“It was a hard process, because although this is a continuation of the franchise, we created the game from scratch for Wii. In previous Monster Hunter games it was a much simpler game world – hunter versus monster. However, in the breathing ecosystem of Monster Hunter Tri, both hunters and monsters are on an even keel. So whilst the hunters have to hunt to survive, monsters themselves will interact with each other. For instance, smaller monsters may form groups and gang up against larger monsters if those larger monsters stray into their territory. In general, the interactions you’d expect to find in a real ecosystem have been put into Monster Hunter Tri. For example, you could go into a savannah field and watch a herd of herbivores as they simply feed on the grass – then, sometimes, a larger monster will approach and the herbivores start to act differently. They get nervous and jumpy, and you can watch the natural interactions going on in the world. Another example is the new torch item we’ve incorporated. Obviously you can take the torch into a cave or use it during the night to provide light. But soon you’re going to start realising that certain small monsters are afraid of the fire, so you’re not going to get attacked by them when you’re using the torch. Things like that add subtle depth and new dimensions to the game.” – Monster Hunter Tri Producer, Ryozo Tsujimoto

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