While the Monster Hunter series
has been enjoying worldwide
success on PC and console (and
even at the cinema), Capcom
hasn’t forgotten the series’
roots as a portable experience,
and so Monster Hunter Rise
brings the action to the Switch.
Any suggestion that this is a
downsized spinoff, however,
is firmly smashed to bits after
just a few hunts.
Setting off in the new Shrine
Ruins, first to slay the bird-like
Great Izuchi and then the even
more fearsome water dragon
Mizutsune, it’s clear Capcom hasbuilt a beautiful game from the
ground up using its excellent
RE Engine, which manages to
maintain smooth performance
even when you’re hunting with
a party of four online.
Seasoned hunters will be
familiar with the 14 weapon
types, but even if you’re already
a master of the Long Sword
or Hunting Horn there are new
skills and tools that change the
rhythm and tactics of a hunt.
Most come courtesy of the new
Wirebug, an insect whose silk
transforms you into a wire-fu
hero. You can use the silk tograpple across great distances
or run up cliffs, and even get it to
pull you to a quick recovery when
knocked down by a monster.
Craziest of all, if you weaken
a monster enough you can use
silk reins to ride it around, either
to launch it into a wall in order
to knock it down, or to make it
fight another monster roaming
in the wild.
Even as the new console
generation is with us, you can
see why Nintendo isn’t breaking
a sweat when its own little
machine has such a potentially
gargantuan hit on its hands.FIRST PLAY MONSTER HUNTER RISE Switch
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