Monster Hunter Rise (Xbox X) review – Gamecritics.com (2023)

Come in the moment, come the monsters

ALTThese wiring errors are a phenomenal addition to the formula.

LOWRampage missions are really mediocre.

WTFIs it considered "secret" to walk through someone's front door in the middle of the day?

Monsterjägerthe veterans will already know the result.

With the release ofThe Rise of the Monster HunterOn consoles, it's time to create a new character in a new place and protect humanity from the threat of wild creatures.Liftfeatures a feudal Japanese ninja village called Kamura tucked away in the mountains as our new base of operations, filled with cheerful villagers and plenty of handy hunter-friendly amenities. It also features two hot twins who think breaking into the player's house while they're sleeping isn't the least bit odd, and that's how things work there.

OK What the heck.

It's not all about cookies, milk and house-invading twins though - due to a rare event they call Rampage, an avalanche of monsters threaten to invade the village. Everyone at Kamura longs to be free from this threat, a feeling many players suspectThe Rise of the Monster Hunterit is also shared at the end of the game. But more on that later.

If you don't know the seriesMonsterjägeris a third-person hunting game in which players choose from a variety of melee and ranged weapons, such as a giant oversized hammer or heavy crossbow, and then take on missions at a nearby hub before setting off to capture or kill the monster. that caused all the fuss. There are variations on this (e.g. collecting fruit and berries), but players are generally faced with something the size of a small building with lots of pointy teeth trying to rip their face off.

Victory brings rewards, and when you return to the center of the village, you can use the money and materials you earn from the hunt to upgrade your gear and buy new gear like traps and healing items. The town offers everything a hunter needs, including a restaurant with strong food that boosts stats before each hunt, a multiplayer hub to group up with others online, various training and trading spots, and a blacksmith to craft or upgrade of weapons and armor. of the collected parts of each monster.

it's all classicMonsterjäger, ButLiftIt also introduces a lot of new mechanics.

The addition of grappling hook-inspired wirebugs and ninja-style wallrunners to the formula allows for much greater mobility while on the hunt. It's easy and effective to ride the Hunter's newly introduced and wheeled Palamutes (essentially giant dogs) to dash across the hunting ground in search of prey. Between these two time-saving creations and many new shortcuts that offer fast routes between hunting grounds, the extra freedom is very welcome.

LiftHowever, it's not just about adding elements. If the previous installment and worldwide successWorld of monster huntersHe was responsible for bringing the series into the present with a variety of modern features that a wide audience would take for granted.Liftlook closely again and further remove the legacy of the series. For example, players have a cute pet owl that they will automatically send out to highlight all monsters on the map, meaning they no longer need to be tracked or tagged. Various hostile climates no longer require the use of items such as hot or cold drinks to function effectively in them. Cutscenes can be skipped on first viewing, and there aren't any of thoseof the worldabsurdly boring hints required to track down threats before eventually unlocking the relevant quest.

It all boils down to a friendlier, faster approach to getting in there and hitting enemies, and it absolutely keeps workingRisesfavor. However, making so much more accessible is dangerous: at the rate at which Capcom is offering these quality of life improvements, the next installment could automatically update the player's loadout at the end of a hunt without having to go to the item box every time. Time. Imagine such a decline!

However, not everything is simply handed to the players on a tray. Hunters still need to defeat certain monsters multiple times while praying for a 3% drop rate to get the parts they need to craft spectacularly useful armor. I had to hunt a monster about twenty times to get a purple magna orb for a cute pair of bracers, so it feels great to be on the field hunt.

The monsters themselves are a great mix of old favorites and new faces, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and battlefield behaviors. During a given fight, these beasts enter a state of rage where they become more dangerous and hit harder before tiring and staggering around at half speed. Following this rhythm is important in order not to receive the laser of an enemy's last attack at inopportune moments. However, players are always supported, with the option to have two AI helper pets while playing solo, or up to three human players online.

So far so good...until we get to the partLiftthis sucks, rampage missions.

The Rampage missions are essentially a tower defense minigame in which players are tasked with protecting the gate leading to Kamura from a rampaging stream of monsters led by an apex predator. Preset points on the map allow installations like autocannons, traps, or hand weapon emplacements to repel the onslaught, and occasionally super-powered "hero" units are available to aid hunters with massive damage and support buffs for short periods of time. periods.

Sounds interesting? Maybe, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. They're stressful in the worst possible way, as the villagers constantly scream that everything is going to hell while the hunter is swept across the battlefield by a barrage of monsters, fireballs, and screen-filling lightning bolts that have little chance of seeing them coming. These sequences aren't even that difficult once players find a worthwhile strategy, but they're very, very unnerving in solo play and downright boring in multiplayer.

Luckily, few of these quests are required to advance the story, although players looking for the best endgame gear will have to suffer for their wins.

The other minor annoyance is that the online functionality isn't very easy to use, making it difficult to join parties fighting certain monsters without gaining granularity on certain quests. Most players attempting to join a hunt aren't so interested in the quest as that the monster has the parts they need, so it's a bit more difficult than it should be paired with an actual hunt . Oh, and there's no crossplay either. ugh

Bald,LiftIt's a great iteration of the classic.MonsterjägerFormula to make things more accessible and remove some of the series' less than desirable elements. They may have made sense in the past, but removing a lot of work is a positive outcome in my opinion. It's a shame Capcom didn't pick up the giant onebreak the sunExpansion with this version since it is already available on Switch and PC, but it is not that this pack is without content or value. For hunters of all experience levels,LiftIt's a great introduction to a seminal series.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10

Disclosure:this game isdevelopedjpublishedvonCapcom.It is currently available atXBO/X/S, PS4/5, UnterbrecherjPERSONAL COMPUTER.This copy of the game was obtained byEditorand checked in theXBX.One55 hours of gameplaywere dedicated to the single player mode and the gamewas completed, including all post-game monsters and completing my optimal armor set and build.7 hours of gameplayThey were issued in multiplayer modes.

Parents:According to theESRB, this game is rankedTAnd containsalcohol reference, bloodjForce.The official description for the Switch version is as follows:This is an action-adventure game in which players take on the role of a hunter who must save a village from a monster invasion. Players go through a fantasy world hunting and killing various dragons, wyverns and giant spiders. Players use swords, hammers, bows, and axes to slay creatures in frantic hand-to-hand combat. Streams of blood are often depicted when players and creatures are injured in combat. A handful of missions allow players to operate turrets and mounted cannons to shoot rampaging creatures. The game contains several references to alcohol in dialogue (e.g. "Enjoy the occasional drink and you'll never need a doctor - *hic*", "I had a few sips of alcohol..."; "Drinking alone won't do it worst, but the drink tastes better with company"; "Dad tells the story every time he's drunk").

Color blind modes:HeuNO Color blind modesaccessible.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Players:This game features subtitles. Some battle calls in game are not translated. These are generally of lower value, although characters will scream when an enemy is about to unleash their strongest attacks, giving D/HH players a small debuff. Still, these calls weren't present in previous titles, and if you closely watch the enemies' movements, you should get the same information. Despite the lack of barking subtitles, I would still rate it asfully accessible.

Reassignable Controls:Certain functions are reassignable. There are many contextual controls and each button is not only used, but used in combination with others. The left stick moves the player, the right stick controls the camera, the face buttons interact with the environment, accept or cancel menu options, or unleash attacks, and the side buttons can run, charge attacks, use projectiles, or unleash other types of attacks. . . You can also access item shortcuts or scroll windows by holding down the left bumper. It's tricky and can be a little tricky, but it works.