I’m sorry. Friendship with Giant Swords is over. Now, Meowscular Chef is my new best friend.
So far, our looks at Paul W.S. Anderson’s Monster Hunter movie have been a heady mix. The clash of the strange premise the movie has — a U.S. military unit lead by Milla Jovovich’s Captain Artemis transported to the world of the beloved Capcom RPG series — and yet also the film’s pretty solid commitment to the aesthetic of the games (the recent mega-hit Monster Hunter World, in particular) created a very strange dissonance, undercutting the otherwise bonkers action.
But that’s enough critical thought for the time being. Switch your brain off, because we’ve got Palicoes, baby.
Are you ready? #MonsterHunterMovie in theaters December. ???? @Monster_Hunter pic.twitter.com/8lY7KybG9D
— Monster Hunter (@monsterhunter) November 23, 2020
A staple of the franchise since the very first Monster Hunter, Felynes are anthropomorphic sentient cats that appear as crafters, cooks, and general tradespeople (tradescats?). But when a Felyne dons their own incredibly cute armour and joins a Hunter in the field, they’re known as Palicoes, doing everything from providing support and medical aid to actively taking part in fights alongside you. They’re also, as previously mentioned, just gosh darn adorable, and it’s great that Monster Hunter is going to pay homage to such a staple of the franchise. Even better, they’re doing it with the big boss Felyne of them all: the Meowscular Chef from Monster Hunter World.
This adorable little fella served as the Chef in the game’s hub of Astera, serving up massive meals with his Felyne sous chefs that provided buffs to Hunters before they went out on missions. Also, every cutscene of him making them was both hilarious and mouth-watering. But this time, it seems like the Meowscular Chef is going to be doing more than bringing the heat in the kitchen. We can see him in action in a recently-released Chinese trailer for the film below, but the new TV spot above shows him in action with a big ol’ sword of his own.
OK, we’re back in love with Giant Swords again. Especially now that cats get them. Monster Hunter hits select theatres in December. We’ve yet to hear anything about VOD, but we’ll let you know if and when we do.
[referenced id=”1519714″ url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2020/10/monster-hunters-first-trailer-brings-the-big-monsters-and-big-swords/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/15/cgdqrqp5xegimd1xpnwv-300×123.png” title=”Monster Hunter’s First Trailer Brings the Big Monsters (and Big Swords)” excerpt=”Although, Milla Jovovich herself could stand to have some bigger swords. Having two swords doesn’t make up for it!”]