That said it’s the graphics that grab you at first, as they’re considerably better than we were expecting.

Rather than being an abridged version of Monster Hunter: World, Rise already feels like a significant new entry in the franchise. Wyverns are difficult to control, since they obviously don’t like being used as your battle mount, but the range of abilities is impressive, especially if they’re different for each creature. World allowed you to briefly climb onto monsters to trick them into running into a wall but Rise goes much further by turning smaller wyverns into rideable creatures with their own moves and a charge meter that allows you to perform unique finishing attacks. Each weapon can also use them in a different Silkbind attack that can ensnare monsters and, in some cases, allow you to use them as a mount. There’s also a new Wirebug creature that has multiple applications, the most obvious of which is to use it as grappling hook to traverse the environment or to quickly get out of a monster’s way. There’s also a new feature called a Rampage, which sounds a bit like a survival mode but isn’t in the demo. Capcom are promising a number of new creatures as well though, such as cover star Magnamalo, shape-shifting Aknosom, and amphibious Tetranadon.

That makes Rise sound less distinct than it is though as while it undoubtedly shares some assets with the last game the series has always regularly recycled creatures and concepts as a matter of course. Both have been in previous Monster Hunter games and the 14 different weapons types, that you choose between before starting a hunt, are exactly the same as Monster Hunter: World. The demo features two quests: one to fight a Great Izuchi and the other the tougher challenge of a Mizutsune. Instead of following firebugs, as in World, you’re now directed towards one of a handful of possible locations by a simple objective arrow, but the open world is large and you’re free to explore it however you want, picking up additional resources along the way or fighting smaller creatures. Your role is to hunt them for food and as a resource for creating new armour, weapons, and items. The game’s set in a pseudo-medieval world where monsters (mostly dragons and dinosaur-like creatures) exist as part of a well-established ecosystem.

Download monster hunter rise demo