Monster Hunter Rise
holy ship, mhrise is PEAK. maybe i have more fun than mhwilds!!!
i know that the game was designed first for the handheld ninswitch, thus the hunts need to be quick. that might annoy some “traditional hunters” who would like to take it slow, which is fair. but for me, this haste is the right pace, especially when you find monsters that match your skill, so the hunt lasts long enough for you to feel the thrill, but not so long that it drags on and on and seems to never end (like most hunts in mhworld).
and the ninja-style parkour with double-jump air-dash is just top notch. honestly, removing all monsters from the game and just running around would still provide a great experience! and this amazing movement blends so well with the fighting aspect! heck, there are even tons of new weapon movesets built around this dashing mechanic!!
that being said, the game still feels… weird in some corners.
take the “tower defense” quests (you read that right, the tower defense genre mixed into monster hunter). it’s quite questionable. i think mostly because TD demands you to be in the role of a war general, not a hunter. while some players might excel at, or even love, doing both jobs, i guess most people who pick the genre are focused on being a frontline hunter who gets a chance to brawl 1v1 (or 4v1) with the monster, not a commander sitting in an overseer’s chair ordering their goons to build more pylons.
the spirit birds system also got me like, huh? it’s a system where you have to run around the map collecting buffs at the start of every hunt. yeah, you can play through the base story while ignoring this mechanic. but i guess once you hit late-game content, this becomes a must.
i also miss the quick “instantly end quest” option from mhwilds, as well as the seamless “open world” transition between the village and hunting grounds. and focus mode for melee weapons is just a fundamental concept in any modern 3d game (luckily i play ranged weapons, so i have no complaints about aiming my reticle). analogously, it’s like how we don’t play games with clunky tank controls anymore. it’s so surprising the mh series took almost 25 years after ocarina of time until mhwilds finally implemented this necessary feature!
Originally published on: Steam
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