After Nintendo Switch, Monster Hunter Rise has also landed on the PC market and we are ready to have our say on this version in this review
A few days ago Capcom has made available the PC version of Monster Hunter Rise on Steam and in this review, we’ll break down the quality of this porting. As for the main aspects of the game, we have already talked about them in the review for the Switch version that we recommend that you recover to get to know the title in 360 degrees. Specifically, we will analyze the main differences between the PC and Nintendo versions to highlight the improvements obtained thanks to a more performing hardware.
Let’s start with the specs
Before getting to the heart of the review, we specify that Monster Hunter Rise has been tested on a Mid / high-end PC with the following characteristics:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-8700
- GPU: Asus ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 2070 OC Edition
- RAM: 16GB Corsair Dominator Platinum
- SSD: M.2 Kingston 500 GB
- Monitor: MSI Optix MAG271C 144hz (1080p)
- Motherboard: Asus ROG X
We were immediately impressed by the size of the game, it will be enough 18 Gb to start our adventure, resulting very light compared to Monster Hunter World. Considering the rich amount of content in the title, you can already notice a great job of general optimization compared to World which took up more than 100Gb on PC, weighing heavily on the hardware.
When the game starts, the starting part will be identical to the Switch version, with the creation of our character, the various tutorials to enter the game world and the first battles against creatures. THE uploads during these phases they result immediate on PC compared to Switch, thanks clearly to the greater possibilities of the hardware.
Fiddling with Settings – Monster Hunter Rise PC Review
As per tradition, every time a new game is launched on PC, the first thing players do is tinker in the settings looking for the best settings for their car. Monster Hunter Rise features a good variety of basic settings, including the 4K resolution support, Cap framerate up to 144fps, support for ultra-wide screens and so on. Going instead specifically on the graphics settings, the title still shows a good variety of choices, showing the weight on the CPU and the use of the graphics memory when they are activated.
We will be able to select the high resolution texture, big news of the PC version that greatly improve the graphic quality and the details of the models within the game. Also not missing anti-aliasing, image quality up to 150% and many others, all not present in the Switch version that improve the graphics in many respects. Overall, we have a good amount of settings to use but we are a far cry from those on World, which offer impressive customization, such as the DLSS support which is strangely missing in Rise.
In the settings you can also change the game controls, in fact we tried the title with the keyboard and on the whole it is practical. Most of the attack actions will be executable using the mouse, while for the use of objects or interactions with the environment or with our partner it will be necessary to use the keyboard. At first some commands with the filoscatto they were slightly cumbersome; pressing both the mouse wheel and the left button at the same time is impractical.
Fortunately, as we have already specified at the beginning, you can change all the game controls to your liking, so as to set the various actions as we prefer. Even if the keyboard commands are well done, we still recommend the use of a controller to play Monster Hunter Rise; more suitable for the high mobility present during the fights.
Fluidity has no limits – Monster Hunter Rise PC review
Continuing the review, one of the most noticeable improvements in the PC version of Monster Hunter Rise compared to the Switch one is the increase in fps. The Nintendo Switch game runs on 30 fps fixed, greatly slowing down the fluidity of the fighting, while in the PC version we will be able to set the framerate cap fino a 144 fps totally reversing the situation. Each fight will be so smooth as to make the monsters even more fascinating, with well-defined movements, making the battles even more engaging. The Increased fps gave the title a new life, but strangely enough, the 30fps limit still remained at some point in the game. For example, the cutscene remained at 30 fps, resulting identical to those of the Switch version that dampen the fluidity of events.
We tested the game on PC in full HD (1980×1080) resolution and the first results are astonishing. Going around the various scenarios without a fight, we will have from 100 or 120 fps, while in the battles against one or more monsters, the title manages to have a stable 100fps. We tried one of the heavier hunting zones on a graphical level that created a lot of problems on the Switch, namely the flooded forest, and here too the results are excellent.
We will have come on 90 or 100 fps walking around the area without clashes, as we pass by 80 and 90 fps in combat, without ever dropping below 60 fps. In the fury missions, where we will go to face hordes of enemies in restricted areas, we will have from 130 or 140 fps during the most heated clashes, demonstrating that the game’s performance varies mainly not so much by base to the quantity of monsters in action but to the vastness of the environments in which we find ourselves acting.
Overall the results are all really positive, being very different from the launch of World which suffered from performance problems, mainly due to to the immense weight of the game on the CPUs, with big drop in frame rate. A mid-range PC will also be enough to play Rise with excellent performance, while a high-end PC was required on World. In Rise, there are sudden drops in fps but very very rarely.
So much beauty to discover – Monster Hunter Rise PC review
For what concern graphic sector, Monster Hunter Rise was already of excellent quality at launch on Switch but thanks to the PC hardware it stood out even more. Many details that were not noticed before, due to the resolution below Full HD, are now visible and well detailed, giving greater depth to the settings. Even the effects have improved, from smoke to the most realistic explosions of fire to the movement of water and its finest reflections. Some effects are completely new, present during some moves of the hunters but also of the monsters. Furthermore, thanks to the high resolution textures, the monsters are more defined than ever, with a more realistic coat, detailed and animated in a more fluid way than the Switch version.
One of the sore points of the game concerns the setting that despite being of excellent workmanship, present gods technical limits coming from the Nintendo Switch version. While increasing the resolution, the various hunting areas fail to reach the levels of those of Monster Hunter World, which left you speechless for the graphic quality and the details present.
Also lighting leaves a little to be desired, resulting overall good but not very varied, occasionally out of tune with the pitch. Let’s be clear, these aspects are not so decisive on the quality of the game, the artistic direction is still of a high level, but the title, being on balance a porting, the main version of which was made for Switch, brings with it some defects and limitations.
Conclusion
We have reached the end of our review of Monster Hunter Rise for PC and are ready for the final verdict on the quality of this port. Rise is the most revolutionary chapter in the series, thanks to the addition of the filoscatto, it is possible to move more freely, which makes the title much more hectic than in previous chapters. This aspect on Switch was neutered by the fixed 30fps, and thanks to the PC version, one of the biggest flaws of this game is finally solved. Seeing the game in action above 60 fps is a feast for the eyes, it seems at times to play a different title in which you can better savor the battles against each monster.
Monster Hunter Rise per PC lo we recommend to all new hunters but also those who have already played the Switch version, to rediscover the title in a different guise thanks to the graphics and performance improvements. A high-end or ultra-high-end PC is not required to run above 60 fps so it is really light, well optimized and accessible to all. This chapter is truly unmissable for all fans of the saga also waiting for the arrival of the Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak expansion, out this summer.
What do you think of this review? Will you recover Monster Hunter Rise for PC? Let us know in the comments and stay on our website TechGameWorld.com for more updates on the world of video games, and don’t miss out on games at discounted prices on the Instant Gaming store.
The hunt continues on PC in a big way
Points in favor
- All the pros of the Switch version
- 4K resolution and high definition textures
- Flawless general optimization
- Excellent fluidity thanks to 144fps
- Improved effects and details
Points against
- Cutscenes a 30fps
- DLSS support is missing
- There are some structural graphic limitations