After some great new trailers last night, Capcom and Monster Hunter are back again for day two of their anniversary celebrations. Today we are getting new Monster Hunter Rise gameplay, tutorials as well as a Director Q&A session. Here is our recap of the ~40-minute presentation:
First, we get a look at the core gameplay loop of Rise which should feel familiar for returning players. Select your quest, stock up at the shops, and remember to eat food before setting out on your hunt.
Next is Charge Blade gameplay during a hunt of the new monster Goss Harag utilising a palamute + palico combo. You can set your Switch Skills from the starting tent once unlocked. We get to see how Goss Harag can turn both hands into icy blades as well as a turf war between Lagombi and Goss Harag. Wyvern Riding also came into the fray, beginning with a Tetranadon during the turf war.
Now we get to see a deeper dive into the Rampage – the new Horde mode which was revealed last night. While there are pods where you can set up cannons, ballista, and more, you only have a limited amount of time to prepare for each wave. There are icons above the monsters’ heads that indicate their behaviour: blue monsters focus on barriers and gates, red monsters focus on hunters, green monsters shoot projectiles from afar. Major Threats and Apex Monster pose the biggest threat to your defences during a Rampage, with the latter being the most dangerous. Failure to dispatch these monsters can swiftly cause a failure of the Rampage itself, so prioritise these monsters as soon as they appear. Your stronghold can level up as you defeat monsters and finish sub-quests and the quest maidens can help you out once per Rampage quest.
Q&A with director Yasunori Ichinose:
- Will there be DLC and updates? – Yes there will be Title updates as announced last night. The second update will add more monsters and the conclusion to the story.
- The themes were based on Japanese and Asian folklore and the new monsters were based on Yokai.
- It was a challenge making the Rampage, such as how to show so many monsters on screen and make it fun for the players.
- How will the rampage be balanced for solo play? – The difficulty scales based on the number of players just like any other quest and there are sub-assignments in addition to the main objectives to provide you with experience as you progress through a Rampage quest. If you want all the experience you must complete every sub-assignment plus the main quest. You will get special items for completing Rampage Quests for forging or upgrading items.
- Ichinose’s favourite new monster is Magnamalo, a lot of time was spent on it from the early stages of development. Of the returning monsters, Zinogre is his favourite.
- His favourite weapon types are Hunting Horn and Heavy Bowgun.
- His favourite weapon designs are the Tetranadon styled weapons.
- His favourite music track is Kamura’s Song of Purification which is sung by Hinoa the Quest Maiden.
- Does the team play Monster Hunter for fun? – It’s currently only playing for work, in the past team members would play on release day or at lunch breaks.
Check out the stream for yourself below:
Only a couple of weeks to go now! Monster Hunter Rise releases exclusively on Nintendo Switch on March 26.
When Eleanore isn’t trying to figure out how the Earth works she’s trying to pay off her loan in Animal Crossing, complete her Pokedex or finishing one more RPG or platformer. She is a lover of great characters, cute or creative art styles and awesome game soundtracks.
