From arid deserts and lush forests to fiery volcanoes and icy tundras, the *Monster Hunter* series boasts a stunning array of diverse environments, each teeming with unique ecosystems and a captivating cast of monsters. Exploring these uncharted territories, traversing their landscapes as you hunt, is a core element of the *Monster Hunter* experience. This holds true for *Monster Hunter Wilds*, the latest installment in the franchise. Following the Windward Plains and Scarlet Forest, hunters will venture into the challenging Oilwell Basin, a land scarred by flames and thick oilsilt. Here, they'll navigate treacherous paths, encountering viscous oil slicks and blazing magma flows. Despite its seemingly barren appearance, closer inspection reveals a surprisingly vibrant ecosystem—small creatures wriggle in the mire, and remnants of an ancient civilization hint at a richer history.

Yuya Tokuda, director of both *Monster Hunter: World* and *Monster Hunter Wilds*, sheds light on the Oilwell Basin's unique design: "During the Fallow, the Oilwell Basin is a place filled with mud and oil. When the Inclemency known as the Firespring arrives, it burns away the oilsilt, and at times during the Plenty, the burned-away oil and soot vanishes, revealing minerals, microorganisms, and the original colors of the hidden man-made artifacts."

Down in the Muck

Kaname Fujioka, director of the first *Monster Hunter* game and executive director/art director for *Wilds*, explains the design concept behind the Oilwell Basin: "We had two horizontally expansive locales in the Windward Plains and Scarlet Forest, so we decided to make the Oilwell Basin a vertically connected place. The environment changes slightly as you travel between the top, middle, and bottom strata. Sunlight reaches the top strata, where oil gathers like mud; the lower you go, the hotter it becomes, with lava and other substances."

Tokuda adds: "From the middle to bottom strata, you'll find creatures resembling aquatic life, reminiscent of deep seas or underwater volcanoes. In World, we created the Coral Highlands ecosystem based on the idea of aquatic creatures living on the surface. We used that knowledge to create the Oilwell Basin's creatures and ecosystem."

Fujioka emphasizes the dynamic contrast of the Oilwell Basin: "During the Fallow and Inclemency, smoke billows from everywhere, like a volcano or hot spring. But during the Plenty, it takes on a clear, marine-like tone. Observe the environmental biology closely, and you'll find creatures similar to those found on the ocean bed."

The Oilwell Basin's unique ecosystem sets it apart. While seemingly lifeless when covered in oilsilt, it supports a surprising array of life. Shellfish thrive beneath the surface, along with small monsters providing raw meat. Larger monsters prey on smaller ones, which in turn consume microorganisms from the oilsilt. These microorganisms derive energy from geothermal heat. Unlike the sunlight-dependent ecosystems of the Windward Plains and Scarlet Forest, the Oilwell Basin thrives on geothermal energy.

The Oilwell Basin's monsters are equally distinctive. Rompopolo, a globular, noxious creature with a needle-like mouth, is a prime example. Fujioka describes its design: "We designed it as a tricky monster that lives in swamps and creates chaos by using stored toxic gas. The idea of a mad scientist often came up when depicting this trickiness. We were inspired by this concept when giving it a slightly chemical purple color and glowing red eyes. The equipment you can craft from it is surprisingly cute, though. So is its Palico equipment."

Tokuda agrees, calling the Rompopolo Palico equipment "amusing."

Flames of Ajarakan

Another new monster inhabiting the Oilwell Basin is Ajarakan, a massive, flame-enveloped creature resembling a gorilla, yet with a slimmer silhouette than the Scarlet Forest's Congalala. Ajarakan's design emphasizes straightforward power. Tokuda explains: "Normally, when we design fanged beasts, their hips are low to the ground, putting their heads at about eye level with the hunter. We thought this could make it harder to sense the threat. That's why we were conscious of giving this monster a more top-heavy and towering silhouette. We then added flame elements that are at home in the Oilwell Basin, as well as grabbing attacks reminiscent of a wrestler that highlight its physical strength. It's a monster that combines strength, physical attacks, and flames, like its attack where it melts something and tosses it at you."

Fujioka adds: "With unique monsters appearing, we thought it was a good time to add a monster whose strengths are easy to understand. That's how we got Ajarakan. It punches or slams its fists on the ground to make flames shoot up, making it strong through straightforward attacks."

Ajarakan's fiery presence and powerful attacks highlight its high position in the Oilwell Basin's food chain. Fujioka elaborates on Ajarakan's design evolution: "At first, it was just a physically powerful monster. That's why I talked with our artists and designers about giving it more personality. It's a monster in a fiery location, so I wanted to make use of flames and heat. That's how we ended up with a design where the monster seems to be wearing flames on its back, similar to the Buddhist deity Acala. From there we got the idea of Ajarakan's rising internal temperature giving it enough heat and power to melt anything in front of it, which seemed to give it so much more personality. Ajarakan will grab the hunter or hug Rompopolo, and we wanted to make players think about how much they'd want to avoid getting hugged by an absurdly hot creature. We decided to make it seem scary by making it so hot that it'll melt anything and everything around."

Unlike Rompopolo's trickery, Ajarakan's design centers on raw power. To avoid simplistic movements, the team added increasingly flashy attacks towards the end of development. "We kept adding lots of different interesting techniques, like it jumping into the air, balling itself up and falling to the ground," says Fujioka.

A Monster Generations in the Making

Reigning supreme as the Oilwell Basin's apex predator is Nu Udra, a "Black Flame" monster with octopus-like tentacles. Its slimy, flammable-oil-covered body allows it to traverse the basin with ease. Like the Windward Plains' Rey Dau (lightning) and the Scarlet Forest's Uth Duna (water), Nu Udra commands the element of its environment. The choice of an octopus-like creature for a fiery locale seems unusual. Fujioka confirms: "Yes, it was octopuses. We also wanted its silhouette to be striking when it rises up and gave it what look like demonic horns, but we also tried designing it in a way where you can't tell where its face is."

Tokuda notes that even the battle music reflects Nu Udra's demonic nature: "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."

Nu Udra's movements, particularly its tentacle manipulation, draw inspiration from previous Monster Hunter creatures like Lagiacrus (Monster Hunter Tri). Both Tokuda and Fujioka had long envisioned a tentacled monster. Tokuda recalls: "One of the concepts in Tri was underwater combat, so I did write a proposal for an octopus-shaped monster at the time, emphasizing its distinctive underwater movements. I had fun coming up with all kinds of ideas, like 'It has lots of legs, which means lots of parts you can sever!' There were challenges keeping us from making that a reality, though, including technical ones. But even so, I've been holding onto that proposal for all this time."

Fujioka discusses the influence of previous tentacled monsters like Yama Tsukami and Nakarkos: "We're always interested in using monsters who move like that in moments where they'd stand out, as their silhouette and the impression they give are nothing like standard monsters with limbs and wings. While including too many unique monsters will cause players to get tired of seeing them, dropping one in at just the right moment leaves such a strong impression. That's why we had Yama Tsukami appear in the game the way it did. You glance up, see it flying above you, and think, 'What the heck is that?' I think there's a kind of adventurous feeling you get from seeing something a bit odd, similar to cryptids."

Tokuda adds: "You know, I'm the one who put that (Yama Tsukami) there."

The development team's dedication to creating memorable monsters is evident. Nu Udra represents a culmination of years of ideas and technological advancements. "While Yama Tsukami and Nakarkos were monsters that attacked you with their tentacles while fixed there in a stage, Nu Udra makes use of its physical traits as a cephalopod to freely move around the area. In that way, the gameplay it enables could be seen as something we're trying for the very first time here."

Fujioka continues: "Monsters with tentacles like that pose a lot of technical challenges, like controlling it with respect to the terrain and its target. When we began development on Wilds, the technical department's tests went incredibly well, and so we felt like we could really make it happen this time."

Tokuda adds: "When we saw the tests, we also thought to make it the apex predator of the Oilwell Basin. That's just how much of an impact this monster has."

Nu Udra's animations showcase the team's attention to detail. After taking sufficient damage, it wraps itself around ancient pipes to navigate the terrain, even squeezing into small holes. Fujioka describes the challenges: "We did quite a lot of work on depicting flexible bodies this time with Nu Udra. At the start of development, we try coming up with pretty unreasonable ideas, whether or not we can actually achieve them. It's a challenge to ourselves in a way, and while it does cause a lot of challenges for our artists, the final product looks so amazing if we're able to actually make it take shape."

The team's dedication to pushing technological boundaries is apparent. Tokuda recalls a memorable moment: "When we first implemented the movement of it going inside a hole, an animator told me, 'When you weaken it and it starts heading back to its nest, please wait here for a moment!' Apparently they wanted me to see it going into its little hole, and I still remember replying, 'Oh, that really is amazing!' The animator looked so satisfied as well."

Fujioka expresses pride in Nu Udra's intricate animations: "It might not be easy to get the chance to see it, but the way it squirms around while wrapped around a pipe is so well made too. I do hope you check it out. Only games are able to depict things like that in real-time instead of as some premade scene. I'm incredibly proud of it as a crystallization of the staff's efforts."

Battling Nu Udra presents a unique challenge due to its flexible body and numerous tentacles. Tokuda offers advice: "Its body itself is fairly soft, and it has lots of breakable parts. I think hunters should think about how to determine where to attack. Cutting off a tentacle will also shorten its area of effect attacks, making it much easier to move around. You could also call it a monster made for multiplayer, as that means its targets will be split up. You may be able to enjoy it even more by using SOS flares, Support Hunters included."

Fujioka adds: "As we designed this monster, I thought it's one that can be tackled in a way that's very much like an action game in the sense that destroying its parts can help you get closer to defeating it. Gravios is another monster where you discover a way to defeat it as you destroy its tough armor, right? The ability to carefully watch a monster's movements and use that to make a decision fits perfectly with Monster Hunter's overall approach."

A Welcome Reunion

The Oilwell Basin also features the return of Gravios, last seen in Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate. Its rocky carapace and hot gas emissions make it perfectly suited to the environment. Tokuda explains Gravios's inclusion: "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."

Gravios's resilience has been enhanced for Wilds. Tokuda notes: "When bringing Gravios over to this game from previous titles, above all else, we wanted to make sure it still had its distinguishing features like its hardness. From a game design perspective, we also wanted it to be a monster that appeared after you've progressed a good bit and had gone through everything the game's design has to offer. That's why I came up with the idea of it being a monster where it's difficult to figure out a way to defeat its hard body at first, only for hunters to find more and more clues as they make good use of the wound system and part breaking."

The absence of Basarios, Gravios's juvenile form, is noted. Fujioka simply states, "Sorry, but Basarios will be taking this one off." The team's thoughtful approach to monster selection ensures that returning monsters are utilized effectively within the game's design. Many other monsters will also appear in the Oilwell Basin.

All Monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds

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