Monster Hunter Rise PC review: A PC port that rises above the original

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Time to chase on PC!

Monster Hunter Ascent PC review: A PC port that rises higher up the original

Thanks to its PC upgrades, Monster Hunter Ascension on PC tin can finally achieve its total potential.

Monster Hunter Rise Review Source: Windows Key

Dorsum in 2022, I was introduced to what would quickly get one of my favorite games of all time, Monster Hunter World. Information technology was an astonishing activity game that allowed the player to hunt large, terrifying monsters and perform awesome feats of strength I thought were but possible through cinematic cutscenes in other games.

Since so, I've been hooked on Capcom's Monster Hunter series whether I was hunting in the frozen tundras of Monster Hunter Earth: Iceborne or befriending monsters in the Pokémon-like RPG spin-off Monster Hunter Stories ii: Wings of Ruins. I would always be there to see what new action-hunting adventure Capcom would come up up with next. And today, I get to review the PC port of Monster Hunter Ascension, courtesy of an early on-admission review code provided by Capcom.

A few months ago, I got the chance to preview Monster Hunter Rise's PC demo (provided via an early-access lawmaking from Capcom) and I was feeling optimistic by the end of my play session. The PC demo'southward updated visuals and frame rates improved the demo's gameplay immensely compared to the Nintendo Switch demo. So, I was looking forrad to seeing whether these upgrades would help refine the gameplay of the full PC version. Does it succeed? Permit'south grab our hunting gear and find out.

Hunt with your friends

Monster Hunter Rise Pc Box Art

Monster Hunter Ascent (PC)

Bottom line: Overall, the PC port of Monster Hunter Rise is superior to the Nintendo Switch version, thanks to the PC enhancements. It has some of the best combat mechanics in the Monster Hunter series, the new monsters are an absolute delight to chase, and the improved frame rate and resolutions enrich the hunting experience. It does accept a couple of flaws, simply they are minor issues in the thousand scheme of things.

Pros:

Fast-paced gameplay improved thanks to higher frame rates and resolution
A large roster of awesome monsters to hunt
The PC version comes packaged with all the mail service-launch content updates
The Rampage missions are chaotic but fun arcade-like hunts once you lot formulate a sound strategy

Cons:

Creating specific builds for your graphic symbol can be restrictive
Hunting in multiplayer tin be straining on the eyes at times when there are four players and 4 NPC partners fighting at once
The story is too elementary for those looking for a complex narrative

Monster Hunter Ascent: Presentation and operation

Monster Hunter Rise Review Source: Windows Central

Category	Monster Hunter Rise
Title	Monster Hunter Rise
Programmer	Capcom
Publisher	Capcom
Genre	Activeness
Minimum requirements	Windows x 64-bit Intel Core i3-4130 3.20GHz / Core i5-3470 / AMD FX-6300 8GB RAM NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 (DDR4) / AMD Radeon RX 550
Game size	23GB
Play time	50+ hours
Players	Single, four-player co-op
Platforms	Nintendo Switch, PC
Launch price	$60

One of the large selling points of the PC version of Monster Hunter Rise is the improvements it has made to the frame rate and resolution. The Nintendo Switch version was only able to attain 30 FPS with a 780p resolution. Meanwhile, the PC version is able to achieve uncapped frame rates and 1080p or fifty-fifty 4K resolution. Information technology also includes other graphical upgrades such as high-res textures, motion mistiness, depths of field, anti-aliasing, detailed shadows, and more than.

My PC rig is equipped with an Intel Core i5-9400 CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU, so I was able to run the game at 60 FPS with 1080p resolution with no problems. Y'all won't have to worry about getting the latest, cutting-edge PC graphics carte du jour or GPU to experience this game's enhanced visuals and performance.

Going from 30 FPS to threescore FPS fabricated a huge world of difference when it came to gameplay. Inputting commands on the original Nintendo Switch version felt strong and caused my attacks not to execute half the time, and I had to resort to button-mashing to make sure they would register. Thanks to the higher frame rates, this flaw is fortunately not present in the PC version. My attacks came out exactly when I inputted the commands, making the combat system experience much smoother and more fun, especially during the turbulent Rampage Quests.

The improved resolution also heightens the monster-hunting feel. Seeing the monsters with more detailed scales and fur textures made their designs more visually appealing compared to how they looked on the Nintendo Switch. The special effects of attacks as well received visual upgrades, with anti-aliasing smoothing out the edges and so that they no longer look like pixelated smog. This makes fights against certain monsters much more enjoyable since it's easier to encounter what's going on on-screen and the visual spectacle of their attacks is at present pleasing to the eye.

Monster Hunter Rise Review Source: Windows Central

My favorite aspect of the presentation is that the graphics settings show you images of how the game volition look when you tweak the settings. This is an amazing quality-of-life improvement I wish more PC games would have because it helps those not familiar with advanced graphic settings set them more hands without having to research online.

My only issue with Monster Hunter'southward presentation is when y'all hunt with other players in multiplayer. Monster Hunter Rise is the first Monster Hunter game where players can take an NPC partner with them in multiplayer — a Palico or a Palamute. While this sounds cool in theory, it tin can cause some hunts to become unnecessarily disorientating in execution. Having 4 players and four NPCs fighting a monster simultaneously can lead to dozens of explosions and special effects going off at once, making information technology hard to tell what's going on and straining the eyes.

To make matters worse, the option to reduce the special furnishings (or "hit furnishings" equally the game calls them) in the graphics settings does footling to mitigate the sensory overload. Thankfully, this problem mostly happens when you fight a monster in an enclosed space similar caves or tight corridors. Nonetheless, this effect could be resolved if in that location were an option to turn off the hit effects of other party members and only leave your attacks with the hit effects on.

Monster Hunter Rise: Story

Monster Hunter Rise Review Source: Windows Central

The impetus for why you're hunting monsters in Monster Hunter Rise is to arm yourself in preparation for a cataclysmic event known only as "The Rampage." Every l years, monsters that commonly would be fighting each other in turf wars, suddenly get this inexplicable urge to band together in hordes and go on a stampede, destroying everything in their sights.

Your home, Kamura Village, was almost destroyed past this unnatural phenomenon 50 years ago, and now signs are showing "The Rampage" will be happening once more shortly. As i of Kamura's newly appointed hunters, information technology is up to yous to defend Kamura Village from "The Binge" and find out what has been causing monsters to berserk in the hopes of ending this calamity once and for all.

The premise of Monster Hunter Rise is your typical Monster Hunter affair — a peaceful hamlet gets threatened by monsters, and you lot are tasked with stopping them. It's a simple monster-of-the-week plot that'south mainly concerned with setting the role player off to chase cool monsters based on Japanese mythology, and it doesn't change beyond that. Then, if you lot're looking for an activeness game with a deep, complex narrative packed with novellas worth of grapheme development, you won't find that here.

Monster Hunter Rising: Gameplay

Monster Hunter Rise Review Source: Windows Key

Monster Hunter Rise follows a linear, mission-based construction where you lot are tasked with hunting a monster within a time limit. These missions take identify in various diverse ecosystems with multiple heights of elevation that y'all must traverse if you're to find your casualty. To help you reach your assignments, you tin can pick upwardly crafting materials on the map to brand potions and traps, and selection up small animals called endemic life to boost your stats.

Your graphic symbol is also accompanied past a host of brute companions that aid you during the hunt. First is the Wirebug, a large insect that produces ironsilk, allowing you to swing through the air and help you climb up mountains. The second, the Palamute, is a large dog-like creature that you lot can ride to travel at great speeds to reach your destination. And finally, there's the Palico, a humanoid cat that can assistance you in battle with traps and gadgets.

It is incredibly satisfying to read the monster's attack patterns and learn when to dodge and counter them with the new Silkbind Attacks.

When you have located the monster, information technology's time to slay them with your chosen weapon. Monster Hunter Rise has 14 weapon types for you to employ, each with their ain movesets, strengths, and weaknesses. The Wirebug can also allow you to perform aerial attacks and use supermoves chosen "Silkbind Attacks" during gainsay. Once you accept damaged the monster enough times with Wirebug attacks, you can use the Wyvern Riding mechanic to briefly take control of a monster using the Wirebug's ironsilk like a puppeteer to assail other monsters or crash it into a wall.

Upon slaying or capturing your quarry, you collect their body parts as a reward for your efforts. You lot then take the trunk parts back to Kamura Village's local smithy, and he'll utilize them to forge powerful weapons and armor so you tin hunt more dangerous monsters college upwards in the food chain.

This forms the core gameplay loop of Monster Hunter Ascension, and it is but fun equally it was on the Nintendo Switch. It is incredibly satisfying to read the monster's attack patterns and acquire when to dodge and counter them with the new Silkbind Attacks. I was brimming with excitement at the new weapons and armor you lot get killing these beasts. The over-the-top designs remind me of the more fantastical weapons and armor from Monster Hunter 4 and Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate. This motivated me to hunt the monsters multiple times so I could use their parts to forge entire sets of gear and evidence off how cool they were to my friends.

Ane of the best additions of the PC version, aside from the graphical enhancements, is that information technology comes packaged with every free post-launch update the Nintendo Switch version had up until Ver. 3.6.1 (the November 2022 update). This includes the finale of the High-Rank quests' storyline, several new monsters to fight, and Event Quests, which advantage new weapons, armor, poses, emotes, stickers, and more. This means that PC players won't have to await several months for the PC port's content to grab up with the console version like they had to practise with the PC port of Monster Hunter World.

Rampage Quests

Monster Hunter Rise Review Source: Windows Central

In betwixt the standard hunting quests, the time will come when you must defend the village from "The Rampage" in the form of Rampage quests. Rampage Quests are belfry-defence force-like missions where you must fend off wave after wave of monsters coming to bash downwards Kamura's gates. In addition to your arsenal of weapons and traps, y'all tin can set defense force turrets (both manual and automatic), use environmental traps, and summon NPCs to assist you halt the horde's advance. You lot besides take access to gongs, which one time rung, give yourself and your teammates a massive harm boost so you tin dispatch monsters more than quickly.

To complete Rampage Quests, you must keep the gates of Kamura Village safe until the timer runs out or you defeat the leader of a horde. The leader of a Rampage horde can be either a Major Threat (an enlarged version of a regular monster) or an Apex monster. Apex monsters are mutated variants that are utterly immune to traps and Wyvern Riding and characteristic new attacks that striking like a megaton bomb.

Monster Hunter Rise Review Source: Windows Central

I volition admit I didn't have kindly to the Rampage Quests at first, when playing solo. I would often get ganged up upon past monsters and get thrown off my turrets which led to a frustrating first impression. However, once I understood the intricacies of each defensive installation and put together a game plan, I started to enjoy the Rampage Quests. I went from existence a monster's chew toy to a one-hunter ground forces that annihilated every horde earlier they could even breach the commencement gate.

The Rampage Quests truly shine when you play them in multiplayer. Having multiple players command a pack of monsters to vanquish an Apex monster while another player blasts it to smithereens with cannons was an amazing arcade-like experience. Not to mention the rewards you get for acquisition the Binge Quests are worth the planning and effort.

Restrictions on character builds

Monster Hunter Rise Review Source: Windows Key

Since the PC version'south upgrades fixed my biggest upshot with Monster Hunter Rise from the Nintendo Switch version (the overall looks and game feel), the only other criticisms I have are core gameplay flaws that lie in both versions.

My first criticism is the limitations of the Switch Skills system. Switch Skills is a gameplay system that lets you switch out attacks in your weapon'south moveset with new ones. These Switch Skills can offer creative and exciting new ways to play your favorite weapon. However, in that location is a problem I have with this arrangement. While y'all can switch a few regular attacks moves from your moveset, yous can but switch out one of your 2 Silkbind Attacks.

This ways that with some weapons, I'm stuck with one Silkbind Assail that I don't find appealing to my playstyle, and the Silkbind Attack I tin switch out, it'due south a move I don't want to remove. I would much rather prefer it if I could switch any of my weapon's supermoves to diversify my gameplay, much like how yous could with Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate's Hunter Arts.

Monster Hunter Rise Review Source: Windows Central

My 2nd and biggest complaint about Monster Hunter Rise is the Melding Pot. Without getting into spoilery details, the Melding Pot is a organisation that allows you lot to use monster parts to create accessories for your graphic symbol called Talismans. Talismans add passive or active buffs to your character's abilities (which are called "armor skills" in this game) or heighten ones already granted past your weapons or armor. All the same, the Talismans produced from the Melding Pot have randomized stats, i.due east., they could possess whatever armor skill in the game and at any level. This means that you could spend weeks at the Melding Pot and never get the Talismans you lot want to assist you build your character exactly how you desire it.

However, this doesn't mean you tin can't defeat monsters without optimal Talismans. Every weapon and armor set you tin can arts and crafts through normal means is viable and will help you impale any monster so long as you are skilled plenty to use them. Nonetheless, farming for Talismans is yet a very boring activity that could've been done better. I would prefer it if we could create Talismans with the verbal abilities nosotros want, much like how Charms, the accessories from Monster Hunter Globe were made.

Terminal thoughts

Monster Hunter Rise Review Source: Windows Central

Overall, I enjoyed the PC version of Monster Hunter Rise much more than I did the Nintendo Switch version. The PC version's improvements fabricated the gameplay much smoother to play and has helped me appreciate aspects I didn't like initially, similar the Rampage Quests. Plus, all the bundled free mail-launch updates will keep players busy for weeks to come.

The flaws regarding the restrictive Switch Skills and Melding Pot may not seem similar a big deal at first, but they become more noticeable every bit time goes on. It is my fondest promise that these issues are addressed in the upcoming paid DLC expansion, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, so this game tin can truly reach its full potential equally one of the all-time games in the Monster Hunter series.

If you're looking for a fun game to play with your friends, then I highly recommend checking out Monster Hunter Rise when it launches on Jan. 12, 2022. Information technology is 1 of the all-time multiplayer games on PC and the perfect manner to offset the new year.

Let's become ready to chase!

Monster Hunter Rise Pc Box Art

Monster Hunter Ascent (PC)

Bottom line: Monster Hunter Rise is a solid action game that features a superb gainsay arrangement and lots of extraordinary creatures to hunt with your friends. The PC port improves upon the original game's foundations with higher frame rates and resolution to give players a more than polished hunting experience.

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