Is Monster Hunter Rise hard for beginners?

Lowering the barrier.

Jim Hargreaves 26/03/21 Comments Closed

Is Monster Hunter Rise hard for newcomers? It’s the question outside players always ask whenever a new game in the Monster Hunter series launches. Traditionally, these have been challenging action RPGs that focus on preparation and loadout optimisation just as much as the speed and strength of your sword arm.

However, over the years they’ve become gradually more accessible to a wider audience. While some Monster Hunter purists may label this shift as a “dumbing down” of the franchise, the majority of fans have come to appreciate Capcom’s approach to quality of life changes.

Monster Hunter Rise encapsulates this even better than Monster Hunter World. While it’s no cakewalk for newcomers, it’s the easiest, most accessible entry in the franchise to date. Hardcore hunters shouldn’t worry, though; there’s plenty of challenging content to hack, slam, and shoot your way through.

Older Monster Hunter games could give players a hard time if they were riding solo offline. The series was built with multiplayer in mind, either online or locally with up to three friends. Even when facing one of the weaker wyverns or other large monsters on your own, their attention would be solely focused on you, ramping up the pressure.

Monster Hunter Rise helps alleviate this by introducing the Buddy system. Animal companions are nothing new, but being able to have two active during quests is a hugely helpful refinement to the franchise. The Palamute and Palico buddies in Monster Hunter Rise are no pushovers, either – you can fully outfit them and even modify their behaviour depending on whether you want them to attack or hang back to support.

The way progression works in Monster Hunter Rise is more straightforward too. A track can be viewed when back at Kamura village, telling you how many story and hub missions you need to unlock the new quest rank.

It takes a little while but once you hit the “high rank” content in Monster Hunter Rise, that’s when the true challenge begins. Monster Hunter World players will be familiar with this difficulty bump, going up against more powerful versions of the Rise creature roster. Thankfully, as your attention turns more towards perfecting your loadout, it doesn’t feel like Capcom are idly reshuffling previous quests.

Overall, Monster Hunter Rise is a great introduction to the series for newcomers. Veterans will breeze through those first dozen or so hours, but there are plenty of hard challenges as you progress.