Monster Hunter Rise is coming to PC and it will have new features that aren’t present in the Nintendo Switch version of the game. This is due to the game being a Switch exclusive for almost a year. The timed exclusivity deal was a smart move on Nintendo’s part, as Monster Hunter Rise was the Switch’s most downloaded game in Japan for the previous year.
The Monster Hunter series has made the jump to PC and consoles in the past, as Monster Hunter World appeared on everything but Nintendo systems during the last console generation. Capcom made it up to Nintendo, with Monster Hunter Rise being a Switch exclusive for nearly a year. This does mean that the PC version of Monster Hunter Rise is based on the Switch version of the game, which means it’s not quite as pretty as Monster Hunter World. Despite this, Monster Hunter Rise is an incredible game and it’s exciting to see the performance makeover it has received on the PC platform.
The PC version of Monster Hunter Rise isn’t shackled to the same hardware limitations as the Nintendo Switch, and the demo of Monster Hunter Rise that has been released shows how amazing it can look on a new system. There’s more to the PC version of Monster Hunter Rise than just changes to the performance and the quality of the visuals, as the PC platform offers new control schemes for players, and makes it easier for teams to coordinate their actions online.
Visual Changes In Monster Hunter Rise On PC
The biggest change to the PC version of Monster Hunter Rise is an expanded range of visual options. There are three basic Graphics settings (Low, Medium, and High), but there is an Advanced Graphics Settings menu with even more options. The player can toggle individual elements that they care about the most, in order to improve what they like and disable what they don’t need, for some extra performance.
These options include the ability to toggle Image Quality, High-Resolution Textures, Texture Filtering, Ambient Occlusion, Shadow Quality, Dynamic Shadows, Equipment Shadows, Processing Reduction via Model Swapping (which hides models that are far away to save on processing power), Mesh Quality, Anti-Aliasing (which can also be disabled individually on the Palamute), Foliage Sway, Motion Blur, Lens Distortion, and a Vignette Effect. It’s also possible to adjust the depth of field or add film grains or filters to the screen.
The big draw of Monster Hunter Rise on PC is its resolution and frame rate options, as this is one aspect where the Switch version of the game suffers. The resolution settings go from 320 x 200 to 1920 x 1080, and the former should only be selected by those who are nostalgic for the resolution in the original Shenmue. The Display Frequency options are 60.08hz and 144.03hz, the Aspect Ratio options are 16:9 and 21:9, with the latter option allowing for the UI position to be corrected, and the Frame Rate options are 30 to 240/unlimited. There is also an optional V-Sync toggle.
Control, Multiplayer, & Options Changes In Monster Hunter Rise On PC
It’s possible (and advised) to play Monster Hunter Rise using a controller, but the PC version of the game also has mouse and keyboard support. The extra buttons of the mouse and keyboard method would be more helpful for the weapons with more actions, such as the Bow. The keyboard is especially helpful for quickly typing messages into the chat. Another new feature of the PC version is voice chat among players who are in the same Lobby, which is a feature that is absent from many Switch games, due to Nintendo’s strange choice to implement voice chat through a phone app.
There is one thing that the PC version of Monster Hunter Rise doesn’t have from the Switch version, and that’s Local multiplayer modes. All of the multiplayer content in the game is online. This won’t be much of a loss for many PC players, as most would elect to play online anyway. Monster Hunter Rise doesn’t have any couch co-op option on either platform. The PC version of Rise doesn’t have crossplay or cross-saves with the Switch version, so people who already own the game will have to start over on PC.
Monster Hunter Rise Content Available At Launch On PC
One major advantage that the PC version of Monster Hunter Rise has at launch is that it will have nearly all of the post-launch content from the Nintendo Switch of the game. The launch version of Monster Hunter Rise will include everything up to the Switch’s Ver.3.6.1 patch, and it will catch up by the end of February. From that point on, all updates will happen in both versions of Monster Hunter Rise at the same time, as will the launch of the upcoming Sunbreak expansion.
So, what exactly does the post-launch content include? For one thing, the game now has an ending. The final boss battle in Monster Hunter Rise was added post-launch, but it will be in the PC from day one. The post-launch content also added monsters to the game, including Teostra, Kushala Daora, Chameleos, Apex Diablos, Apex Rathalos, and Crimson Glow Valstrax. Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin launched after Monster Hunter Rise on Nintendo Switch, and people who owned the former could claim an MH Stories 2 costume in the latter. This will also be true in the PC version of Monster Hunter Rise, as Wings of Ruin is already available on the platform.
The PC version of Monster Hunter Rise will also have all of the Capcom Collab crossover events that have been made available in the Switch version of the game. These unlock costumes that can be given to different characters, The Palamute can be given a Rush costume from Mega Man, Tails from Sonic the Hedgehog, or an Amateratsu costume from Okami, and the Palico can be dressed like Tsukino from Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin or Sonic the Hedgehog. The hunter costumes offer several changes, as there is an Arthur from Ghosts ‘n Goblins outfit that transforms the kunai into spears, and the Akuma from Street Fighter costume will alter a Sword and Shield user’s moves, so that they perform punches and kicks.
Monster Hunter Rise will be released for PC via Steam on January 12, 2022, and is available now for Nintendo Switch.
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