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a lot of people will call Metroid Fear This Nintendo switch Game of the Year 2021. In fact, many might call it Game of the Year, period. But I don’t even think it’s the best Switch game of 2021: just at the beginning of the year, Capcom exceeded all expectations monster hunter rises – a leaner, easier-to-play game than its undeniably denser console brethren, monster hunter world.
On Switch, I’ve put 100+ hours into Monster Hunter Rise in 2021 (thanks to some blockades and an easy start to the year), so you’d think I’d be content to chase a pack of Rathalos and a barking dog in the back, Put my sword in their heads and rip off their skin so I can wear it like a coat. But, with the January 12, 2022 PC release date approaching, I can’t help but find myself excited to be back at Kamura Village again.
why? Why would I make such a promise when projects like Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West are fast approaching? First, I’ve never experienced all the DLC added to the game after launch. Monster Hunter games have a tradition of continuing to update the game long after launch, and in the months since it first landed on Switch, Rise has updated the armor related to Monster Hunter Story 2: Wings of Destruction, Gods, Streets Suits and Weapons Fighter, Mega Man 11, Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection and non-Capcom Sonic the Hedgehog.
I really don’t think I can say I’ve actually played this game until I dive headfirst into the flagship monster Magnamalo, dressed as a speedy blue hedgehog, and my dog - as everyone’s favorite furry entry point, Tails – Stab it with the sword in his mouth. outstanding.
If you do pick up the game on Switch, but drop it after the first credits, you’re likely missing out on some cool new stuff too: all the new monsters and quests added to the game will be Appeared in Monster Hunter Rise at launch, essentially a clone of version 3.6.1 of the Switch game. It also means a new ending that didn’t appear when the game first launched in 2021 – and if you’re eager to catch up and ready to play the Sunbreak expansion that’s landing this summer, you can also do it on a platform with all the bells and whistles The thing, when you’re about to become a Barioth, it doesn’t slow you down.
Which brings me to the real reason I want to return to Monster Hunter Rise on PC. Sweaty Rampage on the Switch is all well and good, but when there are more than five or six monsters and four players on the screen at once, the hardware starts to struggle a bit. On PC, with 4K graphics, higher resolutions and frame rates, and the option to use advanced graphics settings… the whole thing just gets more interesting.
Spending some time in the Monster Hunter Rise PC demo at the end of 2021 was eye-opening: the infinite framerate showed how smooth and fluid the game is when it’s not tied to 30FPS (as it is on the Switch). Some of the best moments in Monster Hunter have been near-death misses and instant knockouts. Glide under an ancient dragon’s fireball with no health, parry and sweep its tail, then snap the monster’s tail, jump off a cliff, ride on the back of an angry bear, and ride to the side of the mountain… these lunatics, when When everything is running above 60 FPS, the time-sensitive and twitchy reflex decoy moments make more sense.
Clicking on the option to apply improved textures makes the world feel more alive and welcoming – sure, it will never look like Monster Hunter World, but it doesn’t need to. Without that gorgeous, fully realized art direction. 756p docked/540p undocked resolution sharpness improvements are also around the clock on PC; from the demo alone, I was able to document some extra details and nuances in the monster’s design that I had at 4am in the dark Lost while squinting at my Switch.
Last but not least, there is a built-in voice chat feature in the PC version. When we started hunting last year, my monster hunting seniors and I usually set up an Xbox Live meetup and chat over another platform…not an ideal setup for a number of reasons. For many, Monster Hunter is a social game, so being able to effortlessly growl and bark when we’re being slapped by an angry Magnamalo is another surprisingly seductive charm of the PC version over the original.
If you’re skeptical about trying out Monster Hunter Rise on PC, all I can say is: it’s shipped over 5 million copies on Switch alone for a reason. If you do enjoy the game and want expert guidance on how all crafting, hunting and combat works, find our in-depth Monster Hunter Rise guide at the link.
We’re a week away from Rise’s release on PC, which will mark the start of the year of the game’s killer. I think I just need to finish 100+ hours before the stacking officially starts in Q1 2022.
