The developers of Monster Hunter World (PC, PS4, Xbox) emphasize again and again how important it was for them to create a realistic ecosystem. The Coral Highlands is a very special area in the action RPG and shows how well thought out nature is in MHW.
In Monster Hunter World, the focus is clearly on hunting the creatures of the New World. The battles resemble epic boss fights and require players to have a lot of knowledge and skill. Each animal has its own strengths, weaknesses, and behavior patterns that need to be learned.
In the latest installment of the franchise, the developers paid special attention to the ecosystem. They wanted to create a world that seems to breathe and follows its own logic. The living beings of the world interact with each other and their surroundings.
The Coral Highlands represents a special area in Monster Hunter World. The hunters will deal with hot air currents and a vertical landscape here.
The Coral Highlands is set to turn the hunters’ world upside down
Those who start playing Monster Hunter World will be led through areas that would also be realistic for our world. The first map is the Ancient Forest, which resembles a tropical jungle. After that, there are ancient swamps and dry deserts, just as one would expect.
Of course, these areas are filled with all sorts of fantastic creatures that could have come from a fantasy book or dinosaur movie.
The third map, however, the Coral Highlands, resembles a surreal painting. Everything appears like an underwater world, yet you find yourself on the mainland.
Director Kaname Fujioka revealed in an interview with Gameinformer, that the developers wanted to surprise their players with the Coral Highlands on multiple levels. After the hunters have gotten accustomed to the relatively realistic ecosystem, the Coral Highlands should turn their world upside down again – not only visually but also in terms of gameplay.
Gameplay in the Coral Highlands is designed for slopes & verticality
The hunters’ world is literally turned upside down in the Coral Highlands. In the middle, there is a huge coral plateau. The edges of the map rise vertically toward this plateau.
To navigate skillfully in this area, hunters can:
- climb along the heights climb
- ride a wyvern
- utilize the hot air currents that lift them up
- The hunters will have a glider mantle available to them. With this, they can float from the ground up into the air when they catch a hot current.
To create a believable world, the developers studied “real” ecosystems
Kajame Fujioka emphasized how important it is to think about the consequences of natural phenomena in order to create a believable world. It is crucial that the developers travel through the world and experience other ecosystems outside of Japan. Only then can they come up with logical systems themselves.
In the Coral Highlands, strong winds have an effect on the grass and plants. They will never be able to grow tall because they are not strong enough to withstand the wind.
Particularly interesting is also the function of the corals:
- The corals produce eggs in their core
- The eggs rise through the warm air currents
- In the Coral Highlands, there are animals that feed on the eggs
- The Coral Highlands propagate themselves through the spreading of the eggs
The bat-like Paolumu feeds on the eggs in the Coral Highlands and catches them while hovering by.
The Coral Highlands is set to be one of the most amazing areas in Monster Hunter World. Those who roam around with open eyes will be able to observe even more remarkable natural phenomena. For instance, the corals begin to rot at their tips and become crystals.
This is because the tips are too far from the resources that give them life. This is water flowing from the Ancient Forest and spreading into other areas.
Everything is interconnected.
The adventure won’t take long to begin: An exclusive beta for Monster Hunter World launches on PS4 this December.
