Monster Hunter Wilds nearly ruined Palicoes when it let them speak English. Thankfully, you can change them back to meows

The Monster Hunter Wilds Beta went live last night on PlayStation 5 (three days before Thursday's PC Beta), and I'm already smiling. The map is beautiful and huge. Riding a Seikret can be a lot of fun. My cat speaks English. My cat speaks perfect English. Whaaaaaaat?

When my fluffy, long-haired Felyne friend spoke up in a cutscene and gave his opinion about our current situation, I thought it was a joke. Capcom must have been about to reveal another human character who would be doing the actual talking, but nope. This game has cats talking by default, and it's not my favorite. Don't get it wrong: I am pro-Felyne Agency, but the voice Capcom has given my companion Himbo (a name from his family) makes me dislike him. He's a little snarky, and even when he's being helpful by pointing out nearby herbs, he comes across as sarcastic.

I would prefer at least one other Felyne option, but the fact is that giving Palicoes a human language in Wilds means sacrificing their cute meows. Palicoes are technically able to speak, but they have traditionally spoken "Felyne," an adorable language of meows and growsls that translate into entire sentences.

Capcom clearly wants to expand the role of your Palico in this Monster Hunter story, part of a larger trend where Wilds are more cinematic and story focused than World. But I wonder if Capcom will end up in a Meowth-like situation. In the Pokemon anime all Pokemon are treated as pets. Meowth is the only exception, a member of Team Rocket who's unique command of the human language elevates him from a pet to a partner or subordinate coworker. I also feel the same way about not treating my Palico, who talks, as a pet or servant. However, their role in Monster Hunter is to follow me around 24 hours a days, do what I say, and even risk life and limb for my hunts.

It's not an obstacle--Monster Hunter asks me to suspend a certain discomfort in order to enjoy the sport of hunting--but for this game, I'd rather go back to the old ways. It's a good thing that there is an option.

You can always go back to meows

You don't want to be like me, who played the Monster Hunter Wilds Beta for five hours and then realized that you could change your Palico’s speaking language. You'll find it in the Palico creation page (not the Audio settings as I had previously tried). You'll find the "Felyne language" toggle there, which determines if they speak in meows or any other language. Simple.

You can switch on Felyne from the main menu if you have rushed through the Palico creation. This will allow you to enjoy quieter hunting and more adorable communications. I'm curious to see what the new changes will do to cutscenes. Will Himbo's lines just be a series of growls? I hope so.