what makes monster hunter The series is so enjoyable? Is it the hypnotic rhythm that gets you hunting, harvesting, leveling up and repeating? Is it the intense, climactic combat that makes you feel like a shounen anime protagonist only to chop down your prey with your health bar wiped out? Is it the absurd notion of riding on a dog to receive one of nature’s greatest miracles when a kitten leaps into battle by your side?
In fact, I think Monster Hunter owes its success to a combination of the above elements.and monster hunter rises – the latest entry in the 17-year-old Monster Hunter franchise – perfects the formula with aplomb. It’s coming to Xbox Game Pass in 2023, and I’m super excited. Because it means more people are likely to fall in love with the absurd series and the sheer digital fun it can evoke in the minds of the most jaded gamers.
Compared with previous games, Monster Hunter Rising has lowered the entry barrier, allowing newcomers to wield knives and swords on their heads like babies. It’s easier to kill and get all the best armor faster than previous games, and it also does a better job of explaining the intricacies of Monster Hunter’s game loop to players. “Like big swords, don’t you?” it asked. “Well, use this trick to kill these monsters and get a bigger and better sword!” That’s all. An encouraging pat on the butt, and you’re on your way — spiraling into that endless loop of engrossing Monster Hunter that will steal hundreds of hours of your life.
You’d think that lowering the difficulty would make the game less meaningful, but it’s quite the opposite: by making the game easier to play and more straightforward to understand, all of Monster Hunter’s slapstick chaos makes the tense, satisfying action more enjoyable. Once you get the hang of it, and start learning the best way to get the most out of your weapons (and how to avoid some of the most damaging tail swipes and fire blasts from your least favorite gaming dragon), Monster Hunter Rise feels like a game in motion Poetry; action-packed games with Devil May Cry, Bloodborne, Metal Gear Revengeance, and more.
If you played the disturbingly colonialist Monster Hunter World when it took the world by storm in 2018, you’ll feel right at home in Rise. Many of the branching weapon techs from the last Monster Hunter game for Xbox and PlayStation have been dialed back a bit, so everything feels more arcade-like in Rise. That’s a good thing: special attacks can be swapped out at will, so you have more control over how you play (and the support you can give or the damage you can deal).
Rise spotlights 14 weapons, all with interchangeable skills and amazing over-the-top features, and playing with friends lets you see the variety of these weapons. I’m a hopeless sword and shield fanatic – chopping off a monster’s tail with a sword and knocking it over the head with your shield is very satisfying – but I often Play buffs and nerfs with negotiable horn-hunting experts, and hammer buffs who can kick monsters to the curb in seconds if set up correctly.
What I mean is: I’m done with this game. twice. It was first released on Switch, and then again on PC when it launched on the platform earlier this year. You better believe I’ll be doing it all over again when it finally hits Xbox Game Pass in 2023. I encourage you to do the same – especially if you’ve never played it before: Monster Hunter is what a game should be to me. It’s fast, fun, engaging, silly, smart, beautiful, difficult, and easy all at once, and Monster Hunter Rise is the perfect embodiment of the formula Capcom has been working on for decades.
Without a doubt, Monster Hunter Rise is one of the best titles to come out on the Xbox Game Pass service. It looks like it will set the tone for the platform in 2023.
