New video game, Monster Hunter is worth playing
Monster Hunter is a series in which the gameplay loop and main premise is explained aptly by the title yet it still engages players by presenting them with a satisfying grind to get new equipment.
Monster Hunter Rise (MHR) is the newest installment in this series and it maintains the series traditions while shaking up the system by introducing unique mechanics.
MHR has a simple story that sees the player protecting the village of Kamura from a continuous onslaught of monsters via regular hunts and a new gameplay mode known as Rampages.
Players will need to accept quests in order to go on hunts. Quests will range from slaying one or multiple monsters in one hunt to simply gathering supplies in the open map.
Rampages are a game mode exclusive to Rise and they see the player battle waves of monsters with light tower defense mechanics (completing certain objectives upgrades available artillery).
While charming initially, it can feel tedious if you’re not playing with other people.
You can choose any of 14 weapon types with each one having unique movesets. Alongside the standard attacks, Rise introduces a new mechanic known as Silkbind Attacks.
These are special attacks that give the player more mobility options, stat boosts, or counter attacks at the cost of wirebugs.
The Silkbinds will often cost one to two wirebugs since that is lowest amount of wirebugs a player can hold with three being the maximum (the third is only for a limited time).
Aside from an additional wirebug, players can grab endemic life like frogs, birds or beetles to help in the hunt.
Wirebugs are the main gimmick for Rise and they act as a movement tool within hunts.
You can aim the wirebug and launch yourself in any direction or to quickly dodge away from danger.
To accommodate for the player’s new mobility, monsters are more aggressive and they have attacks that can prevent you from using the wirebugs properly.
Some attacks also cover a wider area to account for a four-player hunt. Up to four people can join a hunt and unlike the older games, players can bring their Palico (a cat with support moves) or Palamute (a dog introduced for MHR and acts like a mount for the player).
With this in mind, the hunts can feel too chaotic and difficult to read with the constant special effects and max player count. Rise is an action-packed title that I thoroughly enjoyed playing with friends.
With the series growing in popularity since Monster Hunter World, I think I can comfortably recommend Rise to anyone who wants a challenge that can be tackled with a group.