In an interview with Famitsu magazine, the developers of Monster Hunter X shared a few more morsels of information on how the game will be different from Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. We’ve covered a number of the differences before, so this time we’re focusing on features from those two games that will not be present in Monster Hunter X.

For starters, there are no underwater areas like there were in Monster Hunter Tri and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. Meanwhile, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate’s Frenzied monsters and Guild Quests will not be returning in Monster Hunter X either. Series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto says this is to emphasize the elements that will be unique to Monster Hunter X.

One of the things unique to Monster Hunter X is Verna Village, which, judging by the screenshots we’ve seen so far, is rather large. Director Yasunori Ichinose says that while previous Monster Hunter villages were given a warm and dense feel, Verna Village is the opposite—it’s a more open, spacious village, and the kind of life depicted in Verna is different from past Monster Hunter titles as well.

This difference in ambience extends right from the colours of the village all the way to the way it’s designed for players. For Verna Village, Capcom say they’ve somewhat emphasized interactions with non-villager beings. Among these is the herbivorous “Moofer” species that is kept in Verna.

Tsujimoto points out that the worldview of Verna is unrelated to the prior Monster Hunter games, and this is because it’s important that the creation of a unique worldview for each Monster Hunter title is of great importance. Additionally, Verna will also be the only village in Monster Hunter X with a Guild Hall that is used to access multiplayer.

That having been said, one of the things Monster Hunter X does share in common with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is that you can travel between multiple villages. This is done via a hot-air balloon, and is part of some sort of ecosystem investigation that you will be carrying out through the course of your adventure. Just why you’re investigating the ecosystem is related to the game’s story, so Capcom are keeping details under wraps for now.

In concluding, the developers say that one can expect information on Monster Hunter X to be revealed at regular intervals from now on, and that players will begin to get some idea of just how the game plays. Then, when they actually get to play it for themselves, hopefully they’ll say: “Oh? It’s different from what I imagined, but it’s interesting!”

With the customization options, Capcom’s hope is to deliver a more personal hunting experience, and hope to betray people’s expectations in a good way.