An Ultimate Generation of Worlds Unite.

I’ve been a Monster Hunter fan since Freedom Unite on the PSP. I haven’t missed a single North American release since, and have been in love with the series ever since. Monster Hunter World was the game changer. The first MonHun on consoles for the longest time, new mechanics that helped newcomers get into the game, and years-long updates full of events and new content all for free. Not to mention a paid for DLC that changed the very core of the game. That’s a hard game to follow, but with Monster Hunter Rise, they somehow did and was able to take everything I loved about World and add even more flair to it.

Rise takes place in the Japanese inspired village of Kamura. This village is being threatened by hoards of monsters known as Rampages, and it is up to the new up and coming hunter to stop these from destroying the village. Along the way, they will also encounter even worse things that are following these monster rampages, because nothing is that simple in Monster Hunter.
Rise is much like the other games. Players choose a starting weapon, take on simple hunts to begin, gather materials from slain or trapped monsters, and craft new weapons, armor, and other things to grow and become the ultimate slaying machine. They will progressively get new quests that offer up bigger challenges with even bigger monsters.

MSRP: $59.99
Price I’d Pay: $59.99
Platforms: Switch

Monster Hunter is a giant game, so I feel I need to break down the things that are important, so let’s start off with the mechanics.

There are no new weapons in Rise. The 14 weapons that were in World are here as well. There are some new changes to each weapon and to go over them all will take the entirety of this review, but one thing I will mention is that the Hunting Horn has changed, to the point where people will finally play this weapon (I’m very biased since I main HH).Also changed are the mechanics of both mounting a monster as well as the new moves that come with each weapon. Hunters now have wire bug charges. Wire bugs offer up new attacks as well as a new form of movement that adds a nimble ariel feel. Players start off with two charges and can use wire bugs to zip towards any direction in the air to get around. Thischanges both the fighting as well as the traversal of the maps itself. Players can also wall run, both on the side of walls as well as up them, allowing them to reach ledges that hunters in MonHun World wished they could. There are also silk bind attacks that use charges of the wire bugs. These attacks inflict mounting damage to the monster. Players can also use the tried and true jumping attacks for mounting damage as well, but the silk bind attacks do much more. After inflicting enough mounting damage to the monster, players can then ride on top of the monster. Players then can move the monster around using two different types of attacks with the monster or launch them into walls or other monsters. Essentially, the player takes control of the monster. This can also play out during a turf war between two monsters. Attacking with a mounted monster against another monster will do damage to the defending monster, knocking off valuable materials that can be picked up. This is a great way to get even more from a hunt when taking advantage of a monster mount.

Another new addition is the palamutes. Much like the palicos, palamutes are dog companions that not only help out in fights, but also serve as the players “horse.” At any time, a hunter can hop on their palamute and ride wherever they want. On top of this, players can use items, sharpen their weapons, and traverse without using stamina while riding on their dog friends.

The Rampage quests are part Monster Hunter part tower defense. Players will be utilizing mounted traps and weapons to attack incoming monsters, and occasionally drop down into the fray to fight a monster one on one. These play out in a grandiose way and offer up some great rewards for both finishing as well as playing well.

As a veteran MonHun player can see, Rise seems to take the best of each game and combine them together. There’s a lot from World in here, along with Generations and even some from the other series. It is most certainly the best of both worlds.

The customization is so vast here both in weapon variety and skill selection, for both my hunter and my buddies that assist me, farming the right things to maximize my inventory as well as my incoming money, all the way to customizing my room with trinkets and posters. Let’s not forget finding the right combination of foods to eat before a hunt as well as keeping up my training with my buddies at the dojo. There is something here for everyone.

The combat is still a fantastic feeling of constant boss fights that really require the player to learn the monster’s moves and abilities while trying to set up for a good attack combo. With the new wire bug system in play, it adds even more to the table and gives the player so much more to utilize. Even just going on an expedition quest and just exploring the maps feels like a new fresh aspect with the ability to now use the wire bugs to get to higher areas of the map. There were times I was actually surprised to find something that I didn’t even know was there just because I randomly used a wire bug to zip up to the top of a hill.

Endemic life plays a large part in Rise as well. Players can gather special animals that both buff the players as well as can be used in a pinch as a usable item. A new mechanic in the game is also the petalace, a piece of equipment that attracts spiribrids. Spiribirds are spread all throughout maps that will come into contact with the hunter. Depending on the petalace equipped, the different colored spiribirds will increase a specified stat on the hunter.

Of course, going in alone is just fine, but if players want to maximize their fun as well as their challenge, they can go online to take on hunts with up to three other hunters. This is where the real fun is. Monsters scale to the number of players in a hunt and have more health. That way, players aren’t wiping the floor with the target. The online progression and the story progression are separate in Rise. This was how it was in previous titles before World. While that does come as a slight blow, it makes sense that players can jump right into the hunt rather then wait for the host to see the new monster like they did in World. Players can start up a hunt and allow players to join in, or they can set up a full lobby and invite their friends or have randoms come in and post their own quests they would like to do.

The late game is here and allows for even more customization. Players new to the franchise will learn that any armor obtained in low rank will become rather useless once they jump into high rank. High rank armor will take more time to collect and with numerous sets, players will pick and choose what they want, and much like me, will get the itch to have the entire set just so I can say that I have them. Of course, decorations play a big part in them as well, and I am happy to announce they are no longer random RNG drops. Players can now craft them whenever they want, they will just need the parts. Now, we can’t go without at least one thing being RNG based. The talismans are now melded and RNG based on both the slots they have as well as the skills they will have on them, but I’m ok with that.

I do want to touch on a few things Rise has in its detriment. For one, calling my palammute to pick me up so I can ride it is hit or miss at times. I can hold down the A button and it will sometimes work or sometimes won’t. Even using the quick menu to do it is spotty. When it comes to getting a hunt over with quickly, I have to rely on my palamute to get to a retreating monster, and it can get a little annoying. Plus, as it stands right now, the only way to play this game is on the Switch. Now, while it looks great and plays just fine both in docked and handheld mode, seeing this game in 1080p at the best of times really starts to show how much less powerful the Switch is compared to the Series X and the PS5. If I’m being honest, I would have loved to play this game on my new Series X and seen just how great it could have looked. It is coming to PC, but not for a long while.

I have written a lot here and feel like I have only scratched the surface. Monster Hunter Rise had big shoes to fill after coming off the heels of World, and man, did they come through swinging hard. They hit a homerun here, and with taking things from all the previous games have created a game with a great setting, fun and flashy combat, tons of customization option, and wonderful traversal. This is a fantastic game for both the newcomer to the series as well as the veteran.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Good
  • Great combat
  • Fun traversal
  • Tons to see and do
  • Vast customization options
  • Great style
Bad
  • Palamute riding can be a bit cumbersome
  • The Switch visuals bring down the look a bit
9.5
Excellent
Written by
Drew is the Community Manager here at ZTGD and his accent simply woos the ladies. His rage is only surpassed by the great one himself and no one should stand between him and his Twizzlers.