Monster Hunter Rise: Do I need to play the previous Monster Hunter games first?
Best answer: No. Monster Hunter games are self-contained and don't require playing previous entries. Also, every game features tutorial missions to help new players learn how to play the game.
Monsters are on a rampage, and only you can stop them
On September 17, 2020, Capcom announced a new Monster Hunter game for the Nintendo Switch, Monster Hunter Rise. Kamura Village is threatened to be wiped by a horde of rampaging monsters, and it is up to their Monster Hunters to save it from certain doom. Monster Hunter is a series of action games where you go out into the wild and hunt giant monsters. Once you have slain your target, you take its body parts back to town to craft powerful weapons and armor to hunt bigger monsters.
What sets Monster Hunter Rise apart from its predecessors is the endemic life that Kamura's hunters use to aid in their hunts. The most notable of these creatures is the Wirebug, a giant insect which hunters use like a grappling hook to traverse tall mountains and augment weapon attacks.
This franchise has been going for nearly 17 years, so you may feel the need to play the previous games to understand how to play them. Fortunately, each Monster Hunter game are self-contained experiences that don't require playing previous entries.
Should I play the previous games?
With that being said, should you play any of the previous games before Monster Hunter Rise? Personally, I recommend Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC) and Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (Nintendo Switch). Both are fantastic games in their own right and have features that may carry over to Monster Hunter Rise.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne overhauled the series with beautiful graphics, revamped monster AI and many quality of life improvements. Some of these include smoother controls, removing loading screens when moving to different areas, easier material-gathering methods, and brand new moves for weapons.
While Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate is older and doesn't boast Monster Hunter World's quality of life improvements, it has its own flavor of hunting fun. This game has a roster of over 90 monsters to hunt, customizable movesets for your weapons complete with flashy special moves, and you can play as the cute, cat-like creatures called 'Felynes.'
As for the other games? Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (Nintendo 3DS Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Wii U) and Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (Playstation Portable and iOS) are also beloved games in the series with unique monsters to fight. However, they may be difficult to track down, and the controls may feel dated compared to their modern counterparts.
What's new with Monster Hunter Rise?
From what has been shown of Monster Hunter Rise so far, it aims to be the best of both worlds. It will have the quality of life improvements introduced in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, combined with the monster variety and customizable movesets of Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate.
If you want to go into Monster Hunter Rise completely blind to have the best first-time experience, that's also a valid option. Every Monster Hunter game has tutorials that will help newcomers get to grips with the gameplay mechanics and controls. This game also features a training room where you can safely practice using your weapon before embarking on a hunt.
As for the game's story? Don't worry about it; there's no on-going story arc in the Monster Hunter series because each game's plot is episodic and doesn't require playing previous games to understand what's going on. So newcomers and veterans alike can jump right in and join the hunt together.
That's all you need to know
All the essential prerequisites you need before getting Monster Hunter Rise is a Nintendo Switch and one of the best microSD cards for it. Monster Hunter Rise will be a huge game, so you'll definitely need a ton of storage space for it.
Monster Hunter Rise for Nintendo Switch releases March 26, 2021.
As a member of the Hunter's Guild, you have been assigned to protect Kamura Village from hordes of dangerous monsters. You can either go it alone or bring your friends along for the ride in four-player co-op.
