MeinMMO editor Leya has found her Moby Dick in Monster Hunter Wilds: A small, sparkling mouse that seems to mock her with a sneer.
“Damn. I’ve done everything except catch this little blue mouse!”
That was my most prominent thought after finishing the first beta of Monster Hunter Wilds. I feel like Captain Ahab, who is obsessed with hunting the white whale Moby Dick in Herman Melville’s novel.
This is my hunt for the mouse.
Wait, what’s sparkling over there?
The beta sends me into the desert. There lives the leviathan Balahara, which I want to take down. It’s the middle of the night, and I first circle around the Balahara on my mount a few times to get a good look at it.
Suddenly, I see a blue sparkle out of the corner of my eye. Confused by the glimmer, I take a closer look and see a tiny blue mouse. It hops happily through the desert, lifting its long little tail high, at the end of which hangs a small tuft.
If you’re not familiar with Monster Hunter: Alongside the large monsters, there are also endemic creatures on all maps. These can sometimes be valuable resources, like thunderbugs, from which you can craft shock traps, or something like this little mouse here, which simply looks cute and is collected.
And this mouse is really damn cute and special.
I become Captain Ahab, forgetting everything around me. I need this mouse! My brain shuts off, and I become an exterminator, holding my net at the ready.
I see only glitter and flashes
I’ve forgotten the Balahara. Excited, I run towards the mouse, which notices me right away and scurries away. Now I realize how nimble it is. As it runs, it leaves a trail of sparkle and seems to mock me with every turn it makes.
When I’m joyfully excited, I tend to spontaneously forget the controls in games. This doesn’t make the hunt for my Moby Dick any easier. I start to mix up the buttons and chase after the glimmer.
The Balahara feels provoked by me, and I draw its aggression to me. Now it even starts to chase me! And that’s not all: Due to the new weather system, a thunderstorm is rolling in, and I also see lightning.
Desperately, I somehow throw the net in the direction of the mouse and don’t give up trying to catch it.
I will get you!
At some point, the mouse disappears from my line of sight…
Disheartened, I have to give up the hunt. I haven’t encountered it again in the first beta. Maybe it was hiding behind a rock and cheekily grinning at me.
In the second beta, it’s even possible to hunt the flagship monster Arkveld. I’m really looking forward to that – actually. Because my thoughts are only revolving around this cursed mouse. By now, I know that it is called “Sandstar,” probably translated as Sandstern in German. It’s said to be extremely vigilant and uses highly developed hearing to detect threats and flee from them. I’ve noticed that!
I know: Captain Ahab’s obsession to catch the white whale led him, his crew, and his ship to ruin. The novel warned me.
But never mind. I will catch this mouse, even if it’s the last thing I do in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Monster Hunter Wilds 2. Open Beta: All important information about preload, start, and content. What are your plans for the second beta? If you have already managed to catch the blue mouse, I would appreciate any tips in the comments.
