Monster Hunter Rise for Nintendo Switch – My Nintendo News

The rampage is looming and Magnamalo is approaching, but can you survive the hunt and have no fear? Making its debut on Nintendo Switch, Monster Hunter Rise features new ways to ride, explore, and kill beasts with the addition of palamutes, wyvern riding, and wirebug mechanic. With new monsters and company favorites returning to the game, Rise continues to give you hours of fun and challenges solo or with friends.

The Monster Hunter franchise has always been a quest for perseverance, especially for newcomers. As new hunters repeatedly wade through the mud trying to find a weapon to suit their playstyle, the phrase “stick with it” comes to mind. That love-hate relationship with the show’s mechanics, lack of tutorials and clunky controls can be a major drag for those who really lack the time to devote to learning the system. Fortunately, the franchise’s development team have learned a lot from its critically acclaimed cross-platform title. Monster Hunter: World, which was released for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows in 2018. Inspired greatly by World and based on ongoing player feedback, Monster Hunter Rise is now the most accessible game in the series for newcomers. Improvements include a much easier to navigate user interface, weapon trees and wishlists, tutorials that explain the basics of hunting, wyvern riding and rampages, as well as the ability to follow and easily target large monsters without using paintballs. For the first time ever, Monster Hunter really looks like a “ pick up and play ” title – and that’s perfect for the Switch.

According to a recent interview with game director Yasunori Ichinose, Monster Hunter Rise was initially expected to use the game’s more traditional zone loading map system, such as reported by The Verge. But since the success of World’s open environments, the development team has taken the same approach for Rise. Therefore, zero-loading screens allow for a much faster pace and a smooth hunting experience. And, using the Capcom RE Engine, Rise showcases beautiful benchmarks in crisp visuals without losing the quirky anime appeal that has become the heart and soul of the series for many. This optimization to allow handheld play, while still using World-like mechanics, is perhaps why Monster Hunter Rise is so fun to play, whether in docked or handheld mode.

Beginning your adventure in the idyllic village of Kamura, Monster Hunter Rise features an intriguing story mode designed around monster slaying quests and rampaging defenses. In this single player mode, the monstrosity named Magnamalo has threatened the livelihoods of the people of Kamura village as it feeds on the force of the rampage. Your mission, as the hunter and protector of the village, is to separate Magnamalo from the horde by killing monsters through urgent quests and to defend yourself against these hordes in the rampage, a tower defense quest that is the key to the progression of the scenario.

For newcomers, village quests offer much more intuitive learning experiences than those found in Monster Hunter Generations or Ultimate. Well-paced tutorials to learn the basics of hunting and the 14 weapons available, as well as new game features, such as wirebug mechanics, wyvern, and palamute riding – as mentioned in our first impressions article – helps prepare the ground. However, cumbersome controls certainly dilute the experience. For example, menu scrolling is still locked to the cross pad – as it was on the 3DS – instead of the more intuitive, natural feel with the left and right joysticks. The Wirebug Mechanic also requires a steep learning curve, as producer Ryōzō Tsujimoto admitted, and can be quite tricky to use both in and out of combat. Although once learned, it can be a game-changer with the level of depth the Mechanic brings to Monster Hunting. Palamute riding on your cany companion is doing much better with a quick pickup and the ability to use your whetstone, take a potion, and eat a ration while on the move. However, if your palamute is carried away in battle, the ride control is not instantaneous, which means that the game mechanics may take some time to react. At most, these are minor flaws and will not prevent a seasoned hunter from returning to the fray.

Incidentally, seasoned hunters can jump right into the fun at the muster center. Available from the start, the Gathering Hub is where hunters can go on quests alone or with others in local and online multiplayer. Raising your Hunter Rank by tackling key quests by killing or trapping monsters and upgrading your weapons and gear through Monster Party Upgrades is an integral part of Rise’s gameplay. While village quests also allow you to upgrade your gear, you can only increase your Hunter rank by completing key Gathering Hub quests. Of course, as with previous Monster Hunter games, there is a lot of repetition in the quests. Between hunting for the Great Wroggi and Tetranadon in the Sanctuary Ruins and major threats such as Magnamalo in the Lava Caverns, the Village and Gathering Center quests share the same challenges, albeit in slightly different locations. However, the Gathering Center offers a much wider appeal when played with other hunters online.

After playing around six hours of online multiplayer, it’s easy to see why the appeal of Monster Hunter Rise reaches new heights when playing with others. Previously monotonous and easy hunts become much more diverse and fun, while automatically increasing the challenge based on the number of players with you in the quest. Join or simply create a lobby with defined parameters (these allow you to choose hunter rank, language, and playstyle) via the Palico Courier in Kamura Village, then head to the Gathering Center and join easily others by searching the quest board. And since there’s a Canteen, Food Box, and Forge all in one area, there’s no reason to leave the hub, saving time and speeding up the feel of the hunt.

If you enjoyed trapping monsters with others in online multiplayer, you can send them a “ like ” at the end of the quest, chat with them freely (via in-game chat menus), and trade guild cards to facilitate their participation in the future. hunt. Unfortunately, the game does not use the Nintendo Voice Chat app, although this can be fixed through Discord, if desired. And while we haven’t yet experienced the joys of local multiplayer, the online multiplayer servers have allowed for smooth gameplay without any technical issues or delays. We hope this will continue when the servers officially go live on the game’s launch day.

Monster Hunter Rise is also keeping players on their toes with “The Rampage”. This tower-defense style minigame offers an interesting diversion from the core gameplay. While tied to story progression, Unleash is also available in multiplayer mode through the Gathering Hub, which means communication through Discord or other similar apps is crucial. In Rampage, players are tasked with setting up gear, such as ballistae, cannons, bamboo bombs, and point installations like Fugen the Elder, to take down monsters before they pass through the main gate. from the village. By placing these facilities – which can be set up by the player or used independently by the villagers – in strategically defensive and advantageous positions, large monsters can be taken down in the blink of an eye. The challenge, however, arises for players when multiple monsters (called hordes) are attacking at the same time. This means players need to think quickly, be light on their feet as they quickly walk around the area with their wireframe, and change setup if they are at a dead end.

With just 120 seconds between each horde, there’s not a lot of time to hang around, allowing for some intense combat that can be both extremely frustrating and just as satisfying. These frustrations often manifest when players are in the heat of the moment, constantly being targeted by “ little monsters ” such as the Great Izuchi, Great Wroggi, Azuros, and Air Wyverns, making it much more difficult. eliminate the big damage merchants first. . Perhaps a top-down tactician role would have served a much more important purpose by emphasizing strategy. Although pleasant, it is clear that this mode still has problems that need to be fixed.

Apart from the main quests, Monster Hunter Rise also allows players to participate in optional side quests to increase their Kamura Village Points, which can then be spent in the Canteen or by forming Palico and Palamute buddies at Buddy Plaza. While all hunters start with two friends, you can hire more (to your liking) in the square and send them out on their own quests through the Meowcenaries or through trade quests to get rarer items. Like the other games in the series, it’s great to see these areas come back, nonetheless.

With renewed accessibility for newcomers and great new features for seasoned hunters to master, Monster Hunter Rise is an enjoyable action RPG that refines many of the world’s most successful mechanics. Its impressive scale on screen, combined with its depth of play, makes it a great portable and challenging title. While not without its flaws, Monster Hunter Rise certainly has the potential to reach a new generation of hunters on the Switch, alongside PC gamers with its expected arrival on Windows systems next year. The question may not be whether you will rise to the challenge, but when? And remember, this is not for the faint of heart.

9/10

A review copy of Monster Hunter Rise has been provided to My Nintendo News by Nintendo UK.