[code]Rise offers a fast-paced, movement-focused Monster Hunter experience that, by prioritising the actual fighting above all else, foregoes the immersive aspects in order to deliver a subsequently much more arcade-y feeling game[/code]
Nowadays, many people’s first contact with the 20+ years old [i]Monster Hunter[/i] franchise would’ve been 2018’s [i]Monster Hunter World[/i], which remains the [url=https://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/english/business/million.html#tab1]best-selling Capcom game of all time[/url] at the time of this review (22.10 million units sold). As such, the next mainline entry in the series, 2021’s [i]Monster Hunter Rise[/i], ended up as the second [i]Monster Hunter[/i] game for quite a few players, me included, which led to lots of comparisons between the different directions the two games ended up taking. While this review won’t be able to drop the comparison aspect entirely as well, it’s also attempting to take a newcomer’s perspective into account, due to MHR being my co-op partner’s first experience with the franchise.
Probably due to it’s nature as a portable game – it first released on the Nintendo Switch in 2021 and only came to home consoles/PC a year later – [i]Rise[/i] is a game that’s designed to get you into actual fights as soon as possible; with smaller, simpler maps, UI elements indicating each monster’s position and a plethora of new movement options (rideable dogs called Palamutes, flying insects called Wirebugs that allow for web-slinging) that prove essential during combat as well. While [i]World[/i] prioritised immersion during hunts, with the need to track down monsters first and navigate more complex, lush environments, [i]Rise[/i] is all about getting your attacks in mere minutes after arriving at the (quite limited) selection of maps.
That said, [i]Rise[/i] also introduces “Spiribirds” that are placed across the environments and boost the player’s stats (e.g. health, endurance) once collected during each quest – which feel quite at odds with the otherwise fast-paced nature of the game. Especially during the tougher endgame fights, players who want to maximize their stats beforehand thus need to travel through the entire map each time, which becomes tiring quickly. As such, my co-op partner and I never went out of our way to collect Spiribirds, which fortunately worked out just fine.
As mentioned before, due to the new movement options – the Wirebugs and their associated Silkbind attacks/Switch Skills for each weapon type in particular – the actual combat of [i]Rise[/i] is much more fast-paced compared to [i]World[/i], which emphasised waiting for the right opportunity to strike. In [i]Rise[/i], fighting effectively means constantly moving around, as the new special skills may combine both attacking and evading simultaneously: For example, the “Fanning Vault” Switch Skill associated with the Light Bowgun allows the player to jump in a big arc with the option to fire an exploding mine directly underneath, possibly hitting a monster. Of course, monsters attack and move around much faster as well, which results in a fun but frenetic dance for melee-focused players in particular.
Generally speaking, despite offering a change in pace compared to [i]World[/i], the fights in [i]Rise[/i] remain as fun as expected from the franchise. The many different monsters each offer a unique challenge and move-set, and the newly added option to ride them to use their attacks against each other is a great spectacle every time. However, the riding mechanics themselves are a little too simple – repeatedly using an evade action and a heavy attack right after continued to be effective every time.
However, while I played throughout the entire base game and expansion “story”, my co-op partner eventually dropped out halfway through the expansion – the reason being that the grind for new gear simply became too much. While the almost “boss rush”-like gameplay focus of [i]Rise[/i] has its benefits, it just goes to show that the constant monster fighting without much in-between to change things up can also become too monotonous for some players, even if the fights themselves are designed well.
It also doesn’t help that the narrative side of [i]Rise[/i] is quite lacking, with the plot and characters merely providing the basics to justify the continuous hunting of new monsters, rather than offering more interesting motivations for fighting specific foes. One may retort by pointing out that the mainline [i]Monster Hunter[/i] games always had a gameplay-focus and thus shouldn’t be played for their story – but while that may be true, the fact remains that an improved narrative could’ve made the game even better, especially in terms of distracting from the underlying grind.
Speaking of lacking, one of the new features of [i]Rise[/i] that has been rightfully abandoned by its sole expansion, [i]Sunbreak[/i], are “Rampages” – essentially a tower defence-themed mode, where a constant onslaught of monsters have to be defeated in order to defend a main gate. Unfortunately, while Rampages may be fun in theory, in practice they’re a clunky, monotonous experience that differs greatly from the rest of the [i]Rise[/i] and works better in co-op than in solo mode – at least they’re only mandatory a few times.
Overall though, if you’re looking for a faster [i]Monster Hunter[/i] experience that prioritises combat above all else, [i]Rise[/i] is the game for you. It offers the typical strength of the franchise – great fight design, lots of content and equipment to grind for, high build potential – although it does sacrifice the more immersive aspects of [i]World[/i] in order to get players into fights even faster. The expansion, [i]Sunbreak[/i], is an essential purchase if you plan on spending more time with the game, improving upon the base game in many aspects – such as introducing NPC followers for solo players – and offering higher challenges to tackle.
Considering the experience of my co-op partner however, it should be emphasized that grinding plays a huge role in this [i]Monster Hunter[/i] entry as well, even if the base game offers catch-up gear for those who want to tackle the expansion as quickly as possible. Especially those who’ve never played a game from this franchise before should be aware that there will be a point at which grinding for new gear becomes a near necessity in order to continue. When this point arrives depends on many factors, but especially if planning on playing the [i]Sunbreak[/i] expansion content, beginners likely shouldn’t expect to get by without grinding – even when only going for the “story” quests. As such, be prepared to fight monsters more than just once or twice, even if the base game may not offer much of a challenge at first. If you’re fine with that, however, [i]Rise[/i] offers many hours of entertainment to get lost in, be it solo or with friends.
