Monster Hunter Rise is a 2021 action role-playing game created and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Switch. It was released worldwide in March 2021. A version for Windows was released in January 2022, and versions for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S were released in January 2023. An expansion pack called Sunbreak was released in June 2022.

The game includes many features from Monster Hunter: World while adding new elements, such as a new animal companion named Palamute, which can be ridden across maps or into battles. Players can also use Wirebugs to move around the world and ride certain monsters. Critics praised the game’s gameplay and its expansion of mechanics from Monster Hunter: World. Since its release, the game has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide, making it the second best-selling game in the series. Sunbreak has sold more than 8 million copies since its release.

Gameplay

Monster Hunter Rise continues the series’ tradition by having players take on the role of a Hunter. The Hunter’s goal is to defeat or capture large monsters using different weapons, tools, and the environment to weaken them while staying safe from their attacks. Completing quests gives players items, usually parts from the defeated monsters, which are used to create new armor and weapons. These upgrades help Hunters face stronger monsters, forming the main way of playing in the series. Many monsters from earlier games return, and new monsters are added in Rise. All 14 weapon types from previous games, such as swords, shields, bows, and guns, are included in Rise.

Rise uses the same map style introduced in Monster Hunter: World, where players move freely across large areas without separate sections. Unlike earlier games, the maps in Rise focus more on climbing and moving vertically. New tools, like the Wirebug, help players climb quickly. The Wirebug works like the Clutch Claw from Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, letting players swing across gaps or reach higher places. It also interacts differently with each weapon type, adding new moves and combinations. The Wirebug can also be used to ride certain monsters, allowing the Hunter to control them briefly to guide them or fight other monsters.

Palamutes are new companion creatures in Rise. They are dog-like and help players move quickly across the map without losing stamina. Palamutes can also climb cliffs and attack monsters. They work alongside Palicoes, cat-like companions that return from earlier games.

Rise includes single-player and multiplayer modes, with up to four Hunters playing together. In single-player, players can take two Palico or Palamute companions. In multiplayer, players choose one Palico or Palamute to join them.

In addition to regular hunts, Rise adds a new mode called Rampage. This is a tower defense game where players protect a village from attacking monsters. Before and during the attack, players can set up weapons and direct non-player characters to fight monsters while attacking directly themselves.

The Sunbreak expansion adds new content, including new monsters and locations. It also introduces a feature called Switch Skills Swap, which lets players change between two skill sets during a hunt without returning to a base camp. Players can also befriend non-player characters in hunting hubs, who then join them as companions during hunts.

Plot

In Kamura Village, the player-character is told by the Wyverian twins, Hinoa and Minoto, that they have been promoted to a Hunter by the Guild. They lead the new Hunter to meet the village leader, Fugen. Along the way, the Hunter sees a strange flying monster in the distance. Fugen praises the Hunter for their success but warns that signs of "The Rampage" may return. Fifty years ago, a large group of monsters attacked the village in a violent frenzy. Fugen asks the Hunter to prepare for a possible repeat of the Rampage by completing quests to protect and supply the village while improving their hunting skills.

New signs of the Rampage appear, and Fugen sends the Hunter to the Stronghold, a battlefield guarding Kamura’s gates. After defeating an attack, the Hunter, Yomogi (the village chef), and Iori (the "Buddy Handler") are suddenly attacked by a tiger-like, mace-tailed fanged wyvern. They must retreat. Fugen explains that the monster is called "Magnamalo," which appears during the Rampage and feeds on the attacking monsters. Under Fugen’s orders, the Hunter defeats Magnamalo. When the Hunter returns, Fugen and Hinoa praise them. Fugen then gives the Hunter a Long Sword, a weapon passed down through generations in Kamura.

After another Rampage attack, Hinoa notices a flying, serpentine dragon-like monster that the Hunter had seen earlier. Hinoa communicates with the monster’s thoughts, calling for its "queen," before regaining her senses. The monster is later identified as an Elder Dragon named the Wind Serpent, Ibushi. After repelling Ibushi, the group wonders who Ibushi’s "queen" is. Master Utsushi, the village’s lookout, discovers that Ibushi’s "queen" is the Thunder Serpent, Narwa, who is Ibushi’s mate. Research by the Guild reveals that every fifty years, Ibushi and Narwa emerge to mate. During this time, Ibushi causes powerful storms that uproot trees and force nearby monsters to flee into Kamura. Narwa’s presence and electromagnetic abilities also make other monsters act violently, causing the Rampage. This shows that the actions of the Elder Dragons are the main cause of the Rampage. Because Narwa killed most of the village’s hunters, Fugen asks the Hunter to defeat her. After a battle, Narwa appears to die but her body is never found, leading Fugen to believe she is still alive. At night, the Hunter sees Hinoa and Minoto (possessed by Ibushi and Narwa) talking, saying their offspring will roam the world.

After fighting various Elder Dragons, the Hunter is told that Narwa and Ibushi have reunited. Fugen asks the Hunter to confront the two serpents and end the Rampage. The Hunter battles Ibushi, whose life force is taken by Narwa, transforming her into Narwa the Allmother, a much more powerful form. The Hunter fights Narwa again and is helped by Magnamalo, who attacks Narwa. After a fierce battle, the Hunter defeats Narwa and returns to the village. Fugen names the Hunter the Savior of Kamura, and the village celebrates with a feast. Hinoa says the village is finally at peace.

After the Rampage ends, the Hunter is honored as a hero, and peace returns to Kamura. However, this peace does not last long. A hermit crab-like monster called a Daimyo Hermitaur appears in the shrine ruins. The Hunter and Utsushi investigate and defeat the Hermitaur, but a strange, werewolf-like monster suddenly attacks them. They cannot defeat it until a knight from Elgado named Fiorayne arrives. She repels the monster and explains it is a Lunagaron from Elgado.

Fiorayne says her goal is to recruit the Hunter to help the people of Elgado fight a group of monsters called the Three Lords. One of these, a vampyric Elder Dragon named Malzeno, is believed to be making monsters more aggressive and driving them out of Elgado. Since these monsters now threaten Kamura, Fugen agrees to let the Hunter travel to Elgado to meet its commander and defeat Malzeno.

In Elgado, the Hunter meets Admiral Galleus and his allies. The Hunter and Fiorayne fight the first of the Three Lords, Garangolm, and defeat it. They then meet Elgado’s lead scientist, Bahari, who discovers glowing red moth-like creatures called Qurio. Bahari thinks the Qurio may be causing the monsters’ madness. The Hunter and Fiorayne defeat Lunagaron, the second of the Three Lords, but are attacked by Malzeno, who seems to control the Qurio. Malzeno poisons Fiorayne with a virus from the Qurio before leaving.

To save Fiorayne, the Hunter finds a doctor named Tadori, who creates a cure for the virus. Galleus orders the Hunter and Fiorayne to defeat Malzeno. They confront Malzeno in Elgado’s ruined citadel and kill it, causing a swarm of Qurio to escape its body. Though the threat seems gone, Galleus is worried something else is happening and begins building ships with dragonators.

The Qurio have started killing monsters in Elgado, draining their life energy. The Hunter and Fiorayne find the citadel filled with monster corpses. A large pit opens in the ocean near Elgado, and a huge demonic monster emerges, causing an earthquake. Galleus arrives with his fleet and forces the monster back into the pit. Galleus and Bahari explain that the creature is the "Archdemon of the Abyss," called Gaismagorm by the Guild. They say Gaismagorm is the true source of the Qurio, which are gathering energy to free itself from the sea. Malzeno had been fighting Gaismagorm and delaying its release. Now that Malzeno is dead, nothing can stop Gaismagorm.

Galleus orders the Hunter and Fiorayne to descend into the pit to defeat Gaismagorm. Inside, a battle begins, with Galleus using artillery to help. With his aid, the Hunter and Fiorayne kill Gaismagorm, causing the Qurio to die. They reunite with Galleus and return to Elgado, where people from both Elgado and Kamura celebrate their victory. Galleus and Bahari tell the Hunter that while Gaismagorm is gone, the remaining Qurio are still a threat. Fiorayne asks the Hunter to stay in Elgado and continue helping.

Development

The game's producer, Ryozo Tsujimoto, explained that for World and Rise, the team decided to stop using traditional numbering for the main Monster Hunter titles. Instead, they named the games based on central ideas that shaped their design. The name "Rise" was chosen to describe the game's vertical levels and gameplay, which included movement up and down. This vertical design led to level layouts that resembled a medieval Japanese or Far Eastern style, though this was not the team's original plan.

The game's director, Yasunori Ichinose, previously worked on Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, a game never released outside Asia. That game featured Yukumo Village, a Japanese-inspired setting with hot springs, which later appeared in Monster Hunter Generations. For Rise, Ichinose wanted a new setting similar to Yukumo but not a direct reuse of it. He designed Kamura Village, the hub for Rise, with similar ideas to Yukumo. This setting also supported the game's focus on movement freedom, like that of ninjas, which matched the environment well.

Development for Rise began after Generations and Generations Ultimate were completed. It was co-developed with World, and ideas were shared between the two teams. The game used the RE Engine, originally created for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, and later used in other Capcom games like the Resident Evil 2 remake and Devil May Cry 5. This was the first time the engine was used for a Monster Hunter game, which caused delays as the team worked to ensure smooth gameplay on the Nintendo Switch, especially with World's zoneless approach.

The Palamute companion was designed with the Nintendo Switch's portability in mind, allowing players to ride it without losing stamina. Ichinose noted that while using data from older 3DS games might have been easier, it was important to make Rise look modern since Monster Hunter: World was recently released. Natsuki Hanae provides the game's narration.

Release

Monster Hunter Rise was announced during a Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase broadcast on September 17, 2020, for a worldwide release on March 26, 2021. At its release, the game included three Amiibo figures: a Palico, Palamute, and the game's main monster, Magnamalo. Using the Amiibo figures gives players special armor sets in the game. A demo version of the game was released on January 7, 2021, and included four quests, all fourteen weapons, and support for both single-player and online multiplayer. The demo's popularity caused temporary issues with Nintendo eShop servers. A second demo was released on March 12, 2021. The game offers free content after its release, similar to Monster Hunter World.

A special edition Nintendo Switch bundle was released on the same day as the game. The bundle included the console, dock, Joy-Con controllers decorated with artwork from Monster Hunter Rise, and a copy of the game. Before its release, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate added three Monster Hunter-themed Mii Fighter costumes as downloadable content, including Hunter armor, Rathalos armor, and a Felyne hat. When Monster Hunter Rise launched, three collectible Spirits based on the Palico, Palamute, and Magnamalo were added to the game.

Like previous Monster Hunter games, Rise includes crossover events with other Capcom games. The first event was with Monster Hunter Stories 2 around the time of its release in June 2021. A second event featured Amaterasu from Ōkami in July 2021. A third event in August 2021 allowed players to earn a costume based on Akuma from Street Fighter. In September 2021, players could earn a Palamute costume inspired by Rush from Mega Man. A fourth event in November 2021 introduced outfits based on Sonic the Hedgehog.

According to Tsujimoto, Capcom planned to create a Windows version of Monster Hunter Rise due to player demand. The Windows version supports high-resolution displays up to 4K, higher frame rates, and direct voice chat. Capcom considered cross-platform play or cross-saving between the Switch and Windows versions but decided these features could not be added. The Windows version was released on January 12, 2022, and included all content available for the Switch version as of November 2021. A demo for the Windows version was released on October 13, 2021.

A major paid expansion, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, was released for the Switch and PC versions on June 30, 2022. The expansion added new monsters, quests, weapons, armor, story elements, and more difficult Master Rank hunts, similar to previous Monster Hunter games. The expansion focuses on a new monster, the Elder Dragon Malzeno, and also includes monsters from earlier games in the series. It introduced new hunting areas and a new hub for preparing for quests.

In December 2022, Capcom announced that Monster Hunter Rise would be released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on January 20, 2023. The game was available on Game Pass for Xbox, PC, and Cloud at launch. Cross-play and cross-progression are supported only between PlayStation consoles or between Windows (Microsoft Store) and Xbox consoles. Features from the Steam version, such as voice chat and image filters, are included in the new ports. The game runs at 4K 60FPS on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, with an option to target 120 FPS at lower resolution. The Sunbreak expansion was released for these platforms on April 28, 2023.

Reception

Monster Hunter Rise received "mostly positive reviews" from critics, according to the website Metacritic. OpenCritic reported that 96% of critics recommended the game. Critics liked the new tools, such as Wirebugs, and the game’s improvements to mechanics from Monster Hunter: World.

Sam Machkovech of Ars Technica praised the game’s new movement system and how it adjusted monsters from earlier games to fit the changes. He also noted that the game had technical issues, saying, "I experienced battles where the game’s speed dropped to about 20-25 frames per second." Martin Robinson of Eurogamer appreciated that hunts in the game were shorter than in previous titles.

Richard Wakeling of GameSpot enjoyed the game’s new Japanese-inspired setting and the Rampage missions. Ryan Gilliam of Polygon liked how the game made it easier for new players to join the series and offered more ways to complete hunts.

Monster Hunter Rise was nominated for Best Role Playing Game and Best Multiplayer Game at The Game Awards 2021 but lost to Tales of Arise and It Takes Two, respectively. The Sunbreak expansion won the Grand Award at the 2023 Japan Game Awards.

Capcom announced that Monster Hunter Rise sold 4 million copies worldwide three days after its release. Monster Hunter: World sold 5 million copies during the same period. In Japan, Monster Hunter Rise sold over 1.3 million copies in its first week and became the top-selling retail game of the week. This led to a rise in sales for Nintendo Switch consoles, more than doubling combined sales of Switch and Switch Lite compared to earlier weeks. By April 27, 2021, 6 million units had been sold. Total shipments reached 8 million by January 13, 2022, and 9 million copies were sold by March 31, 2022. By July 2022, worldwide sales of Monster Hunter Rise reached over 10 million units. The Sunbreak expansion sold 2 million copies in five days and 3 million copies in two weeks. By February 2023, the base game had sold 12 million copies, and Sunbreak had sold 5 million copies. As of June 30, 2023, Monster Hunter Rise and Sunbreak had sold 13 million and 6 million copies worldwide, respectively.