The best way to rise.
After the release of Monster Hunter World, Capcom found themselves in an unenviable position of following up a title that revolutionized a well established formula.
To say that expectations were high would be an understatement and instead of following up with another multiplatform entry, it was announced that the sequel, Monster Hunter Rise would be exclusive to the Nintendo Switch.
This news was not met with the best reactions, mine included as I feared much of what made MHW such a refreshing experience as a veteran of the series would be removed to fit the less capable platform.
However, when the game launched, most of my fears were laid to rest as this new entry was as every bit as fun and exciting, retaining most of the quality of life changes that were introduced in MHW and introducing some new ones of its own. Unfortunately, it was not all good news as the visual fidelity took a significant hit both in terms of quality and performance. This visual downgrade wasn’t my only point of contention as the game was released incomplete, missing the true final boss and ending. Along with a much less extensive free DLC support compared to MHW, it just barely missed the mark to be listed in my Top 10 games of 2021.
As if they had heard all of my complaints, Capcom announced the release of MHR for PC, aiming for the definitive version and for the most part, they knocked it out of the park.
Who needs Uber when you have a Doggo?
MSRP: $59.99
Platform: PC, NSW
Played on: PC (i7 9700K 4.9GHZ/RTX3080)
Played: 40~ hours
As this is review is more focused on the porting aspect of MHR than the actual game, I’ll keep matters short by saying the MHR is an excellent entry to the venerable franchise and introduces many fantastic mechanics like the wire bug, palamutes and mounting which all work well to add depth to the exploration and combat.
The overarching story is typical Monster Hunter fare, only really existing to give an excuse to hunt the next big monster that threatens the peace of the village but serviceable enough that it doesn’t get in the way of the fun. One newly introduced aspect that I wasn’t too fond of were the Rampage missions where a horde of different monsters attempt to break into the village through a series of defensible positions/gates and it was my job to stop them.
While there is certainly a spectacle to seeing so many monsters on screen at once, it was a novelty that wore away its welcome quickly as extended turret sections aren’t the reason why I play Monster Hunter games.
Rampage missions can be quite the spectacle to behold but they are overly long and not a lot of fun.
The biggest reason to pick up MHR on PC compared to Switch would of course be the visual and performance upgrade. From playing at a locked 30FPS to UltraWide 1440P at 144FPS is transformative and resonates throughout every facet of the experience. While it is lacking some more impressive features like DLSS support and other more advanced options, it’s a solid port with all the essential tweaks you would need out of the gate.
As my gaming rig is fairly high end, I did not notice any issues getting the game to run as I’d like and add to that the fast NVME SSD drives, loading in new areas became so quick that I hardly had time enough to take a sip of water after starting the quest before I was loaded in.
One aspect that was greatly disappointing to me in regards to the porting was the lack of ability to transfer my save from the Switch version and the prospect of trying to recollect everything I accumulated over the course of 160+ hours of game time once again was a major turn off. I know that Capcom explored implementing this much requested future but came to the conclusion that it wasn’t feasible for them to do so. As this cross-save with Switch and PC has been implemented in other titles like Witcher 3, Hades and others, it just spoke to the idea that it perhaps needs to be planned for early in development to be viable. In that spirit, I hope Capcom will plan ahead for the need for this feature going forward.
Lastly, as the PC version has the benefit of releasing after patches and DLC content on Switch has been more or less completed, it includes the full campaign with the true final boss and ending which makes for a more satisfying conclusion compared to having to wait months to see the ending.
No need to pay extra to play online? What a concept!
Monster Hunter Rise on PC is the definitive version of an excellent entry in this long running franchise and whether you are a veteran of the series or a rookie, looking to jump in for the first time, it’s the perfect opportunity to grab a weapon and start hunting some monsters.
Fun Tidbit – As a PC game, you also have the benefit of mods and cheats. The latter of which I used to duplicate some of the best charms I have on Switch into the PC version. It’s far cry from having a direct save transfer but it’s better farming 100+ hours hoping to get them again. I recommend checking out nexusmods for yourself if you’re interested.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
