Monster Hunter is a franchise that has been historically loyal to Nintendo consoles. With its biggest release yet in 2019, Monster Hunter World, Capcom was forced to skip the Nintendo Switch. The Switch’s hardware simply is not compatible with the game’s huge open-world, next-gen graphics, and MMO connectivity. Still, for Switch fans, there is no need to fret: Nintendo Switch is getting its very own exclusive Monster Hunter game, Monster Hunter Rise.
Steam’s sales figures for 2020 were recently released, and Monster Hunter World was, surprisingly the number one seller on the Steam store for the year. I’ll admit, I bought it and played it this year myself. It’s a fantastic game and has clearly made an impression on a lot of players. There’s even a Monster Hunter movie in theaters starring Mila Jovovich. The hype train isn’t stopping any time soon, and the torch is now being passed to Rise.
So far, there’s already a decent bit of information about Rise. It’ll be out on March 26, 2021, with a demo coming out in January. Hopefully, like other Switch titles, players will be able to swap over their save files to the full game once it’s out. Some story elements have also been revealed in a trailer recently showcased at the 2020 Game Awards.
Preorder for Rise begins in January and will include a few perks. The game will be released both physically and in the Nintendo eShop for digital download. Players who preorder the base edition of the game will get a Novice Talisman, which is an optional trinket that makes the early portion of Rise a bit easier for new players. They’ll also get two new costumes: The Forest Cat costume for the Palico companion, and the Retriever costume for the new Palamute companion.
The Palamute companion is new to the series. In addition to the usual Palico companion, players will get a Palamute in Rise, which is a friendly dog-like creature that has a more combat-focused role. You gotta love those cute animal-name puns.
Not only that, the grappling hook mechanic is returning to the series in the form of a Wirebug. Based on the gameplay trailer, it seems that players will be able to use the Wirebug as a way to ride monsters around the map.
Like all Monster Hunter entries, Rise will host couch co-op for up to 4 players. Online connectivity is available for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, but it is so far unclear as to what players will be able to do. Hopefully, it will be like previous entries, where matchmaking leads players to group up and kill monsters for missions and loot.
Three new amiibos are also coming for the release of Rise. According to Gamestop’s website, they will be releasing concurrently with Rise, and will be exclusively sold at Gamestop (or EB Games in Canada). They feature the main monster of Rise (Magnamalo) and both in-game companions. When plugged into the game, they each offer an exclusive armor set.
Agree with the author? Couldn’t disagree more and are frothing at the mouth to tell him? Leave a comment here, on Facebook or send an email and make sure to follow Never Ending Realm on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube!