I feel bad about expressing my thoughts on Monster Hunter Rise, because even in the incomplete portion I've played, it's clear that this will disappoint some longtime franchise veterans with how it smoothes away the bumps and frictions that I'm sure are divisive to some people. I'm sure there will be people who look at me saying "the combat is so much more fun" with the same weary resignation that I have for comments about NieR Numbers having "better combat".
And yet, it can't really be denied: after multiple failed attempts to get into it over the years, from 3 Ultimate on the Wii U to World on the PC, this is the moment Monster Hunter finally clicked for me. Each hunt is a fast, smooth experience, slinging through the map to fight fun bosses with unique patterns and movesets alongside my friends, each one styling on the monster in their own unique way. The Spiderman web swinging is a godsend, making movement in these games fun for the first time, whilst preserving the weight of the actual combat. Said combat is as thrilling as the high points of World, the concentrated joy of Boss Battle after Boss Battle with so little resistance in between.
It's great fun, by myself or with friends. Alone, I can appreciate the unique patterns and attacks the monsters have, and the windows in them for me to attack remain deliciously satisfying to slip through in spite of their forgiving width. With friends, Monster Hunter lets me enjoy my friends, their company, and their flair and individuality in a way that few other games allow so quickly and easily.
However, this is all a smokescreen. The real reason, the true, fundamental reason I couldn't get into Monster Hunter World, is that the outfits were awful. Terrible. I wouldn't be caught dead in them. What reason do I have to grind out a monster if wearing its skin is just going to make me look like a clown? Thankfully, Capcom has heard my plight, and the outfits here are worth becoming a monstrous destroyer of nature for, which is really what matters most in Monster Hunter.
The battle is temporary. The fashion is eternal.
And yet, it can't really be denied: after multiple failed attempts to get into it over the years, from 3 Ultimate on the Wii U to World on the PC, this is the moment Monster Hunter finally clicked for me. Each hunt is a fast, smooth experience, slinging through the map to fight fun bosses with unique patterns and movesets alongside my friends, each one styling on the monster in their own unique way. The Spiderman web swinging is a godsend, making movement in these games fun for the first time, whilst preserving the weight of the actual combat. Said combat is as thrilling as the high points of World, the concentrated joy of Boss Battle after Boss Battle with so little resistance in between.
It's great fun, by myself or with friends. Alone, I can appreciate the unique patterns and attacks the monsters have, and the windows in them for me to attack remain deliciously satisfying to slip through in spite of their forgiving width. With friends, Monster Hunter lets me enjoy my friends, their company, and their flair and individuality in a way that few other games allow so quickly and easily.
However, this is all a smokescreen. The real reason, the true, fundamental reason I couldn't get into Monster Hunter World, is that the outfits were awful. Terrible. I wouldn't be caught dead in them. What reason do I have to grind out a monster if wearing its skin is just going to make me look like a clown? Thankfully, Capcom has heard my plight, and the outfits here are worth becoming a monstrous destroyer of nature for, which is really what matters most in Monster Hunter.
The battle is temporary. The fashion is eternal.
2 Comments
World is such an aesthetically ugly game playing rise, even as slowly as I’ve been picking at it, is a RELIEF
WallsyBanger
3 years ago