Game review 27 January 2022, 13:30

author: Matt Buckley

Monster Hunter Rise PC Review: A Great Game Gets Better

After releasing exclusively on the Nintendo Switch earlier this year, Monster Hunter Rise is finally arriving on PC. While much of the game has stayed the same, the enhanced visuals are a delight. Here's our review.

The review is based on the PC version.

Monster Hunter Rise remains the latest in the mainline series of Monster Hunter games. After releasing exclusively for the Nintendo Switch nearly one year ago, the game now makes its way to PC via Steam. There were no major changes to this new version of the game, so don’t expect this review to focus too much on the intricacies of the story or the gameplay. What has changed however is the power of the hardware running the game, and the controls that players can use to play it.

Monster Hunter Rise takes place in the village of Kamura, which is under threat from a Rampage, a rare event where hordes of monsters attack the village. There are plenty of unique and strange characters to interact with in the village, from the quest-giving twins to the pointy-eared shopkeeper. Unlock the mystery of the Rampage and defend the village from various monsters.

Chock full of monsters, loot, and weapons, Monster Hunter Rise is an RPG dreamscape. Aside from the usual acquisition of loot and weapon upgrades, the latest title in the series also introduced several new mechanics from the Rampage battles that almost act like a tower-defense-style action battle, to the wirebugs that allow the player to swing and jump through the environment, giving the game its subtitle of “Rise.” If you don’t have a Nintendo Switch and have been waiting to play this game, this edition will be an excellent award for your patience.

Crystal Clear Visuals

It’s no surprise that the Nintendo Switch is the weakest in terms of computer power when compared to current generation consoles. The leap from the Switch to PC was a significant upgrade for Monster Hunter Rise. While certainly not graphically superior by any means, the difference is quite noticeable even months after playing the Switch version.

While the actual gameplay and mechanics haven’t changed too much with this improvement, it does give the player a much higher appreciation for the artwork of the game. The explorable environments, the characters, and even the monster designs all look much cleaner and slicker than they did on the Switch, which can make it an overall more enjoyable experience.

But it is important to note that this alone may not be enough a reason to purchase and play this game again. Anyone who’s already bought the Nintendo Switch version and played through it might not get the same joy out of the PC version, despite the graphical improvements. This is compounded by one major factor; that there is no cross-save between the Nintendo Switch and Steam versions.

New Port, Same Issues

The visual improvement is very nice, but unfortunately, that’s where the improvements largely end. Many of the same issues that were present in the Nintendo Switch version of Monster Hunter Rise remain in this port. Thankfully, most of these issues are somewhat minimal, yet it is still worth noting.

First, the early parts of the game are still plastered with tutorials. And not the fun kind. Monster Hunter Rise has very deep mechanics and the player will be overloaded with new concepts early on in this game. If that wasn’t overwhelming enough, each new tutorial immediately pauses the game and has the player scroll through a few pages of text to grasp the concept. It wouldn’t be such a big deal if each tutorial wasn’t pertinent to core mechanics and crucial for new players to learn, so skipping through isn’t much of an option.

Then, there is no option to skip the tutorials anyway, even if someone is already a veteran monster hunter. This makes the PC port more inaccessible for someone who has already played the game on the Switch. The key problem is that there’s no cross-saving from the Switch version, meaning that even if someone has beaten the game on Switch, they will have to go through the whole thing again.

This information overload from Monster Hunter Rise can be intimidating. Learning how to use the various weapons, how to upgrade those weapons and armor easily becomes difficult to navigate, especially for newbies. While this is still something to consider, having had some time to think about this, and try the game again, there is still a very fun action-packed hack-and-slash game here even if the player doesn’t dive deep into the intricacies, so it really isn’t all bad.

Playing with a Mouse & Keyboard

When any game is ported to the PC from a console, the option to play with a mouse and keyboard is one of the most significant changes. Playing Monster Hunter Rise on the Nintendo Switch with the controller was a great experience, and surely that controller will continue with the PC. But, unfortunately for players without a controller, the mouse and keyboard system isn’t as robust.

One of the new mechanics introduced to the Monster Hunter series with Monster Hunter Rise is the wirebug. This small flying creature lets a hunter dash through the air and is great for traversing vertical environments, hence the game’s subtitle “Rise.” There are plenty of other ways a player can use wirebugs, including silkbinds and wyvern riding, which are very fun, but the primary use will be for exploring and traversing the environment.

The three main modes of wirebug travel include three simple movements. First, the player can move upward at an angle, giving themselves good vertical distance. Second, the player can dash forward the way the character is facing, which is great for dashing over gaps. Third, the player can aim with a reticle, which is by far the most flexible option. Unfortunately, this final option, where the player can aim the reticle, is bound to a side button on the mouse. So, any player (like me) without a side button on their mouse is in trouble. Especially because there doesn’t seem to be an easy way to change this control set up through the in-game settings. It’s a huge oversight for a major mechanic that significantly curbs the ability to explore.

In Conclusion

Monster Hunter Rise remains a stellar title on the PC, hardly losing any ground from the greatness it already achieved earlier this year on the Nintendo Switch. The game looks better than ever now that powerful hardware improves the graphics, giving everything from the monsters to the environments a nice polish.

Unfortunately, however, the new format doesn’t always take the various kinds of players into account. Veteran players will likely grow tired of skipping through the tutorials again, and any player not set up with the right controls will be missing out somewhat. Anyone who has been patient enough to wait, or doesn’t own a Nintendo Switch, will be happy to have an overall superior version.

Monster Hunter Rise is a fun game that can appeal to new and veteran players alike, there will just be a varying degree of speed bumps depending on who that player is. At the end of the day this excellent game will be open to a wider audience, which is always a great thing. Also, any game that has cats singing and dancing as they cook food for you is an absolute treat.