Wudwuds get lots of love, and how could they not? It doesn’t take these mysterious forest cat-things long to get tangled up with hunters’ business. When they do? Cuteness overload. Rove might steal the show with his Shakespearean monologing, but he’s not the only entertaining Wudwud. In fact, the best Wudwud cutscene in Monster Hunter Wilds might belong to the Congalala Fur Thieves. Are they technically thieves? Poachers? Hair Acquisition Experts? I’m not sure what role they play in the broader Wilds ecosystem, but these runaway barbers need to be stopped. Or at least handed some shears to make the whole business faster.
A Haircut in Congalala Land
Wudwuds have such feral Troll Doll engine that I fear they’re going to break into a croaky rendition of “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” at any moment. The Wudwud vibe is also Ewokish, which explains why Congalala isn’t safe. Poor, poor Congalala, mighty ape of the jungle. Your only crime was having beautiful red fur. Now here come a bunch of acorn-armored warriors from the Cutie Patrol to snip your hair. After a great deal of fussing and fawning over the red ape’s fur, the Wudwud start trying to tug it out by the root. This starts a fight with Congalala. Insert a montage of Great Sword slashes, dramatic dodges, and Potion chugging, and you’ve got the idea.
Plumpeach tells the hunter “The Wudwuds’ forest is now your forest too.” By then, of course, the Congalala’s morning and hairdo are both ruined. As a hunter acting alongside Alma and the others, you’re at least trying to respect and preserve the ecosystem. Your mission is one of conservation as much as monster killing. Yet it’s hard for me to watch the Congalala’s unceremonious beating and haircut without feeling like a bit of a villain. Of course, that’s nothing new for many MH players. It’s common in Monster Hunter Wilds to hunt a monster across multiple sites, breaking its body and leaving it limping before the kill. The Congalala getting accosted by a bunch of fur-stealing Wudwud isn’t exactly dark by comparison.
The Rogue Wudwud Barbers of Monster Hunter Wilds
The Wudwuds need resources. So do I. So, for that matter, does Congalala. Creatures in Monster Hunter Wilds have a habit of roaming into one another’s territories, perhaps breaking into a scuffle by the water hole as you pass. Wilds might not be a 1:1 reproduction of the Amazon rainforest, but it’s a working ecosystem nonetheless. Is me slaying Congalala for pelts so I can craft a Golba Vandal any more noble than whatever the Wudwuds are doing? The Congalala fur thief cutscene is peak Monster Hunter in some ways. It takes itself seriously despite its over-the-top premise and cartoonish cast. The result feels as special as a Zoh Shia brawl. I don’t often care to repeat cutscenes in Wilds, but this one I needed to see again.
The interaction between Congalala and the Wudwuds isn’t the deepest or most dramatic thing in Wilds, but it’s one of my favorites. It’s a Saturday morning cartoon played mostly for laughs, and it works. If anything, I think I’m on team Hippo-Faced Ape Monster. If a gang of furry bandits tried to pull my hair out while I was sleeping, I’d try to fight them too. That won’t stop me from slaying half the Congalala in the Scarlet Forest to craft a War Bongo. It probably won’t stop the Wudwuds from being barbershop menaces either. At least Congalala gets its stinky revenge.
