilwell Basin, making the environment even more unique. Although it may appear lifeless, a plethora of monsters and creatures call it home.
Nu Udra, The Black Flame
Of course, no Monster Hunter locale is complete without its apex predator. The harsh and desolate environment of the Oilwell Basin is home to the "Black Flame," Nu Udra. This massive, octopus-esque monster boasts a slimy, flammable body adapted to its environment. It uses its slithering tentacles to capture prey before unleashing scorching flames, sending them to a fiery death. With Windward Plains' Rey Dau reigning over lightning and Scarlet Forest's Uth Duna wielding the power of water, the eldritch horror-looking Nu Udra completes the trio with its fire affinity.
Nu Udra largely resembles an octopus, a seafaring creature, and Fujioka shared that this was intentional. "I've always wanted to add a tentacled creature at some point," he mentioned. They took a normally aquatic creature and modified it to give a more striking look and feel. Additionally, they aimed for a "demonic" look, adding horn-like elements to its head. This ties in with its unique battle music, which evokes demonic imagery and black magic. "We had the composers include phrases and musical instruments reminiscent of black magic. I think it ended up being a unique and good piece of music," Tokuda added.
Battling Nu Udra is immensely challenging as it is equipped with multiple tentacles and can attack with both focused and area-of-effect (AoE) moves in rapid succession. It is immune to Flash Bombs since it doesn't rely on vision to detect prey—it only needs its tentacles to sense its environment.
More Monsters In The Basin
However, Nu Udra isn't the only dominant creature in the Oilwell Basin. The huge, scaly, and monkey-like Ajarakan, covered from head to toe in flames, also roams the land with authority. It attacks with martial arts-inspired movements and frequent use of its fists. Ajarakan's terrifying blend of massive physical strength and fire power makes it a welcome new addition to the series' repertoire of monsters.
There's also the strangely globular monster with thin needles for a mouth called the Rompopolo, which uses toxic gases from its body in combat. Its purple color and glowing red eyes give it a menacing, mad scientist-like appearance. The developers drew direct inspiration from the stereotypical mad scientist in designing Rompopolo, calling it a "tricky monster." Despite its eerie features, its drops make for surprisingly "cute" equipment for both the Hunter and their Palico companion.
Even a monster from previous games makes a comeback. Gravio, last seen in Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, returns to occupy the Oilwell Basin. Its rocky carapace, fiery breath, and preference for volcanic regions make it a fitting addition. "When we were thinking of monsters that match the Oilwell Basin's environment, make sense in the game's overall progression, and don't play too similarly to any other monsters, we thought that we could make Gravios seem like a fresh challenge and decided that it would reappear," Tokuda mentioned.
With all these exciting reveals, anticipation is building for Monster Hunter Wilds' upcoming release on February 28th.
