When Capcom took a chance onMonster Hunterin 2002, their goal was a simple 1 million copies sold. Not only did the game beat this milestone, it birthed by far the company’s most profitable series.
Monster Hunter Riseis the latest title in the series, and part of its 5th generation of games. Over the years, theMonster Hunterseries has seen a lot of changes, including a fundamental change to the series’ general speed inMonster Hunter World.Risehas made a lot of changes itself, and thankfully a lot of these have helped the series achieve new highs in a variety of aspects.
8Map Design
For most of its lifespan,Monster Hunterdivided its maps into distinct zones separated by loading screens due to technological limitations.MH Worldfinally removed these borders and created continuous, open maps.
Following on fromWorld,Risecontinued to improve on the open map design, creating some of the best maps in the series. They’remuch less complicated thanWorld’s, while still hosting a bevy of secrets, fun battle arenas, and interesting aesthetics. There are also well-placed camps all over the maps to help players get around even more easily.
7Developer Support
Another advantage that recent technology has brought to theMHseries is the freedom for developers to regularly update the games, instead of waiting on a new release. The 3rd and 4th genMHgames received downloadable content as well, butWorldandRisemake much more use of updates.
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WithRiseespecially, updates have included not just bug fixes and new quests, but also much-requested alterations to in-game systems. This includes making the ‘anomaly investigation’ system easier to navigate; a change that might have never come in the older games.
6Fashion Sets
WhileMHis a series whereequipment is everything, some of the best armor sets statistically, are often some of the ugliest to look at. Thankfully, the series started including options to separate a player’s appearance from their stats, andRisehas perfected this system.
InRise, while armor can be crafted as normal, it can also be crafted as ‘layered armor.’ Layered armor is completely cosmetic, meaning the game’s many cool-looking equipment pieces can finally be worn despite their stats. WhileWorldhad this system as well,Risemakes it much easier, and added the feature much earlier in its lifespan.
5Weapon Crafting
While the skills provided by various armor sets can help boost damage, getting the right weapon is the most important step to dealing enough damage to monsters. Some of the more powerful weapons however, are at the end ofupgrade pathsthat used to be hidden.
Worldfinally made all the upgrade paths visible, making it much easier to plan equipment progression.Riseonce again improved this further. Now, some weapon upgrades can be rolled back, returning the resources used to make them. This is a quality-of-life feature that just makes experimenting with weapons so much more convenient.
4Talisman Crafting
The issue of talismans is a somewhat controversial one in theMHcommunity. Talismans inMHare extra pieces of equipment that provide a randomized amount of skill points, giving them the potential to elevate certain sets, or restrict what sets a player can use.
The problem with talismans is that the randomized aspect can be really limiting to unlucky players.Worldtried to make them fixed, but then shifted the random element onto decorations, which are much more important for set building.Risehas found a decent middle ground where talismans are still random, but can be crafted in large quantities and even guarantee certain skills.
3Giving NPCs Character
TheMHseries has never been very character-focused. UntilMH World, the series didn’t even have fully voiced characters. As such, even with the fun dialog many NPCs had, there was no guaranteed way to get players to appreciate their personalities.
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Not only doesRisehave voice acting to fix this issue, it also gives the characters just enough story focus to make them stand out more than their predecessors. The ‘follower’ system introduced intheSunbreakexpansionalso allows some NPCs to go on quests with the player, expanding the opportunities for players to form bonds with them.
2Equipment Balance
It’s standard for games to provide stronger equipment nearer the end of the experience. However, since equipment inMHis tied to specific monsters,early and mid-gamemonsters often end up being irrelevant due to their weaker gear.
InRise,however, even early-game equipment can be quite valuable. Some defensively weaker armor pieces can still be valuable due to the unique skill combinations they offer. After some updates, every weapon can also be upgraded to maximum rarity, meaning even the starter gear is usable in the late game.
1Enabling Multiple Playstyles
Riseis a much more freeing game than its predecessors. The new ‘switch skill’ system is a wonderful evolution ofMH: Generations’ ‘weapon styles,’ allowing each weapon to have customizable movesets that can change up how they are played. The final attack of the Great Sword for example, can be swapped from a slower, higher damage hit, to a faster one that increases in power if the player is hit.
The game also introduces a lot of new skills, which enable even more diverse playstyles. These range from vampiric lifesteal sets, to dodge and parry focused ones, to ‘suicide sets’ that provideincredibly high damage at the cost of survivability.
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