Earlier this week, Steamforged Games revealed its upcoming project, Monster Hunter World: The Board Game. Alongside this reveal, the three different pledge levels for the Kickstarter campaign that will start in April were explained, but it also showed off a few of the mini figures that fans can expect to come with the game. With how many monsters exist in Monster Hunter, there's no way that a board game could comprise them all, but Steamforged Games is still managing to include an impressive number of monsters, especially given their unprecedented size. All total, there are 12 monsters available with the highest pledge level, and one of them is purportedly over 12 inches tall.
Steamforged Games is known for creating well received board game versions of popular video game titles. Fans may have heard of their other endeavors with titles like Dark Souls: The Board Game, Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game, Devil May Cry: The Bloody Palace, and more. Monster Hunter World: The Board Game is its latest foray into the world of video games, and it might be its most ambitious yet. Since Monster Hunter as a whole is focused solely on tracking and hunting large monsters, some of the mini figures that come with the game are anything but mini.
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The lowest tier of pledge for Monster Hunter World: The Board Game is the entry level, which will set players back $70. Included in this pledge level are four monsters listed as "XL Monsters." Although Steamforged Games doesn't go into any more detail than that, the picture above does show four monsters that would fit this category. Fans can expect to see Great Jagras, Tobi Kadachi, Anjanath, and Rathalos included in the core box set, all predators that stalk the Ancient Forest.
It could be argued that the flying wyvern pictured above is in fact a Rathian rather than a Rathalos, but there are a few distinct features that differentiate the two even without the obvious difference in color. Most notably, Rathian has a patch of fur on her back that doesn't seem to be present here, and her tail spines are smaller and more numerous compared to Rathalos' very pronounced set of spikes. Since this box is supposed to represent the Ancient Forest, it is fitting that it includes most of the primary large monsters from that area including its apex monster, Rathalos, the King of the Skies.
For $140, players can reach the Core Pledge tier of the kickstarter. This comes with everything included in the Entry level pledge (the Ancient Forest box) as well as another box featuring monsters from the Wildspire Waste. New in this box is one L monster, three more XL monsters, and one XXL monster, but this time only four monsters are shown in the image. With certainty, fans can expect to see Jyuratados, Pukei-Pukei, and Barroth, most likely as XL monsters, and Diablos as an XXL monster.
Regarding the mysterious large sized creature, it is most likely something also from the Wildspire Waste. It seems that these size descriptors are referencing the strength of the monster in addition to its actual size, but the only large monster smaller and less threatening than a Pukei-Pukei that calls the Wildspire Waste its home is the Kula-Ya-Ku. If this bird-like creature isn't the L monster shown on the Kickstarter, it's possible that one of Monster Hunter World's small monsters made the cut like an Apceros or Aptonoth. The Kula-Ya-Ku is more likely, though, as its wing can be seen pictured on a box in the next pledge tier and it is still challenging for newcomers to Monster Hunter to defeat.
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The final pledge tier that players can commit to is the All-in Pledge, listed at $279. Though it's pricey, this pledge tier gives players access to both the Ancient Forest and Wildspire Waste boxes, as well as three more smaller expansions featuring powerful monsters listed as XXL and XXXL tier. These three are shown in the picture above and are confirmed as huntable monsters in this Monster Hunter game, but it's unclear whether one of them is the XXXL size monster or not. Regardless, this is presumably the one that Steamforged Games was referencing when it touted a mini figure over one foot tall.
Players that purchase this pledge tier will receive miniatures of three Elder Dragons, Teostra, Nergigante, and Kushala Daora. This is where things start to get confusing. This pledge level comes with three XXL monsters, one of which must be Diablos. If the other two are supposed to be Teostra and Nergigante, then that would leave Kushala Daora as the XXXL monster. Notably, all three of these Elder Dragons call the Elder's Recess their home, so at this pledge level, players will have access to three of the regions in Monster Hunter World. That still leaves the question of what this mysterious XXXL monster is.
It's entirely possible that Kushala Daora is the XXXL monster included with this pledge tier, as the numbers do add up. What's more, Kushala is technically slightly larger than Nergigante, but the pose he is in for the mini figure has him standing up, in which case he would tower over the Eater of Elders. Even so, and this may be wishful thinking, it's possible that this XXXL monster references another beast altogether that has not been shown in any of the above pictures.
Given that this board game adapts Monster Hunter World and doesn't feature anything from Iceborne yet, the most obvious choice would be Zorah Magdaros. This Elder Dragon is the driving force behind almost everything players do in the main story of Monster Hunter World, so it would make sense to include it. Alternatively, Kulve Taroth is a possibility as well, but doesn't hold as much story significance as Zorah Magdaros. The biggest problem with including either of these monster is that they would require unique areas to be made into game boards, but it would be interesting to see siege hunts implemented in the board game regardless.
Monster Hunter World: The Board Game launches its Kickstarter in April of 2021.