The Rompopolo from Monster Hunter Wilds has really captivated Leya, and she is simply in love with this oily monster. Through her enthusiasm, she received some previously unknown information about him from the lead developers. Among other things, how nasty words on the internet made the designer of the Rompopolo sad.
The last question arises as we sit in the interview with the lead developers of Monster Hunter Wilds.
I just played the full version for 7 hours during a preview event, and now I have the opportunity to ask a few follow-up questions about it. Actually, only one question is buzzing in my head that has nothing to do with what we played and saw during the preview.
We were able to roam around in the Karminwald ecosystem and hunt there. However, a few weeks ago, Capcom presented the Oil Swamp ecosystem. This is an area where oil oozes from the ground and is crisscrossed with deep oil sponges.
In the Oil Swamp lives a monster that immediately charmed me and that I find just damn cute: The Rompopolo.
I could have immediately hugged and cuddled him! I especially like the long pointed beak combined with the round, wobbly head. The way he clumsily hops around on his chicken legs is just really adorable.
They called him disgusting: A shame, I say!
The Rompopolo had nothing to do with everything Capcom showed us about the Karminwald during the preview event. But I really want to learn more about this curious monster, and I try my luck. I rave to the developers about how cool and cute I find Rompopolo and that it would make me very happy if they could tell me something about him that hasn’t been revealed yet.
I might expect a small anecdote or that my question will be dismissed with the promise that more information will be coming soon. But no, I get a very detailed answer:
So I make sure she knows that at least one other person thinks just like her.
From the interview with Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, Director Yuya Tokuda, and Executive Director/Art Director Kaname Fujioka
Immediately, I feel for the designer!
I reassure the developers again that I also find Rompopolo super cute and that their designer shouldn’t let anything affect her from the comments that disdain Rompopolo.
In reply, the developers make a really exciting comment:
I think what we aimed for is a “You either love it or hate it” design. To be honest, the idea that some people find it cute while others find it creepy is exactly what we wanted. One thing to look out for is the Palico gear of Rompopolo. It’s unique. Let’s just say: Very unique.
Furthermore, you haven’t seen what Rompopolo looks like when the gas has already escaped and it is all shriveled up. You can look forward to that when it’s not so full of gas.
From the interview with Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, Director Yuya Tokuda, and Executive Director/Art Director Kaname Fujioka
Since then, I’ve been thinking about what Rompopolo will look like when its gas has escaped. I find it particularly cute that it looks a bit puffy due to the gas in its body. Will it be small and wrinkly? Will it look more smooth like an eel? What does that mean for its gameplay? Can you only inflict wounds on it when the gas has escaped?
Questions about questions! I am very excited about how Rompopolo will function and look overall.
Please show some love for Rompopolo
I am very sure that its designer and I cannot be the only ones who find Rompopolo cute. It just makes me sad when you call him disgusting.
Creepy and weird I can somewhat understand. But not disgusting…
I would be very happy if Rompopolo becomes a fan favorite, and I think he actually has a good chance of that. His design is super unusual, and I believe his combat will be pretty fun and unique.
I also really need a plush toy of him, and that will only happen if he enjoys sufficient popularity. Otherwise, there probably won’t be any plushie produced.
Later, the developers came back to me and told me that they wrote to the designer right after the interview that there is another person who finds Rompopolo cute. She was very happy about that, which in turn made me very happy.
If you love Rompopolo as much as I do, please feel free to be vocal about it. Maybe you’ll make a designer very happy who has given us one of the coolest monsters in the series.
A preview of the gameplay event can be found below. In it, you can also learn more about the Karminwald and see 20 minutes of gameplay from the area:
When we designed the monster, one of the first things we agreed on was that it would use gas-based attacks. Part of that… well, one of the best designs we came up with and that we used was the idea that its face looks almost inspired by a gas mask. Basically, I believe in games or character designs, only psychopaths wear gas masks. It’s always some weird guy who wears the gas mask. So the idea was that it wears a gas mask and the gas builds up in its body until it can no longer contain it. It was just such an unusual idea compared to past designs in Monster Hunter, so I really wanted you to think: This is a truly strange creature. Hopefully, that was successful.
So the lady who developed Rompopolo thinks it’s cute. When we announced it, she read the comments online, and they were all like: “Disgusting, creepy, weird.” And she said: “What do you mean? It’s super cute.”
So I make sure she knows that at least one other person thinks just like her.
From the interview with Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, Director Yuya Tokuda, and Executive Director/Art Director Kaname Fujioka
Immediately, I feel for the designer!
I reassure the developers again that I also find Rompopolo super cute and that their designer shouldn’t let anything affect her from the comments that disdain Rompopolo.
In reply, the developers make a really exciting comment:
I think what we aimed for is a “You either love it or hate it” design. To be honest, the idea that some people find it cute while others find it creepy is exactly what we wanted. One thing to look out for is the Palico gear of Rompopolo. It’s unique. Let’s just say: Very unique.
Furthermore, you haven’t seen what Rompopolo looks like when the gas has already escaped and it is all shriveled up. You can look forward to that when it’s not so full of gas.
From the interview with Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, Director Yuya Tokuda, and Executive Director/Art Director Kaname Fujioka
Since then, I’ve been thinking about what Rompopolo will look like when its gas has escaped. I find it particularly cute that it looks a bit puffy due to the gas in its body. Will it be small and wrinkly? Will it look more smooth like an eel? What does that mean for its gameplay? Can you only inflict wounds on it when the gas has escaped?
Questions about questions! I am very excited about how Rompopolo will function and look overall.
Please show some love for Rompopolo
I am very sure that its designer and I cannot be the only ones who find Rompopolo cute. It just makes me sad when you call him disgusting.
Creepy and weird I can somewhat understand. But not disgusting…
I would be very happy if Rompopolo becomes a fan favorite, and I think he actually has a good chance of that. His design is super unusual, and I believe his combat will be pretty fun and unique.
I also really need a plush toy of him, and that will only happen if he enjoys sufficient popularity. Otherwise, there probably won’t be any plushie produced.
Later, the developers came back to me and told me that they wrote to the designer right after the interview that there is another person who finds Rompopolo cute. She was very happy about that, which in turn made me very happy.
If you love Rompopolo as much as I do, please feel free to be vocal about it. Maybe you’ll make a designer very happy who has given us one of the coolest monsters in the series.
A preview of the gameplay event can be found below. In it, you can also learn more about the Karminwald and see 20 minutes of gameplay from the area:
