It seems like Arachnophobia–the fear of spiders–is becoming more prevalent in the video game realm. Earlier this year, BioWare confirmed that Dragon Age: The Veilguard is completely spider-free despite the eight-legged arachnids’ presence in the series’ previous titles. Now, Monster Hunter Wilds has been revealed to include spiders, but it has an option to replace them entirely.
The Monster Hunter Wilds beta has launched, and as reported by Automaton, sharp-eyed players have noticed that it has an Arachnophobia Assistance feature. There are spiders in the game, including some giant spiders that may prove to be challenging boss fights. But once the Arachnophobia Assistance feature is turned on, all of those spiders will be gone.
However, that doesn’t get the players off the hook for those battles. It only means that the spiders will be replaced by something else. For example, the common spiders in the game will become blob-like slime creatures that are just as difficult to fight as the spiders. Presumably the giant spiders will also be transformed when they appear in the game as well.
Not every gamer suffers from Arachnophobia, and some may even enjoy the chance to battle against the arachnids in the game. But perhaps the sight of realistically rendered spiders–complete with hairy legs and multiple eyes–may be too much for some players. Either way, the players get to decide whether they want to cathartically face those fears or simply pretend that the creatures aren’t there with the flip of a switch.
Monster Hunter Wilds will be released on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC on February 28, 2025. PS Plus subscribers currently have early access to the beta, which will expand to non-subscribers on PS5 on October 31, the same day the beta launches for PC and Xbox Series X|S. But the beta will only last until November 3.