The Monster Hunter series has a huge following, but I’ve only ever played one of the entries on the 3DS. It was pretty fun, but for me it was one of those games you play in bits and spurts when the mood strikes. However, a lot of the trailers and showcases leading up to the release of Rise had me really interested to give this one a shot. From the outset, it definitely felt like what I was familiar with in my past Monster Hunter experience, but bigger. I was immediately captivated by the graphics and the soundtrack. It all made for a beautiful and somewhat mystical atmosphere for the game’s adventure. It perfectly sets the stage for the story that sees you, as the hunter, working to prepare and defend the village from the looming frenzy of the large monsters.
One of the most exciting aspects of this particular Monster Hunter is the enormity of the range of creatures that populate it. Among the mass amount of returning monsters from past entries in the series, Rise also brings in many new foes to be tamed throughout its environs. Moreover, periodic updates have continued to introduce more adversaries and new challenges to face. Exploring the world is also enhanced from the new wire bug mechanic that allows players more flexibility to travel onward and upward. Wire bugs also come in extremely handy when taking on larger monsters, whether they’re used to deliver heavy blows or else mount and ride those creatures. It’s an extremely rich and detailed game, complete with the full weapons catalog and crafting system for which Monster Hunter games are known.
At the same time, for all that was packed into the game, it was shipped incomplete story-wise. It wasn’t until several months after its release that one of the aforementioned updates introduced the last portion of the main campaign. I really don’t like how it seems to be more common for games to release unfinished and require a patch or update or—worse—paid DLC to complete them. On that note, I’m very much looking forward to the major new Sunbreak update that’s been announced for later in 2022, since extra content that expands on an already-great game is definitely good practice. In the meantime, I still continue jumping back into Rise on occasion, taking down beasts and working to craft the best equipment I can or else try to master different weapon combinations to experience the hunt in all-new ways.
