After two years since its initial launch, console fans namely Playstation and Xbox, are finally getting their much-awaited fix for the monster-hunting genre. Capcom’s Monster Hunter Rise which originally came out exclusively on the Nintendo Switch two years ago is essentially your Monster Hunter World Part 2 which brings everything we’ve loved about World and more. However, as it was made with the Nintendo Switch in mind, there are a couple of things that just couldn’t make the cut.
And don’t get me wrong, the port itself is great and includes a robust suite of graphical features to make up for it which includes options to go from performance mode to quality to ramp up the eye-candy of details to even filters that vastly change how the game looks and feels. Running it in 4K@60fps is easily one of the best things the port has to offer however from a gameplay perspective, I wish it could’ve done better. On launch, the game suffers from high latency which in practice, brings some headaches to online play when you’re joining a quest from the hub. This is especially frustrating for a game that is catered to be something that is best played with a group of people than alone.
Narrative? What narrative?!
Much like its previous instalment, Rise’s narrative doesn’t particularly fall into something grand and memorable. But for better or worse, at least you’re not sniffing monster trails for days. Its narrative simply offers a neat and well-established motive where a young hunter from a Japanese-inspired Kamura Village rises up to the challenge to fend off the monsters that have been sieging their settlement for years. This eventually ramps up in difficulty with even bigger and stronger monsters coming your way which is highlighted even further with its poetic narration and Japanese-themed visuals that sets the tone of the entire game. And ultimately it leads to closing it up with the biggest monsters of epic proportions because how could you not?
With great features, comes great gameplay
And again, much like Monster Hunter World, the game features all the classic weapons from the most weeaboo of longswords to the most unga bunga of switch axes you’ll ever get your hands on. All 14 weapon types included in the game follow the same combo patterns as MHW with a couple of neat little changes so fans of the previous game wouldn’t need to relearn everything from scratch. Now, if you’ve played Monster Hunter World Iceborne, you’d be familiar with the clutch claw. An added feature in the DLC expansion of said game however that is not present in Rise, instead, wirebugs is essentially the main new feature of the title and this adds to the game’s overall flow of combat. Wirebugs pretty much act as your way of the Spiderman where you can activate it to get some air time or a quick wake-up move when you get knocked away by a monster’s attack. And this feature also follows up to switch skills or silkbind moves which acts as ways to customize your playstyle.
A longsword user for example can choose to use a Soaring Kick which is essentially the new way to go into Helm Splitter (a longsword’s best DPS move) however you can choose to go a different route and change it from a Soaring Kick to a Silkbind Sakura Slash which changes the way how your L2 + Triangle work essentially making Helm Splitter unusable but you get a move that propels you forward with the use of the wirebug and hitting the monster with your blade during that time causes multiple lacerations similar to a Helm Splitter while also raising your Spirit Gauge by one. And this is really where Rise tries to deviate from the usual formula to make its gameplay a bit quicker and more reactive while also rewarding to those that choose to take the time and effort to learn its ins and outs.
Other changes to its gameplay include the addition of a new companion called a palamute. Unlike a palico the “good boy” that is the palamute is a rideable companion you can bring on hunts. Playing solo allows you to have two companions that can be either both or one of each type while in online play, each player is only allowed with one companion whether or not you’re in a group of two or up to four people, unlike MHW where going with 3 or 4 players remove the palicos in the hunt. And one of the bigger changes to its gameplay is wyvern riding which replaced mounting monsters. Unlike mounting, wyvern riding allows you to physically control a monster’s movement you’re currently riding and execute commands to attack other monsters or launch them into walls to deal damage. This is easily one of the more fun things you can do in MHR and I’d hate to see it not be part of the next instalment in the franchise. Also, there are Rampage quests… but here, we don’t talk about Rampage quests.
The end game is what you make it out to be…
But at its core, be it Monster Hunter World, Monster Hunter Rise or every other MH game that came before, the biggest draw to the game is the end-game content and the massive and exhilarating hunts that puts you at the edge of your seats. I’m pleased to say, MH Rise is all of that and more. Going from low rank with all the simpler-looking monsters is a huge treat while still posing some challenges and going through the biggest baddies is the ultimate highlight. You’ve got your box art monster Magnamalo which is not only a fantastic-looking monster but also brings the menacing look that even after playing the game three separate times on the Nintendo Switch, Playstation and PC’s Game Pass, it doesn’t fail to make me scream like a little girl inside my head when it starts flailing around. There are hours of content to go through just to unlock the secret monsters locked in specific tiers and it’s just one of the few things that motivate its fans to push forward even after the many failed attempts throughout the adventure. But ultimately, and I’m saying this as a fan of Monster Hunter despite only really having played MHW religiously for over 3000 hours, it’s the massive cult following and the idea of playing with friends, hunting with your buddies and just having some good yet challenging fights are what really becomes the end game. It’s the one thing that kept its players, myself included, coming back to the game for that one last hunt of the night.
I can’t say I love the whole idea of Rise as a whole, but what it does have is a great experience that is both fun and a game that I can say is something I would definitely love to go back to every now and then. While it might not be on par to MHW when it comes to the overall quality of its character models and environment, it makes up for the freedom of its graphical features and filters to make it more appealing when you have to consider that it was originally a Nintendo Switch game. The only real downside to this whole package is its online connectivity. For context, wired, my internet test connections on the console and on PC nets me around a 500Mbps DL and UL speeds yet despite all that, whether I’m joining players hosting in the same country where I am or be it the same continent, interacting with the item box near the camp or getting potions from it occasionally has a 1-2 second delay which forces me to sit there and wait. Other times while not as often, the rubberbanding forces monsters to slide around the map which ruins the experience when you’re trying to melee the monster and its slowly sliding away from you unintentionally.
Conclusion
Monster Hunter Rise is now out on every platform but regardless of where you chose to purchase it, its an absolute blast to play and one that definitely deserves a chance. Its an absolute treat to zip around its world with its added verticality thanks to its new features and the quicker and more agile gameplay provides the exhilarating moments that previous games in the franchise had never seen before. If not for its online issues, be it the on Playstation or PC Game Pass where I’ve reviewed the game, this could’ve easily been a must buy, but for now, if you feel like the online coop is low on your priority and wouldn’t mind the occasional hiccups then by all means.
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