Developer/publisher-Capcom

Format-Switch

Release-March 26

Any Rise normally comes after a fall. But while we’ve no doubt a few purists would disagree, Monster Hunter: World was not just the biggest commercial hit of this storied series, but the best it’s ever been. Just as a new player gradually acclimatises to the rhythms of a hunt, learning to be watchful and working out when to back off, forging and upgrading weapons and gear to stay in the fight longer against incrementally tougher opponents, so too has Capcom grown attuned to the needs of its players. Leaner yet smarter than previous entries, World successfully shed some of the series’ legacy baggage without ever losing the essence of Monster Hunter.

It’s no surprise, then, that Rise should feel so light on its feet. Yet Capcom had plenty to lose here. Most longterm players will admit (in some cases grudgingly) that once you’ve played a new Monster Hunter, it’s hard to go back. We recall returning to Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and feeling a big Insect-Glaive-shaped hole in our lives, just as Generations felt clumsy and ugly after World’s thoughtful refinements and big-screen grandeur. Those who’ve always seen this as a handheld series will doubtless welcome a return to its portable roots. But those accustomed to the spectacle and scale of World would surely have anticipated a severe downgrade, given Switch’s horsepower compares unfavourably to prior-gen hardware, let alone Sony and Microsoft’s new consoles.

Granted, it’s hard not to look at Rise and picture the PC version we know is coming. But that it’s such a mouthwatering prospect says much for what Capcom has achieved here. Employing its RE Engine, Capcom has delivered what might be the console’s crowning technical achievement, certainly outside the firstparty blockbusters. On the TV, a few rough edges are visible – cross-hatch shading, ragged foliage – yet in handheld mode it looks sensational. With its pixels packed tighter, those few wrinkles are smoothed out, and you’ll wonder if Capcom is somehow streaming a Triple-A PC game on medium-to-high settings to your Switch. There are moments where it pushes the hardware a little too far, but the occasional performance dips are worth it for the many moments where you can’t quite believe a Nintendo console –a Nintendo handheld – is capable of this.