Monster Hunter Rise (Switch) Review

FOCUSING ON PLAYER CONVENIENCE

To understand why I get so excited for the most Monster Hunter games you must first know that I started playing this franchise at its debut on the PS2 in 2004. On PS2, attacks were done with the right analog stick and the camera was controlled partially with the D-Pad. Though there were improvements over the years, Monster Hunter always had weird controls. I still stubbornly use the D-Pad to scroll through items on World because of the habits I developed on previous games on the PSP and 3DS. Monster Hunter World introduced players to more logical controls on a console with a proper controller. No more cramped hands or buying a New 3DS just to spin the camera properly and no more unruly aiming with ranged weapons. Modern control was something I always wanted in these games.  

World was heavily criticized for its awkward approach to multiplayer though. Hunters would have to wait for the rest of the party to see a particular cutscene and then load into a hunt. It was annoying, to say the least, and made hunting with friends far more complicated than it needed to be. Once we were all in a hunt, MHW was some of the most fun I’ve had playing multiplayer but I still yearned for the good days of getting a bunch of friends together in the living room, each with our own handheld and one of us on the TV. 

With Monster Hunter Rise on Switch, I get the best of both worlds. 

Hunting with friends is easy on Monster Hunter Rise with lots of lobby options. Local or online multiplayer both work like a charm and finding my friends takes just a few clicks. Controls are far better than 3DS and many of the quality of life improvements from MHW carry into Rise. I prefer to use the Hori Split Pad Pro when hunting on the go and I switch between a few wireless controllers when on the TV. The only thing holding me back from playing near constantly is the short battery life of my Switch. Here’s hoping we get a Switch upgrade soon…

Outside of the battery limitations of the Switch, playing Monster Hunter Rise is a freeing experience for me. I love that I can quickly toss my console in a bag or join my roommate at the table over coffee for a morning hunt. I cannot wait to be able to go to conventions and meetups again because for me Monster Hunter is a social game. I love the mechanics and getting new weapons and armor (thank goodness the weapon designs are fun again) but this series is one of my favorite ways to connect with people. 

The new monsters and the Japanese-inspired flair everything has made Rise feel substantially different from the previous title. It will be interesting to see where Capcom goes next. There are rumors that MH Rise will come to PC but how long will it be before the insanely successful Monster Hunter World gets a follow-up? Will there always be one core MH title or will we start to see more titles exist in the same space. Regardless, it already appears that Capcom plans on updating MH Rise with steady, meaningful content. As of this writing, three new monsters have been added to the game alongside a bunch of items. Of course, it’s only a matter of time before we start to see crossover content too. 

The new quest type, Rampage Quests are a fun spin to the Monster Hunter formula. This mode fits more into a tower-defense style of play and it can get really hectic which makes for a fun time with friends. I do find myself tiring of them after one or two though so it will be interesting to see how this mode develops. If anything, we are already starting to see more monsters being added to this mode but I hope we get new defensive options or new characters to summon. Having an addictive extra style of play inside Monster Hunter is a welcome change of pace but time will tell if it sticks in my regular rotation.   

Since the release of Monster Hunter World, I have been repeatedly coming back to Monster Hunter and that pattern continues with MH Rise. I love just having it on me so I can tinker with items, explore new weapons and builds, and ultimately continue to hunt with old friends and new ones alike. 

The fact that Monster Hunter Rise runs amazingly well on the Switch is icing on the cake. Load times are quick. Performance is stellar. Everything just works. 

Overall, my main complaint about MH Rise is that the interface gets pretty cluttered. I hope we get more options for removing HUD elements over time and having the ability to really fine-tune my display would be great. There are a lot of gauges, tutorials, and I constantly learn new things from watching videos of other hunters. This also means that MH Rise is not incredibly new-user-friendly. Rise is still wildly easier to grasp than most entries in the franchise but Monster Hunter World was really simple and well-considered in its design for new players. Luckily, there are thousands of eager players that enjoy teaching new hunters and there are lots of community-created guides for all aspects of the game. 

I’m also not a huge fan of the way High-Rank quests are exclusively found in the Gathering Hub. To me, this feels like High-Rank quests are more scaled for multiple hunters and makes it feel less inclusive to solo players. I adore hunting with friends but I also enjoy tackling major quests on my own the first time. There’s also not a great way to repeatedly chase monsters like there was in MHW. As of this writing, hunters are forced to just replay quests from the standard list or go wandering around in an expedition. I miss the randomly generated quests that had extra awards and criteria. Weird lack of grinding options aside, I can’t stop playing. 

It’s no surprise that I am absolutely in love with Monster Hunter Rise. This game takes a lot of lessons learned in Monster Hunter World and brings that into a more traditional Monster Hunter presentation with game-unique mechanics to explore. It’s a phenomenal entry to the franchise and a technical marvel on the Nintendo Switch platform. 

SCORES

GAMEPLAY - 9/10

VISUALS - 9/10

SOUND - 9/10

CONTROLS - 9/10

REPLAY VALUE - 10/10

OVERALL - 9.2/10

More information about Monster Hunter Rise can be found on the official website. A physical copy was purchased by the reviewer. Screenshots were captured through the native features of the Nintendo Switch. 

More Capcom-related reviews can be found in my coverage of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3, both of which are remakes of classics. I also would love for more people to discover the joys of the Onimusha franchise through my Onimusha Retrospective.