The Monster Hunter series has become a real cult over the years, giving way to Capcom to create a successful trend that has lasted for many years. Monster Hunter Rise, originally appeared on Nintendo Switch consoles some time ago, is certainly no exception, proposing itself as a rich and multifaceted chapter of the saga dedicated to monster hunters. It is also true that portable consoles are fertile ground for the franchise (just think of the hype of Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, considered one of the best "pocket" chapters), which is why the conversion of Rise to PC initially raised some perplexity among the insiders. Fortunately, it is best to say right away, the work of converting from Switch to personal computer turned out to be rather quick and painless. So get comfortable and get ready, as we will explain why in today's review Monster hunter rise is a great experience on PC too.
The hunt is on again
Monster Hunter Rise on Nintendo Switch managed to bring on the hybrid of the big N a game with a multifaceted and never dull gameplay, together with a technical sector that was able to squeeze (almost) the console to the last. The PC version is no exception, and we realize this from the first minute: framed as a mix between the philosophy of the first chapters and the leaner mechanics of the last episodes, Rise sets aside a rich and multifaceted plot to in favor of many missions to complete. The narrative element in the Capcom title is in fact almost completely absent, since the main task of the player will be to complete the Village Quests (i.e. the main and secondary missions that we are going to accept during the adventure), with some cutscenes here and there to try to make sense of everything . In short, if you are looking for a Monster Hunter "with history" you better go elsewhere, since the key pivot of Rise is in the gameplay.
In fact, the village quests form the backbone of the game, which in turn (obviously) focuses on hunting. If initially even the shrewd hunter will be able to complete the missions with slight ease (also thanks to the low number of life points of the creatures), as the campaign progresses, much more demanding missions will begin to make their way flanked by special quests with monsters multiples to eliminate (read, guild quests). In this case the music will change and not a little, since only when the rank starts to rise will we be able to sink our teeth into the actual game, also with regard to the challenge rate. The quests to recover eggs and materials have been almost completely eliminated, thus avoiding a certain boredom effect and leaving the combat system all its space.
Perfect conversions and where to find them
As this is in fact a action RPG, it is important to specify in the review that Monster Hunter Rise offers an impressive number of approaches to the fight, where the variety of weapons and hunting modes goes hand in hand with the crafting and equipment chosen. Going to take the best of the inventory management seen in Generations and with the addition of the so-called "thread insects" (ie the ability to move freely in the air) from ours, we will have so many options of attack, escape and defense, thus breaking the chains of a play system initially conceived in a rather "armored" way.
Retrieving items from the ground is now extremely fast, as is switching weapons or attacking a particularly tough monster: everything in Rise appears leaner and more effective, also including the execution of particular special moves, linked in turn to the fighting style that we will decide to use (it goes without saying that a double blade will be extremely faster than a two-handed broadsword, a mace or a hammer). Don't forget that Monster Hunter Rise also allows you to ride monsters (like the Felyne or the Canyne), a characteristic that, while on the one hand nullifies that feeling of "travel", on the other it allows our faithful companions to help us in the most disparate situations, thus avoiding their inactivity.
How is it graphically?
Note aside for the technical issue, one of the focal points of this PC version and, of course, of our review: on Switch, Monster Hunter Rise was definitely a game able to exploit the console properly, with its 30 frames per second almost always stable and more generally a polygonal mass always worthy of attention. On PC, the RE Engine pulls out its claws and puts ultra-high resolution textures and an unlocked frame rate on the plate, without ever any uncertainty. Even during the exploration of the game map and in the most chaotic battles, the title has never shown the side to criticism of any kind, although a PC of medium / high range in order to truly enjoy the technical work displayed by the production to the full.
Obviously, a sharpness of the images and the general fluidity deriving from the release of the frame rate on PC help and not a little also the gameplay, since the precision in the movements - especially the dodges and the attacks in flight - are all things that play a pivotal role in the overall economy of Monster Hunter Rise. Is everything perfect, in short? No; Capcom has in fact prevented from importing the bailouts from the Nintendo Switch version, denying any options in terms of crossplay with hybrid platform players. At least, the Japanese company has fortunately decided to include all the post content in this PC version of the game launching released, including the "real" ending of the game.
Review
- Monster Hunter Rise PC (Tested on PC) 7.9 Final grade
Monster Hunter Rise on PC is the definitive version of one of the best chapters of the series, capable of encompassing all - absolutely all - the qualities of the version that appeared months ago on the Nintendo Switch console. Unfortunately, the lack of a real storyline, combined with the inability to import the edition saves for the hybrid platform, do not allow the game to shine further. The advice, however, is obviously to recover one of the richest and most significant episodes of the franchise, if you missed it at the time of its original release.
