100 Hours of Play] A new "Monster Hunter" begins in 2025. Review of "Monster Hunter Rise" which is faster and easier to play!

Monster Hunter Rise" ("MHRise"), the latest in the popular hunting action "Monster Hunter" series, was released on March 26, 2021. This title is showing a momentum as strong as the previous title in the series, "Monster Hunter: World," with cumulative shipments of 5 million units worldwide in the first week after its release. In this article, I would like to share with you my review of "MHRise" after playing it for 100 hours.

Hyakuryu Yagyo" protects villages from invading monsters

The "Hyakuryu Yagyo" is a quest to defend the village of Kamura, and is a new element added to this title. The quest is completed when the player has defeated the hordes of monsters, defeated the "big one" or "nushi," or defended the "final gate" of the fortress. This is a completely new type of quest, unprecedented in the past series, in which the player must not only use his own weapons, but also various "hunting equipment" such as the "ballista," to confront the disaster. Immediately after the quest begins, there is time for preparation, so the hunting equipment can be deployed before then. At first, only ballistas and other equipment can be set up, but if the player defeats monsters during the quest and completes the "sub-missions" prepared in advance, the fort level will increase, and powerful equipment such as "cannons" and "rapid-fire cannons" will become available.

The Hyakuryu Yagyo has been going on for a long time and has plagued the village of Kamura for many years; 50 years ago, the Hyakuryu Yagyo caused devastating damage!

The damage that can be inflicted by using equipment is greater than that by attacking with weapons. Therefore, how to place equipment is important, but most equipment is easy to use because it is a flying tool and has a wide attack range. There is no need to worry about placement. In addition to the boarding type, which is operated by the player himself, there is also an automatic type, which is operated by his friends in the village, so that even if he makes a mistake, they will follow up to some extent.

The Ryu-Yose Kakashi attracts monsters for a certain period of time. It is recommended to combine it with high-powered equipment such as the "Gekiryuu Spear" and the "Breaking Dragon Cannon."

Monsters will attack in multiple stages, but there are still many of them, and because the field itself is small, the screen will quickly be flooded with monsters if you are too lazy to move on. There are several gates and barricades in front of the final gate, but if multiple monsters are allowed to break through, they will quickly be destroyed and the final gate will be approached. Nevertheless, the durability of the final barrier is high, and it can withstand the attacks of the last big monster or nushi to appear.

The "big ones" that lead the herd are also large. It is not unusual for them to be of a size that makes you look up at them.

When the "wolf smoke of counterattack" is activated, the player's attack power is greatly increased. The player will be able to inflict more damage than the hunting equipment. The "wolfsbane of counterattack" is triggered automatically, but it can also be triggered at any time by using the "Dora of Counterattack" in the fortress. For those who are not good at intercepting with equipment, it is recommended to utilize the wolfsbane of counterattack and attack directly. Some of the people, such as the village head Fugen and the receptionists Hinoe and Minoto, can help the player as a type of equipment, although there is a limit to the number of times they can be used. They are like trump cards that wield overwhelming power, so it is best to use them when the monsters are crowded or when the final barrier is about to be breached. It can also be used in combination with the counterattacking Dora to attack all at once.

There are "assault" and "shooting" types of monsters that attack players first, and "destruction" types that take the initiative in breaking down barriers. The shooting type is particularly troublesome, as it targets the player from a distance and is difficult to notice.

When the author first attempted the Hyakuryu Yagyo, he was in a state of confusion, and was knocked down twice by Nushi, and cleared the final barrier just short of its durability. However, in Hyakuryu Yagyo, it is safe no matter how much strength is used up, so it is nice to be able to rush in without hesitation and not have to count the number of times I have fallen in a multiplayer game to see how other players react.

Although the Hyakuryu Yagyo, which is a combination of action and simulation, is a different kind of quest, it is refreshing to be able to play it like a festival, with elements that enhance the hunting experience, such as reinforcements through counterattacks and cooperation with NPCs. As I have already mentioned, it is also easy to fall down again and again, and when I played with friends via voice chat, we were rather excited about avenging the enemy even if someone ran out of power. The "proof of repelling 100 dragons" given as a reward for completing the quests can be used to create special weapon skills called "100 dragon skills" and "protection stones" that give various skills to those who equip them. Not only is it a unique way to enjoy hunting, but the game also offers many advantages that make it worthwhile to go around the area. However, if I were to be a bit more picky, I would like to play with Nushi and his friends on regular quests. I hope to see more quests in the future.

The "Kakerimushi," which can move, attack, defend, evade, and counter ...... everything!

Along with "Hyakuryu Yagyo," the main feature of this title is the use of "kakerimushi" actions. They are connected to all kinds of actions such as movement and attacks, and the difficulty level of "MHRise" changes depending on how well you master the use of kakerimushi. At first glance, moving and jumping with flying bugs are just basic actions, but you can see how important they are because they play a role in approaching monsters, avoiding attacks, and getting out of the way. Thanks to the ability to jump easily, hunting, which used to revolve around the front, back, left, and right, now has an up-and-down aspect to it. In the past, rolling, diving, and running were the standard ways to avoid a monster's attack, but thanks to the flying bugs, jumping over them is now an option. If you can jump over, you can turn to counterattack. With more chances to attack, hunting is now possible with a greater sense of speed.

The flying bug gauge recovers over time. The time it takes before you can use it again depends on the technique you used just before.

This is spurred on by the "Teichuushigi" and "Switching techniques" that are available for each weapon. Both exist for each of the 14 weapons implemented in this work, and the content differs greatly depending on the category, such as taking distance from the opponent, counterattacking immediately after receiving an attack, and using the weapon as a base for various techniques, even though it does not attack. Not only are there 14 different types of weapons, but also the way in which they are used varies in detail depending on the composition of the replacement techniques and iron polisher techniques. Players can easily express their own characteristics by specializing in attack power, combos, and so on.

On the other hand, there are some restrictions on actions with the use of the "shou-mushi". First, one or more "Sho-mushi gauge" must be consumed. The second is that the time it takes for the gauge to recover depends on the technique used immediately before. In the case of a series of moves from a monster, if you do not use your shou-mushi to parry the first blow, you may be hit by the second blow as well. Therefore, if you don't have the Shou-mushi gauge at the critical moment, it will be fatal. Actions with shou-mushi are powerful, but it is interesting that you have to think about the timing of their use.

Sho-mushi can be used not only on oneself but also on monsters. A new technique called "Manipulating the Dragon" allows the rider to literally control the dragon, and if the rider rides a monster that is in the "standby" state, the rider can move the target as desired. Basically, there are only weak and strong attacks, but if you input the stick in either direction, up, down, left, or right, you can change the technique. The weak and strong attacks can be connected, so there is a good amount of combo variation to be enjoyed. The player can also use techniques that are symbolic of monsters, such as the Rio Reya's summer salt and the Narugakuruga's tail slap, which I had a hard time with as a hunter in junior high and high school, and it is a strange feeling to be able to control them at will.

Manipulating dragons is a new concept for "MonHun," which until then was based on the idea of how to split monsters apart. By intentionally merging monsters together, you can aim for great damage with the dragon manipulation. In particular, if the quest involves two monsters, the hunters can make the target of the hunt fight with each other, and then manipulate both of them at the end. The target monster will then go away, so there is no need to worry about dealing with both of them at the same time. The more damage you inflict, the faster you can finish the quest.

Ease of play that lets you get lost in the hunt

As someone who has played the "portable" series of MonHun games at their peak, I was surprised at how comfortable this game is. Otomogaruku, which can be taken along with Otomo Airu, is agile and aggressive in attacking monsters. If you set the "action criteria," you can instruct the Otomo Airu to make specific moves, such as "pincer attacks," in which it uses the player's position as a reference and moves between the opponent and the Otomo Airu. It is as if you are fighting with another player. Points with mushrooms and ores will be restored in a few minutes, and players can earn money for as long as they like by taking advantage of the material tour. Cooking increases stamina and strength by a certain amount no matter what you eat, so you only need to pay attention to the skills you are looking for. Monsters' locations are displayed from the beginning, and you can instantly move to a sub-camp at any time by opening it.

The dish of this work is dumplings. Strength and stamina enhancement values are standardized, allowing players to concentrate on skill selection.

In the beginning of the game, players collect items because they have no choice but to do so, but when they can afford them, they abandon them and start collecting them again when they are needed. Such problems related to items are often encountered when playing games. But thankfully, Otomogaruku solves those problems as well. Riding an otomogaruku allows you to travel at high speed through the field, and of course, you can also collect and mine, and since you can get the maximum number of items at one time, it takes no time at all and makes you want to pick up materials as you pass by. In addition to hunting quests, you can also collect items, and as a result, you are less likely to run out of ores such as macalite and dragulite when producing and reinforcing armor. It's a win-win situation.

There are small rewards for completing "free side quests. All of them can be done while doing quests.

As time and technology advance and the flow of time accelerates, it seems that "MonHun" has also adapted to the speed of 2025. On the other hand, the familiar items of past titles, such as paintballs to display the location of monsters and hot and cool drinks that are essential in certain fields, have been eliminated in "MonHun". Whether these attempts at ease-of-play are a result of the game's workload or its friendly design is up to the player to decide, but at the very least, the fun of "MonHun" is still there. The real thrill of "MonHun" is hunting monsters in a magnificent natural setting and producing and strengthening armor using collected materials, and expanding facilities and preparing items are unavoidable preparations for hunting. In short, it is not necessary. In this work, such preparations have become easier, and the addition of new elements, Hyakuryu Yagyo and Shoumushi, greatly enhances the breadth and volume of the hunt. A balance between effort and reward has been achieved. If the main focus of the game, the hunt, can establish a sufficient sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, there is no need to spend time and effort on preparation. The playability of "MHRise" is a legitimate evolution of the development technology and "MonHun," and I believe it is an adaptation to the times.

When you get environmental creatures, your strength and stamina are enhanced, and you can also use them against monsters. The benefits of visiting the field, which is essential for hunting, are also much emphasized in this work!

The development team must have been under a lot of pressure after "Monster Hunter: World," which was the best-selling game of all time in the series produced by Capcom, but sales of "MHRise" have already surpassed 5 million units. With a free update coming at the end of April, the volume of this title shows no sign of bottoming out. Expect more news in the future.

（Let's look forward to more news.)

Movie Info.
Monster Hunter Rise
Genre: Hunting action
Compatibility: Nintendo Switch
Players: 1 player (maximum 4 players when playing through communication)
Price: 8,789 yen (including tax)
Release date: Now on sale (Friday, March 26, 2021)
CERO: C (for ages 15 and up)
*Screen shots are under development.

*Screenshots are under development. *In order to connect to the Internet and play cooperatively with distant players, a subscription to Nintendo Switch Online (paid service) is required.
Nintendo Switch is a trademark of Nintendo.

(C)CAPCOM CO., LTD. 2021 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.