Guys, gals - it's almost hard to believe, but Monster Hunter Rise is coming out on PC in just over a week, and we couldn't be more excited about finally getting to play the game! Now, what's interesting about Rise is that it had launched a while ago on Nintendo Switch. This means that we're in a unique position of being able to go through many high-profile Monster Hunter Rise review offerings and see what journalists thought of the game in the first place.

If you'd like to learn more about the game's PC release, we already have a technical overview ready to go. That, of course, is not what we'd like to talk about today.

Right now, we're all about going through MH: Rise's review scores and seeing what we're in for, come January 12th. Join us, because boy have we got some interesting information to share.

The good thing about getting games on PC after they had already come out on other platforms is that we know very well what we're getting into. In effect, the only thing that's going to change is how the game performs on PC in general. So, we get to talk about its features and content early on.

Pre-order Monster Hunter: Rise on PC today and get special customization items and extra goodies!

Monster Hunter Rise Review Summary: PC Launch-Day Preparations

As we've established by now, we only really have a MH: Rise Switch review pool to draw data from. That being what it is, the game's PC build can only really be better than its comparatively stunted Switch build. We expect vastly improved visuals, customizable control schemes, and significantly better performance.

That being what it is, we can still get a good idea of what the game plays like. In fact, according to Monster Hunter Rise review summary by Metacritic, the game is sitting at a lovely 88/100. Not half bad, especially since we're talking about a successor to one of the finest PC games of all time - Monster Hunter: World.

Rise handles things differently, to be sure, but it was always going to be compared to World, no matter what. For it to compare favorably was a surprise all of its own, but here's the thing: a fair few reviewers claim that it is better than World. Whew! What's up with that, then?

What makes Monster Hunter Rise special?

If World did away with most of Monster Hunter's former clunkiness, Rise ditched what little of it remained, according to Destructoid: "It’s a neat little metagame that has a relatively low skill floor in terms of picking up the dodge element of the wirebug mechanic, while providing a high ceiling and opening up weapon tech." said their reviewer about the new Wirebug gadget.

Not only does the Wirebug allow Hunters to traverse more quickly and easily, but the feature is improved even further with the introduction of Palamutes. These glorious pets/mounts offer yet another important mobility option. On top of that, they're also a handy boon in combat.

"As the possibilities present themselves, it’ll be hard to go back to a time before," said DigitalTrends' review. "Everything about the core formula has been optimized to the tee," they explained.

Even the return of World's rendition of the open-world is now smoothened and streamlined. The game gives you just enough in the way of appetizers to keep you interested, but the focus lies squarely on the main dish - the big monsters and fighting them.

The conclusion makes itself, then - Rise is effectively a culmination of everything Capcom had learned during their long tenure with the Monster Hunter franchise, with World being a particularly noteworthy underline.

Is Rise better than World?

By trimming the fat from previous Monster Hunter entries, Capcom had more than enough room to squeeze in a few special extras. The biggest new goodie is, arguably, that of a veritable tower defense mode - Rampage.

"Some monsters will harass you from the sky while others will rush key locations that you want to defend. It's a great way to break up the standard Monster Hunter grind and is much, much more interesting than something like the sluggish and boring Zorah Magdaros encounters in World," according to Easy Allies.

The addition of Wirebugs and of the exciting Rampage mode aren't enough for everyone, however: "Monster Hunter Rise is meant to be a continuation of those [World/Iceborne] improvements, and while the game doesn't reach the same highs as World and Iceborne, it still manages to be yet another exceptional title for the franchise," said GameRant.

As curious as that might be, it's perfectly natural for some critics to still prefer the arguably more complex and engaging systems of Rise's direct predecessor. The best way to look at this game, we feel, is to consider it to be a combination of World/Iceborne and previous portable Monster Hunter titles. A return to form in more ways than one, but with many lessons learned and properly applied.

Final Thoughts

Before we let you go, we feel that it's pretty important for us to point out that there's a PC demo version of MH: Rise available right now. That's right! You can set off to download and try the game out via Steam at your own behest.

This is - obviously - great news for everyone. If you've got a beefy PC, then you get to enjoy a full five quests before the game is officially out on PC. If, on the other hand, you're not sure if your PC can run MH: Rise in the first place, then you can test it out before committing to a purchase.

Of course, it's worth pointing out that Rise has delightfully low spec requirements, but still.

With that, we leave you to consider getting a Monster Hunter Rise pre-order. Exclusive content is mostly limited to cosmetic goodies, but it's a thing to keep in mind if you're a franchise super-fan. Stay tuned for more on Rise - right here at 2Game!