Nu Udra Revealed: Monster Hunter Wilds' Apex Predator in Oilwell Basin - IGN

The Monster Hunter series is renowned for its diverse environments, ranging from arid deserts and lush forests to fiery volcanoes and icy tundras. Each locale boasts a unique ecosystem teeming with a variety of monsters, offering players an immersive experience as they explore and hunt. This sense of adventure and discovery is a hallmark of the series, and it continues with the latest installment, Monster Hunter Wilds.

In Monster Hunter Wilds, after traversing the Windward Plains and Scarlet Forest, players will venture into the Oilwell Basin, a challenging region characterized by flames and oilsilt. This seemingly barren landscape is crisscrossed with viscous oil and flowing magma, yet it harbors life in the form of small creatures navigating the mire. Scattered throughout are remnants of an ancient civilization, adding an air of mystery to the area.

Yuya Tokuda, the director of both Monster Hunter: World and Monster Hunter Wilds, provides insight into the Oilwell Basin's dynamic nature. "During the Fallow, the Oilwell Basin is a place filled with mud and oil. When the Inclemency known as the Firespring comes, it burns away that oilsilt, and at times during the Plenty, the burned-away oil and soot vanish, revealing the minerals, microorganisms, and the original color of the manmade artifacts hidden underneath," he explains.

Down in the Muck

The development team's vision for the Oilwell Basin was to create a vertically connected environment, as described by Kaname Fujioka, the director of the original Monster Hunter and executive director and art director for Wilds. "We had two horizontally broad locales in the Windward Plains and Scarlet Forest, so we decided to make the Oilwell Basin a vertically connected place. The environment there changes slightly when you travel between the top, middle, and bottom strata. Sunlight reaches the top strata, where oil gathers like mud, and the lower you go, the hotter the place becomes, with lava and other substances," he says.

Tokuda adds, "From the middle to bottom strata, you'll find creatures not unlike aquatic life that may remind you of the deep seas or underwater volcanoes. In World, we created the ecosystem of the Coral Highlands using the idea of what it would look like if aquatic creatures lived on the surface, and we've used the knowledge we gained in the process to create the Oilwell Basin's creatures and ecosystem."

The Oilwell Basin's environment is distinct, appearing lifeless when covered in oilsilt but teeming with life beneath the surface. Shellfish like shrimp and crabs, along with small monsters that provide raw meat, thrive here. Large monsters feed on these smaller creatures, which in turn filter microorganisms from the environment and oilsilt. These microorganisms derive energy from the earth's heat, creating an ecosystem driven by geothermal energy, unlike the sunlight and vegetation-based ecosystems of the Windward Plains and Scarlet Forest.

The Oilwell Basin is home to unique large monsters, such as Rompopolo, a globular and noxious creature with a needle-like mouth. Fujioka explains, "We designed it as a tricky monster that lives in swamps and creates chaos for players by using its stored-up toxic gas. The idea of a mad scientist came up often when we were trying to depict 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 describes the Rompopolo Palico equipment as "amusing," and I can attest to its charm after trying it out myself. I encourage players to craft and experience it firsthand.

Flames of Ajarakan

Another new monster in the Oilwell Basin is Ajarakan, a fiery gorilla-like creature with a slimmer silhouette than the Scarlet Forest's Congalala. In a video showcasing territorial battles between Rompopolo and Ajarakan, the latter is seen grabbing Rompopolo in a bear hug, using martial arts-inspired movements and its fists to assert dominance.

Tokuda explains the design philosophy behind Ajarakan: "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 that this can make it harder to sense the threat that the monster poses. 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 one unique monster after the next making an appearance, we thought that this might be a good time to add a monster whose strengths are easy to understand. That's how we got Ajarakan. It just punches or slams its fists on the ground to make flames shoot up, making it the kind of monster that's strong by way of all its super-straightforward attacks."

Ajarakan occupies a high position in the Oilwell Basin's ecosystem, its flashy appearance and flame-accompanied attacks making it a standout predator. Fujioka elaborates on its design: "At first, it was just kind of a physically powerful monster. That's why I talked quite a bit with our artists and designers about giving it more personality in some way. It's a monster in a fiery location, so I wanted to make use of flames and heat. That said, I didn't want it to simply breathe fire or create flames. 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."

As development progressed, the team added more dynamic moves to Ajarakan, such as jumping into the air, balling up, and falling to the ground, to enhance its straightforward power.

A Monster Generations in the Making

The apex predator of the Oilwell Basin is the "Black Flame," officially named Nu Udra. This octopus-like creature secretes flammable oil, allowing it to stretch and wriggle throughout the area. Like the Windward Plains' Rey Dau and the Scarlet Forest's Uth Duna, Nu Udra embodies the elemental theme of its region—fire.

Fujioka confirms that octopuses inspired Nu Udra's design: "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 music during Nu Udra battles reflects its demonic imagery: "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 tentacle movements draw inspiration from past monsters like Lagiacrus from Monster Hunter Tri. Tokuda shares, "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 on Nu Udra's development: "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."

Tokuda nostalgically adds, "You know, I'm the one who put that (Yama Tsukami) there." Despite technological limitations at the time, they aimed to make Yama Tsukami memorable.

The realization of Nu Udra represents a significant achievement for Tokuda and Fujioka, as it allows for dynamic gameplay with a monster that freely moves using its cephalopod traits. Fujioka notes, "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."

The team's dedication to Nu Udra's animations is evident, as it wraps around ancient pipes and navigates small holes in the terrain. Fujioka explains, "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 use of new technologies to realize their vision is a testament to their commitment to innovation. Tokuda recalls an animator's pride in Nu Udra's movement: "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 adds, "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."

Facing Nu Udra in battle is challenging due to its flexible and ever-changing body. Tokuda explains, "You can cut off so many tentacles. While I suppose it depends on how you count them, all of the parts that resemble legs that touch the ground can be severed. While the tentacles do move right after they've been cut off, they begin to rot after some time passes. If you try to carve a part that's rotten and no longer moving, you won't get good materials from it. The same also applies for breakable parts of other monsters, like tails."

Nu Udra's attacks are designed with a unique tempo, combining focused and area-of-effect attacks using its head and flames. Tokuda notes, "Nu Udra uses its tentacles to launch attack after attack on its target. We were conscious to give its attacks a unique tempo through a combination of focused attacks, and area-of-effect attacks using its head and flames. We wanted to make it a massive monster that still seemed to launch a barrage of attacks. With all of its tentacles, though, it's possible that it becomes difficult to tell who it's targeting in situations like multiplayer hunts. That's why we've made it so that it has sensory organs at the tips of its tentacles that use light to indicate when and who it's going to attack."

To defeat Nu Udra, Tokuda suggests, "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

Fujioka mentions Gravios, a monster returning to the series in the Oilwell Basin after its last appearance in Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate. Gravios, with its rocky carapace and hot gas emissions, fits perfectly into the environment.

Tokuda explains the decision to bring back Gravios: "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."

The reintroduced Gravios has an even harder body than before, making it a formidable challenge. Tokuda elaborates, "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."

All Monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds

17 ImagesWhile Gravios returns, its juvenile form, Basarios, will not appear in Monster Hunter Wilds. Fujioka explains, "Sorry, but Basarios will be taking this one off." The decision reflects the team's careful approach to monster selection, ensuring each creature enhances the game's experience.

As the team discussed in their interview about monster selection, they only reintroduce monsters if they can be fully utilized within the game's context. Although Basarios won't be featured, many other monsters will inhabit the Oilwell Basin, promising exciting hunts for players equipped with a Cool Drink.