Our opinion on the PS5 version
the monster hunter rose is the latest installment of Capcom’s popular hunting license. A series of titles whose success is well established, with more than a million copies shipped since July 2022, helped by a PC port released the same year. However, there is still a pool to exploit for the publisher to start the year 2023 quietly, and this last boost is all PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles.
Test conditions: we’ve tested the title for over ten hours on PS5, more than enough playtime to unlock expert quest levels, aided by gear that lets you level up faster quests novice and in some hours of play in the Switch version.
There is no “sun break” at launch
It’s been over two years since the last update of Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, monster hunters who have stayed on Playstation and Xbox consoles are waiting to experience new journeys. If you skipped the 2021 Switch version, then the 2022 PC port, this is the year your patience will be rewarded: it’s your turn to explore Kamura.
Available from January 20, 2023, included directly with Gamepass, or for the modest price of €40 (€50 for the deluxe edition) for those not benefiting from a subscription. The next-gen and previous-gen console versions of the rise there are still two flaws: they are only available in dematerialized form for the moment, and the Sunbreak extension (the equivalent of Iceborne) is not available for purchase and will be available in the spring of 2023. We think that somehow Capcom will also sell it at full price. No small income!
Since we are talking about DLCs, know that the game includes all secondary missions from the beginning, you can do the entire title without waiting for a roadmap of additional content, unlike the Switch version. Unfortunately, in terms of cosmetic content, you’ll need to get a credit card. For the rest, it’s hard to go into more details about gameplay and new features without repeating what was already described in our test of the Switch version.
All in all, you will find here a great gateway for the license, the two main additions, namely the filoptera (replacing the slingshot of MH World) and the latest addition: the chumsky (a kind of big doggo coming to put the dog versus the cat debate in Monster Hunter). Gameplay elements that do a lot to make the game less complicated, with subtleties that may seem inconceivable to the old, such as the ability to jump in the air at any time or the ability to sharpen your weapon while moving through just a ride. his dog
It’s better now
We can summarize rise almost saying that it is a more condensed version of the World, the hunting grounds are smaller, but gain in verticality, because the philoptera allows you to move quickly everywhere. There are fewer cutscenes and the tracking sequences are gone. the monster hunter rose features the heart of the license: the hunt for big critters and big battles.
Another new thing, however, less noticeable, your progress will be punctured by levels called calamities. Tower Defense type where you will need to protect the village from successive waves of monsters. Each sequence is done in two stages, one stage where you will need to set traps (turrets, mines, even the hunter in the village) and a second where you will need to prevent the monsters from destroying the walls.
Without saying that these gameplay sequences are missed, they remain less interesting than the classic hunt and it’s quite difficult to contain some monsters solo, which can be frustrating in expert level quests . Obviously, it’s hard to finish this review without mentioning the technical details of these console versions. We will mainly focus here on the Playstation 5 version, without doubt for a second that the Xbox Series X version should be the same. Let’s be the same, before talking about the resolution and frames per second, underline the lack of cross-save and cross-play.
What does Monster Hunter Rise technically look like on PS5?
If the first is not dramatic either (the game provides the equipment to develop faster), the second is a little more unfortunate. In fact, it is sad to note that at a time when many publishers and developers open their mode online, Capcom does not take advantage of these ports to follow suit. PS4 and PS5 players can hunt together, and those on Xbox, Series and Windows PC (so goodbye Steam players), hunt Tetranadon by themselves. Hopefully the next opus will rectify the situation (and why not the Sunbreak extension?).
For the rest, the PS5 has no problem displaying Kamura and its surroundings at 4K and 60 FPS. You can also get lost in options to customize your experience as much as possible. Although all this is not as provided as a PC version powered by the latest graphics card and a processor with ten cores, the console version has many settings. Do you have a screen compatible with 120 fps? You can reduce the graphics to get the most out of the extra dose of fluidity. You don’t care if 60 fps can be broken, crank all the graphics to the maximum with lifelike shadows.
It should be noted that we did the test with the graphics settings almost at the maximum, and although we did not have a device available that allowed us to measure the frame rate at the smallest frame, we did not notice a slight slowdown. Thanks RE Engine!
However, there is no miracle, the monster hunter rose remains a game designed for the Switch. As a result, there is a fairly significant step back from World, whether in terms of graphics or even decor interactions. This is also felt on the edge of the interface which displays relatively large texts. On the PS5 side, Sony’s latest console has eliminated loading times, a simple press of the R2 button to start the search, and you won’t have time to put down the controller because the hunting ground is right in front of you .
We will remain a bit delicate with the use of Dualsense, the vibrations are quite shy, and even if the haptic feedback is present in the options, it is also quite weak, even with a bit of effort putting in different vibrations, the feedback is different when your katana combo goes forward, or the trigger feels a little resistant when you raise your shield. A small detail that we appreciate: the gyroscope is available to direct the camera and is fully customizable, for example, we chose to use it when we had to aim the filopter or the ranged weapons.
In other words, if you skipped the Switch version, the next-gen console port here offers a great opportunity to discover Kamura, his new companions and his new monsters in the best possible conditions in your living room. The PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series versions of Monster Hunter Rise will be available on January 20.
