Monster Hunter’s Making an Unlikely Switch

Before recent weeks, there was a question as to whether Capcom would make another handheld Monster Hunter game that wasn’t a spinoff. We, after all, live in a post Monster Hunter: World universe, which has not only become the best-selling game in the franchise, but Capcom’s highest-selling game overall worldwide. There was no way to tell if they’d spare the resources for another handheld or handheld-esque title, despite the franchise’s popularity in Japan starting with portable titles. The franchise has been overwhelmingly popular in Japan since Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (aka Monster Hunter Freedom Unite) on PSP, a trend that continued on with Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, and onto the 3DS games.

It was, in fact, the 3DS games that helped make the series more popular in western territories, but their sales were nothing compared to World’s. You’re likely aware of this by now, but Capcom isn’t abandoning the handheld format after all — so to speak. The newest mainline title will be Monster Hunter Rise for Switch, which marks a hell of a deal for Nintendo following the series’ newfound popularity.

Rise unsurprisingly further resembles a sequel to Portable 3rd by again leaning into the Japanese-style themes and setting. It wouldn’t be fair to say Rise is simply a new portable-ish Monster Hunter installment — it’s more than that. The new gameplay features will streamline the feel over even its console predecessor.

Characters can now run up and on obstacles in the environments to make traversing faster and more stylish. The new Wirebug can be used by players to swing an pull them towards walls like Bionic Commando’s Bionic Arm, or pull themselves closer to enemies like the Devil Bringer or Pull features from a few Devil May Cry games. There’s also the Palamute, a wolf-like creature that players can ride to travel to locations faster. Given that it’s a new Monster Hunter game, there will of course be new Monsters to fight, like the Magnamalo, Tetranadon, and the Great Izuchi.

Combine this with features it’s inheriting from World like the streamlined combat and the seamless open world, and this is all sounding very intriguing. The combination of those and the setting are speaking to me, a guy with friends who’ve tried (in vain, though that’s my fault) to get me into the franchise. The extended gameplay demonstrations from this year’s virtual Tokyo Game Show further demo all the new features and gameplay enhancements.

It shows how aware Capcom is of the franchise’s new popularity that this title was revealed on a Nintendo-centric worldwide Partner Showcase, and will release simultaneously in every major territory on March 26th next year. The game was also given a modified trailer from this year’s TGS, which contains the same story scenes but includes altered gameplay aspects to show off other weapons. The release is a mere six months away, so more should be shown in due time.

There are actually two new MH games for Switch, a larger testament to its popularity. The other one is Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, which, again, I’m sure you’re aware of by now. It will take place years after the first Monster Hunter Stories title, in a unique MH world where the well-known Rathalos are unexpectedly migrating. The main character will be a Rider who’s the grandchild of the first game’s protagonist, Red, who can be customized to the player’s liking. They’ll inherit the talents that make them capable of forming bonds with monsters and train them so they can fight alongside them.

Capcom isn’t giving many details about the story, and there’s no info on how identical or different its gameplay will be compared to its predecessor. The trailer was enough to confirm how this installment will have normal voicework, including in English voiceovers, instead of having its own language created through mishmash of multiple real-life languages like the first game. This should make anyone wonder what changed in the several years between the Stories installments. The language switch is also due to the franchise’s popularity worldwide, as anyone who started with World will have certain expectations on what to expect from future titles in terms of presentation — including spinoffs like this one.

It feels like a missed opportunity that they’re not porting the first Stories title to Switch in the meantime. The game remains available on 3DS (where it’s currently on sale for half price) and mobile platforms, the latter of which shows how good this game looks in higher resolutions. It’s reportedly an enjoyable game, but it’s a shame most potential Switch owners of the sequel won’t play it.

Stories 2 will release worldwide in summer 2021, with the planned simultaneous arrival once again showing off the franchise’s popularity. (Yes, I know I’m talking about the popularity a lot here; it’s necessary.) For reference, there was an eleven-month gap between the Japanese and western releases of the first Stories game.

Between the two of these and several others, 2021 is shaping up to be a good one for Switch. That’s good for Nintendo considering they’ll have brand-new consoles from Sony and Microsoft to compete with, though Switch is hardly in any trouble.