A Celebration and Critique of Monster Hunter Rise

[@ElOcty]

I was relieved when I saw there were no Mater Rank rampages, not because I despised rampages but because it showed they were aware of what wasn’t working and were willing to move on from it. Maybe a tower defense style side mode can return when they have more time to refine it. Amazing video, very well constructed!

[@cr-volcanic]

Yeah they weren’t super well loved so why spend resources to carry it over. Sensible Decision

[@robertmacfergus9288]

Personally I would have liked it if they did sort of bring it back for an old school moving monster siege quest just without the placing of the turrets. While maybe it wouldn't work it would still be a nice showcase of how these mechanics would work with a siege. I do understand why they probably wouldn't want to use budget and time and this, but I think it would have been cool.

[@Spike2276]

As much as i didn't enjoy rampages i at least appreciate that Capcom tried something new, and in the same vein i appreciate that they backed away from it when it didn't go over well with the players. I'm all for new and creative game modes like rampages, because we never know what might stick, but it's SOOO nice when a dev team doesn't just keep shoving their idea into the game over and over despite feedback. It takes balls to just scrap something you worked hard on.

[@zeroexct]

I'm gonna get shit on for saying this but I loved the rampages. Well, I'm an RTS fan so maybe that's why.

[@Spike2276]

@@zeroexct Rampages weren't complete trash or anything. I had some fun playing through then with friends and randoms, but doing too many of them, or doing them solo, felt like it just took time away from the much more well-realized traditional MH combat.

[@luquitas1290]

your channel is so underrated, anyone who watches you can see the amount of love you put into your videos

[@cr-volcanic]

Very nice of you to say. Tho I think I’m more new than “underrated”. I haven’t even been doing this a year yet lol. Bigger numbers just take time.

[@luquitas1290]

@@cr-volcanic i hope you get the recognition you deserve, love your content

[@jackdeviluke3969]

I like both world and rise but world is my favorite and first monster hunter game mainly.i just kind wish rise had more to do outside of hunting and was abit more difficult

[@Koijn2K]

Facts

[@Koijn2K]

​@@jackdeviluke3969what does this have to do with the comment? 😭😭

[@joe_the_zombie]

4 hours, what a power move

[@cr-volcanic]

On God I thought this thing was maybe gonna be two hours long lmfao

[@TheIdealofGreed]

Look, he had to take his time with his dominance assertion

[@senseispyro8742]

I personally think he did a damn good job explaining everything. I don’t agree with everything He says But I do agree with most of what he said.

[@senseispyro8742]

For example, I 100% agree with everything he says about the wirebugs but I don’t necessarily agree with that monster hunter is a online focus experience even though it started out that way. I think it’s 50% multiplayer & 50% single player. The follower system is a perfect divide of this statement’s point. I personally am a single player gamer but I absolutely love playing the Rampage mode by myself.

[@semicolondesign]

ive just been hunting and listening to this video, and i honestly didnt even realize the time until i saw this comment. I started at 10:00PM... now its 1:19 AM

[@ChompDude]

The thing that frustrates me the most is alot of the people that came into the series from World dismissed Rise as a downgrade or "not World 2". It almost makes me resent World despite having put almost eight hundred into that game. I wish they could have enjoyed Rise for what it was instead of what it wasn't, despite its flaws.

[@cr-volcanic]

I don’t think I agree that those opinions make me dislike World retroactively however I do share frustrations towards that viewpoint. There are certainly reasons to compare the two but they’re different games made by different people at overlapping times. Rise was never gonna be a World clone and it shouldn’t have been anyways.

[@wallacesousuke1433]

What did you expect? This game is a MASSIVE DOWNGRADE in almost every aspect, denying that is silly fanboy behavior, even GU is more enjoyable than this failure so it's not about World "babes" wanting World 2, the game is just this underwhelming if you care even a bit about overall quality

[@StygianClaw]

​@@wallacesousuke1433You're objectively wrong kid.

[@wallacesousuke1433]

@@StygianClaw so objective that you can't even elaborate why lol enjoy your counter spam simulator

[@DarkMoonRaven100]

​@wallacesousuke1433 I feel you are really just hating on the game for the things you spacifficly don't like, GU has probably the most problems in terms of play if you're not a MH veteran. So much so that a lot of new players and "world babies" don't really like playing it because of how the quality of life and hunts go. Granted if you found GU fun this game is basically it with faster movement, better controls, fixed hit boxes, better Ai, and a great fix on quality of life. Granted I don't know why you hate on this game so much world had it fair share of issues as well, overpowering mech with weapons that trivialize all the rest from being viable, not softening causing longer hunt times if you didn't keep it up, maps to concerned about their immersion that traversal becomes tedious unless you knew the maps perfectly (fixed a bit in iceborn.), Along with very bad decoration and charm system that caused grind times to be unbearable for people to do to try to make a good set. Rise inproved all of that even though it also had its own downsides. So in the end it's just a you thing not the game thing.

[@ramirius145]

Post-watching video comment: I agree with almost everything, Rise/Sunbreak surely was a great experience and I truly hope Capcom takes from this game its best aspects for the upcoming entries of the franchise. Amazing video essay, I love this kind of content.

[@cr-volcanic]

Very happy to hear that!

[@Likhos1]

I think what makes Magnamalo stand out is that his influences are not one, nor two, but three myths. 1: The Ghost Samurai is the obvious one, and stands for all the myths of the souls of the damned he manipulates. 2: The Tiger, a HUGE influence and also why he tackles dragons like it's a morning stroll, as tigers in Japanese myths were seen as absurdly powerful beings, able to rival even the mighty dragons. Design-wise, Magnamalo's face truly does ressemble Tiger statues or representations you can sometimes see in Japan 3: The Nue, this one is actually the base design if you look at it, not only does the Nue boast a tiger's body, but it also is known for it's foul smell and a snake tail (here, changed into a bladed tail). a lot of Magnamalo's early design took clear inspiration from this monster. It is also to credit for Magnamalo's myths of being an evil creature, as the Nue is a notoriously evil yokai. So yeah, my guy magna was tailored to be Elder Tier from the start... and then sunbreak puts it at MR3 wtf. (well ok, scorned comes later on) Also yeah, the poor guy get's sidetracked in Rise, Magnamalo needed to be put in the rampages at launch. the snakes were more interesting. it may be the snakes took too much of the spotlight. Heck the fact he doesn't appear in Allmother in Sunbreak is kinda of a shame.

[@afroling2096]

Honestly I think they did a honesty pretty underwhelming job in terms make magnamalo an elder tier monster fight wise and story wise. It would have been so much better in he was only fightable in high rank and would sometimes terrorise your village and low rank quests and an unstoppable force that you must run from. Instead we take it out in a village quest and that’s really it. Which is why so many people genuinely don’t buy magnamalo as an elder tier threat until they see its turf wars…which in base rise was the same animation.

[@cr-volcanic]

I have no idea why the Hell he’s 3star in master rank, that bothered me too

[@Likhos1]

@@cr-volcanic I just hope he gets a proper high placement once he reaches other gens. he is a monster that is tailored for Rise's movements, so he is gonna be especially tough when fitted for a more World-esque game.

[@wysockifamily1747]

Wait he’s a tiger💀 Also I’ve seen Kushala show up in the Allmother fight. Is that supposed to happen?

[@Likhos1]

@@wysockifamily1747 in High Rank, Magnamalo, Teostra and Kushala can show up, in Master Rank, Magnamalo is replaced by Malzeno, which is... a thing, I guess

[@TMatti]

But hey, after watching this video I IMMEDIATELY subscribed; you really deserve it. Rise was my first monster hunter, and he accompanied me throughout the middle school period (I'm now 14 years old), I agree with everything you said and I'm glad there's someone who loves the music of these games like me (who pretty much always listen to it, while studying and coming back from school LOL). You, HeavyWings and Oceaniz are my favourite Monster Hunter content creators, because you can see that you really put your heart into it, like the capcom for this franchise; and despite all the problems of this game, I love it with all my heart, because in every hunt I felt the passion that the developers put into it... Happy Hunting from ItalY!❤⚔️

[@SirBanana1992]

broooo, to make such a long loveletter video to Sunbreak with such a small possibility that many will see it, you are one hell of a passionate hunter! Kudos to that and take my like. I hope to see you get more attention! On another topic...maaaan I felt the same way about all these counters on all weapons making my beloved lance feel less and less special. I remember starting back in Tri and having a defensive powerhouse in the lance was what attracted me to the weapon. I love playing tanks, I love playing the defensive juggernaut style, the "hit me with your best shot, it won't matter" style, and to see weapons slowly just get counter after counter, from CB in 4 (which fits its style due to how heavily technical it is to pull off), bushido style in Generations plus any hunter art that reacts defensively like critical juncture or lion's maw, to foresight slash in world, then Iai Slash, then rise and sunbreak suddenly making it so that if your weapon can't counter you are now a minority. What does Lance have that other weapons don't now. I still love my lance and since the buffs it received in Sunbreak I played it a lot more but in base Rise I just couldn't bring myself to, it was neuteured into complete irrelevancy and using it in hunts with my friends felt like I was willingly holding their time hostage by bringing a useless weapon. I guess I can feel special by literally maining the least played (and most misunderstood) weapon in all of sunbreak according to post game update completion statistics.

[@cr-volcanic]

As a major lance guy myself I do kinda feel that. There isn't too much reason to play it unless you love it, I think they need to resolidify it as one of the few defensive weapons. However, I do think Lance got the benefit of being extremely fun to play when it's the monster's turn to attack, there's so many armor options on the thing with all different timings and movement and counter damage that it feels really satisfying to play. As for making big videos this early I'm not too worried, videos like these tend to have some long term legs and its long form content that's given me all my big bumps thus far. Maybe it won't get the views it deserves yet but I think it'll continue to do good work as it goes along

[@Ogreslayer93]

I was a hunting horn main before rise but since they utterly destroyed everything that made it feel unique and satisfying to play so I played lance for rise never really touched it before but I honestly had so much fun so I’m kind of curious what made you feel it wasn’t very good?

[@SirBanana1992]

@@Ogreslayer93 I do play some Hunting Horn on the side and I do love it in Rise but miss the buff versatility from previous games. I am hoping some of the new buffs will return in future games though, especially the sharpness buffs (sharp regen might be too OP though). As for Lance, it was a mix of having its damage output severely limited in base rise and some of my favorite silkbinds and switch skills unreliable/boring. Anchor Rage lost its effectiveness if you built for guard (having higher guard meant you received a weaker buff most of the time), insta-block had an extremely restrictive timing window, especially when playing on Switch at 30 FPS cap/maps with worse performance. I think a lot of it comes down to a misbalance of motion values and frame data which sunbreak made it a strong case to fix with massive weapon patches on its release for all weapons. Lance was just one among a few weapons that benefitted from massive buffs. Sunbreak had rebalanced the lance to give it a much better feel both in terms of damage, control and working around a skillset that doesn't punish you for grabbing benefitial skills by changing anchor rage calculation to look at the monster's attack impact instead of knockback taken. They also introduced new armor skills that I loved playing around with like Embolden, burst for those leaping thrusts. Intrepid Heart was also a fun one if you managed to avoid taking damage for long periods of time, I feel sometimes gets overlooked but pairs really well with lance that will manage to have a good uptime for it. The Embolden also allowed me to play a mizture of guard and evade lance and use some evasion-triggered skills. I think one of my favorite setups was in fact using the flaming espinas lance with a bunch of status and fire elemental boosting skills while keeping a strong guard but using evades to activate offensive skills and manage some pretty meaty numbers on those status hits.

[@tamago9026]

Appreciate you taking the time to not only create this video, but also contextualize and nuance your arguments in a way that compels more interesting conversations than "this is bad, needs to go." Rise is a very *interesting* monster hunter game per se, due to the quantity of novelty it brings to the series; and it succeeds in a lot of unexpected places. Would definitely like to see rehabilitated renditions of some of these mechanics be tinkered with in the future, because many elevate the traditional gameplay loop. Also excited for part 2 of friend reacts to the series' roster, if that's still in the works.

[@cr-volcanic]

Appreciate the compliments! We definitely do wanna do a part 2 but my friend is a busy guy so we’ll slot it in when we can

[@joshuasgameplays9850]

I think Sunbreak's version of Proof of a Hero is probably the best one in the series in terms of how well it fits the specific monster it plays over. It's the first time that a Proof of a Hero has really felt tailor-made for the final boss of the game, the ominous vocals and pounding percussion make it sound like a triumphant version of Gaismagorm's own theme.

[@cr-volcanic]

My personal favorite is Generations Ultimate’s version.

[@joshuasgameplays9850]

@@cr-volcanic That one is great as well, I love how it does something unique with the rhythm, and the string part in the middle is beautiful.

[@DarkHeroCC]

Fantastic analysis and critique, it was a delight to listen to while doing some work!

[@cr-volcanic]

Thank you very much! I’m a fan of your work as well, so that means a ton!

[@firetools]

Re-watching this for a 2nd time, this video is a very appreciated retrospective on Rise, and I have a feeling it'll definitely be a game that people will look back on more fondly in a few years time.

[@cr-volcanic]

Probably. I think it needs time out of the spotlight to be appreciated for how wild and experimental it was

[@balancebreaker1561]

literally no one will look back and miss Rise

[@firetools]

@@balancebreaker1561 Speak for yourself, there'll be plenty of people who will look back on Rise more fondly in the future, happens all the time with the more controversial games that got too much hate during their day in long running franchises like MH.

[@Stigmaphobia777]

@@balancebreaker1561 Dunno mate I'm looking fondly on it at this very moment.

[@Ansteryx]

@@balancebreaker1561 The same could probably be said about you 😃👍

[@atomic8026]

Rise and Sunbreak are my favorite games of all time. Everything is incredible, and I hope that the next entries will be just as good or even better

[@balancebreaker1561]

everything is incredible? like what the mega empty space maps? ok u just a ninja that doesnt even have to find the monsters dude lmao, its the monster hunter game furthest from monster hunter actual hunting philosophy, yeah if u wanna play a MH where u feel like a ninja there u go, but for the love of god i hope they dont make another lazy ass game like this again, they only put focus on combat to keep distracted from all the unworked areas of the game plus some QoL stuff. No wonder the game felt incomplete from day one and i dint see it at first like other ppl did till later, not to mention multiplayer for normal main quests, hope they never come back to this game and put it to sleep and forget it existed

[@AbsurdRenegade]

​​@@balancebreaker1561dude back tf off. Weird as hell you're in your feelings because someone likes the game you're desperately trying to portray as bad. Get over yourself and your trash opinions 🙄

[@Seth-uo4zn]

​@@balancebreaker1561 lol why so salty?

[@balancebreaker1561]

@@Seth-uo4zn just stating the truth my guy

[@Seth-uo4zn]

@@balancebreaker1561 If you're just stating the truth why are you so salty then?

[@tuukkamatikainen3389]

I went from a generic "only World good, Rise bad!" to "Okay, maybe the older games are good, too, but Rise still bad!" to finally "Every game is good in its own right". I was sceptical, but RiseBreak was so much more than the sum of its parts. I'm so glad I gave the game a chance, and found one of my favorite games propably ever, right up there with World! Great analysis and video, really thorough and your love for the series really shows!

[@mallow2902]

Character development

[@proggz39]

I enjoyed Rise a lot when it it came out after beating World as my first MH. My biggest complaint is the game being developed for Switch and Wyvern Riding

[@billiejeanslover8929]

I started with world and it went like this: First only world good, then I saw how batshit insane and colorful were the past monsters and went world bad, old good, then I played the old games and now I'm at both good

[@mastergame1311]

A 4-hour-long Monster Hunter video to study/relax to.

[@Bones_MaIone]

One thing I must say is that Rise has a much more managable powercreep than World, where Fatalis armor just outclassed everything. Rise has so many different options and even lower level armors are still viable because they get better quirious crafting results. I much prefer Sunbreak to Iceborne because Iceborne literally does not have setbuilding, which is in my opinion one of the most important parts of monster hunter

[@cr-volcanic]

Honestly I agree with this take. Sunbreak kinda went so wild with its skills that it wrapped back around to being experimental and theory crafty again, whereas I felt World and Iceborne really only cared about Attack/Crit

[@Bones_MaIone]

@@cr-volcanic yeah. The only thing I do in World nowadays is carrying people trough Behemoth because there's not really anything else to do, whereas with Sunbreak I still sometimes just get an idea of a set I want to make and then spent hours theory crafting it, which is really fun.

[@wallacesousuke1433]

"setbuilding, which is in my opinion one of the most important parts of monster hunter" 🤢🤢

[@wallacesousuke1433]

@@Bones_MaIone dumb take, World's combat is so good that I still can enjoy it without wasting time with further grinding, people who need gacha stuff to keep themselves invested in a game have serious issues

[@Bones_MaIone]

@@wallacesousuke1433 Anything to add?

[@junileaf]

Well, this is my evening now

[@cr-volcanic]

please enjoy

[@yue7507]

If it weren't for Rise and Sunbreak I wouldnt have gone into Worldborne, GU and 4U, and planning to get into the other older titles. Thank you for introducing me to a franchise i never knew i would love dearly and having a profound impact on my life.

[@rj27basketball]

4U most goated

[@Kinger_of_the_circus]

This was my first monster hunter game 😊 I just started mhw a few days ago

[@Kinger_of_the_circus]

@lovesweetdreams Better by your standards I haven’t finished playing for my own judgement

[@monstercekyt6090]

Rise was my first monster hunter game aswell, what weapon do you use the most? I use Dual Blades

[@Kinger_of_the_circus]

@@monstercekyt6090 sns but I lost interest in world I don’t like how the sns plays in it

[@monstercekyt6090]

I haven't played world btw

[@monstercekyt6090]

I've only played Rise+Sunbreak and a little bit of generations ultimate

[@sigilavox]

I can't believe how well-thought out this video is. I'm definitely subscribing to your channel! Even if other projects won't necessarily be so long or comprehensive in subject matter, I'm deeply enamored by your style of narration and how damn clear your script is. Your tone, pacing, and confidence in delivering it is exceptional, and hits that great balance of being engaged in what you're talking about without being overly flowery or dramatic. I can *feel* the love and thought behind every sentence. The first half of the video's dive into the "hard" aspects of the game said a lot of things I've felt but never really manage to find the space or wording to truly 'get' until you put them so clearly. For a while, I've longed for content that delves into the "softer" aspects of the series such as story, emotion, and music, since they're typically spurned in terms of videos relative to the "hard" aspects, and there wasn't really much of that content on this platform aside from Davi Vasc, who's mostly onto other franchises now. This video fills in that corner of the market splendidly. Watching this made me good-cry for the first time in a long while. Tears actually began streaming down my cheeks when you delved into the divine serpents, and hearing your thoughts took me all the way back to that summer afternoon I first took on the Allmother and then just sat quietly afterward, feeling undone in a way I couldn't really put into words as elegantly as you did. Thank you for creating such incredible work, and I can't wait to see what you've got next.

[@MajinMattPlays]

To just dive into my ideas and thoughts on the first few sections: I'll start with an overview myself, MHR is my favorite monster hunter game, and it's not even close, but it's also my first game and I'm eager to see it beaten. I personally like or love all these mechanics within Rise, including Wyvern Riding, even if maybe their effects could be less extreme or more reasonable. I largely agree on Palamutes, Switch Skills, Silkbinds, Followers, etc, so I'll keep thoughts on them short. Palamutes I think should be a series staple going forward, going back to the older games, even literally just World, makes me miss them and their infinite sprinting. Toss on that I'm also a big dog guy, and it makes me sad that they're missing. I also hope the variety and utility of Palicos stays rather high going forward. Switch Skills are, in a word, fantastic. It would be a massive fumble to not have them return in MH6 and every game in the future. Silkbinds I could give or take, if we get Hunter Arts or something similar in MH6 I'd be happy, if we don't I'm not going to be disappointed so long as we get big flashy moves still in base kits. Followers is a personal favorite of mine, I'd love love love to see Followers become a mainstay of the franchise. As someone who almost exclusively plays solo, they help not only make hunting feel a bit less lonely, but also help speed things up just a bit. Wyvern Riding is... strange for me. I think if they wanted to, they could take the concept and make it great without causing any major issues going forward, and make it an iconic part of the series. I don't really want it back, I love Worldborne's slightly more depth added to the old Mounting system, but also I don't imagine it'd be super hard to rebuild the concept in a way that's fun without making it detrimental. I just hope we get more Turf Wars back in MH6, Rise having fewer was pretty disappointing to me since I love them. With that I'll wrap up the parts I feel are really relevant to the discussion of future games.

[@jfb173jb]

I think what would help not just this game but most of the Monster Hunter series would be to have more of the Stories side at the forefront. In that there is more than the gameplay loop of how we fight the monsters. Because, and Oceaniz brings this up, we only know some things from various books and hidden lore in game about the world of Monster Hunter. The Stories series adds a bit more, but it doesn't feel as connected. It just needs more that the hunters can interact with. Like the Frontier and online side. As an aside for the power fantasy and nerfing of some monsters, Rajang actually took me a number of tries to beat. And I think most of that is because I never really fought him before. World was my first Monster Hunter game, but Rise was the one i actually finished.

[@zizzi9806]

Another godly video wholeheartedly agree with every point and discussion topic. Edit; It absolutely does feel like a mixed feelings game but not in the sense of other mixed feelings games for example on steam (Where people instantly view it as a negative), it's so so positive on one end of the pole, feeling fast paced and like you're an absolute thunder god zipping around feels magically omniscient and amazing. But on the other YOU feel like the Monster, and that takes away from the real Monsters in front of us. But on the flip side it's also such an amazing feeling to have that, but totally understandable completely erring on the side of what you said: Rise feels like it should be a once off Monster hunter game. This shouldn't be the direction they should go in, but god damn if it wasn't so much fun having this direction for the last 2-3 years!

[@cr-volcanic]

Yeah I think it’s totally fine to have a game that’s truly mixed. Not everything is 9’s and 2’s. I think Rise Sunbreak is a really good game that made some notably poor choices

[@ramirius145]

Pre-watching video comment: What I will take from Rise/Sunbreak is my favorite iteration of the switch axe. I will 100% love to see the neverending sword to axe to sword combo in mh6

[@cr-volcanic]

love swaxe in this game

[@ramirius145]

@@cr-volcanic 20 minutes into the video and... Totally agree on switch skills coming back for every entry. Changing the core play style of a weapon is pretty much what made Swaxe so good in this game, much more if it is a player's choice.

[@Ambyli]

swaxe is my main in this game, i used to hate it lol

[@thecod2345]

I feel the same way about rise greatsword, specifically surge slash. Yes it’s not the most optimal way to play, yes strong stance into tcs is better but something about surge slash fundamentally clicks with me.

[@WaruiDeshou]

This video often comes up when I let KZbin auto play, and I typically just watch it again because it's such quality, thoughtful, passionate work

[@erichdavis2897]

I really love everything you've said in this video, but I really liked your palamute commentary specifically. It really shows the depth of analysis, and that you understand how to improve games. My personal approach to "grounding" palamutes was perhaps integrate them like herbivores or maybe tailriders from world, showing up in the map as a wild animal that you can try and mount and, if successful, ride around. You've gone incredibly in-depth with every facet of this game, in both explanation and alteration, and I can't thank you enough for the effort you put into your videos!

[@cr-volcanic]

I think I would still prefer Palamutes to be fully controlled as the Tailraiders were a neat idea but felt a tad undercooked. They certainly need some form of tweaking though

[@Flubbadon]

Finally got around to watching this. You never cease to impress me with the quality of discussion you offer on your channel. Another excellent video.

[@cr-volcanic]

Very happy to hear you enjoyed!

[@boogieofbnt3192]

Hearing all of Rise's music again makes me want to play it through again. Good Video!

[@bosskinbasher9161]

Rise is my first ever monster hunter game and what got me into the series and while I do agree it’s definitely much more experimental and different compared to the rest of the series with its own issues compared to the rest, I see it as my overall favourite and perhaps the best monster hunter game currently. Hot take I know but I just love how it handles a lot of things and I consider it the game with the overall best flow and gameplay for the most part. I hope the next set of games expand on what was good and introduce new things to create a much more improved product in the future. Great job on the video tho!

[@cr-volcanic]

That’s a take I absolutely understand, in terms of pure fun factor and how good it feels to play I think Rise has a lot of the other titles beat.

[@ryanmartin7839]

That’s generally how the dev teams make these games, world was what kicked off the 5th generation being the more “grounded” main entry in the series with it being released on consoles and PC. Rise was the more experimental version in the 5th generation going balls to the wall with new ideas and concepts even if they might not stick, they then take whatever worked for BOTH of the games and implement them into the next one

[@bottlebrushgames5556]

Brilliant work on this loveletter to what is a unique and amazing entry into my favourite game series of all time. Your work shows a passion and attention to detail you should be proud of! You have a new follower and my respect and admiration. Well done Connor, wishing you 5k subs and far beyond!

[@phailupe2941]

incredible video

[@cr-volcanic]

Thank you very much!

[@Wulvaine]

I bounced off of MH for years before it clicked with me, and even when World and Rise finally hooked me, I still mostly played solo. A lot of my friends didn't have gaming PCs, and the friends who owned consoles didn't 'get' MH, and I'm not a big fan of multiplayer with strangers because I have social anxiety and I'm on the autism spectrum, so having an existing element of trust makes it a lot easier for me to enjoy playing co-op games. I'm a decent hammer player but I'm extremely self-conscious about feeling like I'm holding more skilled players back. And listen, I know that's silly. I know this is overall a very friendly community. I HAVE played with randoms a few times (mostly when drunk enough that alcohol muffles the voices of these stupid neuroses enough that I don't hyperfocus on them) and have only ever had positive experiences where everyone was chill. Unfortunately, this isn't something that bothers to check in with my rational brain, haha; I wish I could just switch it off (without the aid of mind-altering substances), but I can't. I came to really dread rampages in MHR, whether they were plot-mandatory or if I just needed materials for ramp-up skills. They're NOT fun solo; not for me, at least. I love Monster Hunter and I love tower defense, but when playing solo, those are two great tastes that taste like a hangover together. I actually stopped playing Rise for two full months at one point because I knew I had to do a rampage to progress and I just didn't want to, so I played over a hundred hours of 3 Ultimate before I came back. Rampages are clearly not designed with solo players in mind, and even in this series I still think that's odd; one of the things that I think makes 5th-gen more accessible is how much it generally goes out of its way to be much more conscious of solo players than MH had ever been before. You're not wrong; this is always going to be a series with a heavy multiplayer focus and that's not at all a negative, but if a mechanic or system is ONLY fun with friends, I question if it's actually any good at all. Lots of things are fun with friends. You can play a bad game with friends and still have a good time; the floor for what qualifies as 'fun' is way lower when you have good company sharing the experience. I'm now guiding my wife and some of our friends through World/Iceborne for their first time, and I think when we eventually move on to Rise/Sunbreak, rampages with the group will feel a lot less like an obstacle and more like a brief change of pace. I still don't think they're a great idea, at least not as something that gates progress. They interrupt the gameplay loop and in many ways feel alien, like they belong to a different game than the one they're in. Those criticisms of this one system aside, though, I DO applaud Rise for trying new things; it was my on-ramp into the series and its relative accessibility was a great way for me to not only find the fun in something that had intimidated me for years, but for Monster Hunter as a whole to become my favorite video game franchise of all time. (All my weird personal hang-ups aside, Capcom, give us a Monster Hunter Legacy Collection on Steam and modern consoles with healthy online support, PLEASE. The older gens are still so good and deserve to live on through official channels, and 3U is about to get banished to the LAN-only category when Nintendo fully shuts down their Wii U servers in a few months.)

[@Stef2050]

I really wish more ppl played sunbreak in English tho tbh the Japanese fits really well for base rise but man the English is so good in sunbreak specifically in that scene with the ship the acting was so good I love rewatching that scene in English it just goes so hard

[@Rytom]

Rise and Sunbreak are my favorite modern MH BY FAR, and I started with Freedom Unite. I hate how it gets so much hate from the crowd that discovered MH with world and Revere that game like the second coming of Christ. I hope people will turn around with time and realize it was great, because it deserves it.

[@cr-volcanic]

I think the general opinion is mostly positive. But yeah man there’s some guys who came in on World and fuckin HATE Rise. High key, I just think they’re funny. I think the reputation of this game should even out and be a bit more positive as it goes, especially as Wilds sets in

[@Rytom]

Yeah, after all the game sold pretty well. It's probably the loud minorty, but damn are they loud. To me Rise feels much more similar to classic mh in terms of atmosphere, charm, weapon and monster design, than world could ever be, and seeing these newcomers hate on Rise makes me think they don't like MH, they just like World's iteration of MH. I mean, you have people shitting on Wilds saying it looks juste like Rise and World looks better…

[@jackdeviluke3969]

World is my favorite but I also enjoyed rise alot but I feel yah I don't like people who act like that either

[@aznashwan]

Absolutely amazing video, you can absolutely feel the passion put into both the video, and the game while playing it!

[@cr-volcanic]

Much appreciated!

[@illusionist9761]

so rise was the game that dragged me into the series properly, and I really do agree with a lot of your critiques of the game and its mechanics. I played world not long after finishing the vilage quests, and wow did it feel different. I can see how rise really split the community when it came to how movement should be handled. if I was going to be the one to create MH6 I'd probably take the slinger and clutch claw from world, take away tenderising and put that in place of the wirebugs and silkbinds. I agree with reducing the movement speed of the palamutes and reducing how far they can climb, and returning wedge beetles would once again add more verticality to combat while also cutting down on how long it takes to climb massive walls. endemic life is a great addition, but yeah spiribirds were a mistake as a way of getting players to explore the maps more fully. All in all, amazing vid dude, keep up the good work!

[@cr-volcanic]

Honestly I think I’d handle traversal the exact same way. Because if the maps are going to be huge then moving around in them should be fun, and if moving around in them needs to be fun, then it can’t be too fast that it bypasses everything. That I think is gonna be a big balancing act issue going forwards

[@thezblah]

Clutch claw was a very polarizing gimmick of IB so I doubt we'll see it again at least not in its current form. Silkbinds are an evolution of the hunter arts from Generations so likely won't appear until the next Portable title (whatever comes after mh6) but I actually really hope switch skills stick around, they too are an evolution of a generations gimmick (hunting styles) but are an awesome way to iterate on weapons without making them overly complex or accidentally removing or altering a core part of the weapon.

[@illusionist9761]

@thezblah it was mostly the tenderising that polarised the community I think, meaning that if we take that away like ICE mod did, we still get the fun parts, like slamming monsters into walls

[@avyntide]

finally a well rounded discussion on rise, rather than just talking about how world is better in every way or whatever.

[@mallow2902]

Or how all the old games are obsolete. Both extremes are so annoying.

[@dragobot999]

Another massive undertaking and labor of love. Your passion for this series shines through in your stellar work. I always look forward to seeing your videos come up. (Even if I have had to break some of them into several viewings due to sheer size and scope XD) Well done.

[@numenoduo]

Brilliant video, really enjoyed it. Thank you for taking the time to put this out. \o

[@cr-volcanic]

Thanks for watching

[@michealchick3272]

Incredible! Is the easiest way to share my thoughts on this video.. you have done an amazing job on this and I thank you for putting in all the hard work making this video..

[@coreywong6229]

I came in from 4GU, I really enjoyed rise and sunbreak a lot more than I did world. I just liked the pace is all and the fact I could take my buddies along even if they do not have the fight was fun. Memories I cannot forget.

[@vinzseika9826]

i randomly found this video on KZbin recommendation and i'm impressed. I think most people always compare Rise with World and said that it's worst than World but i don't think so. Each game have their own charm and flaw, you can't really compare both of them. For me, Rise is a nice game, with fast pacing gameplay that good for short burst playtime while World is a little methodical and slow but the immersion it have is good for long playtime. I'm slightly prefer Rise though because of it's fast pacing game and quite good storyline, especially with how we have named character, not just known by their jobs. Some things that i want to address from Rise/Sunbreak : 1. Palamute, a nice addition for travel option, but like you said, they're too fast for Rise linear and not as big as World map. Maybe if they're became a staple addition, having a full immersion map like World with a perfect size and not too complicated map, because honestly some map in World is too confusing to navigate, and make the speed of them match the size of the map is maybe a good option 2. Rampage, personally i love this tower defense style game, especially played with other player. i think this can made a return, combining it with old Siege battle like Lao Shen Lung, in which we can deploy NPC manning a turret while we attack the monster with turret or with our weapon and in the end is the dragonator and wyvernshot 3. Wirebug, for some people, it make the game much easier because you have a run away option, but i think it depends, because if you choose a wrong timing, you can still be hit by the monster or if you use them recklessly, you're out of option to evade enemies attack. maybe combining it with World clutch claw for the next game is an interesting option, so we can still have something similiar to it for evade mechanic, of course tweaked to be much bettter and not too OP 4. Switch skill, i really hope this thing will became a staple of MH. having and ability to somewhat customize your play style is a good thing, so even though other people use the same weapon with you, your play style will be different than them 5. Riding mechanic, yeah, it's not too good, even though i quite like it, especially for some quest like you said, the Allmother Narwa and Amatsu. either they tone it down and reworked it for the next game or just forget them all together 6. "Cinematic Battle", in this case something like the Quiro Lunagaron, Allmother Narwa, Gaismagorm and Amatsu. i quite like those battle because it give us something quite different from previous game. Quiro Lunagaron is chilling, the arrival of monster we can ride for Allmother Narwa and Amatsu, Gaismagorm big battle with Fiorayne help is amazing. i hope the next game have something similiar like this, one or two quest that can awe us 7. Follower, i hope this feature became a staple too. it's a good option for people who want to play solo but not really 8. "Themed Monster" and Espinas, i'm quite enjoying this concept of monster that have theme fitting with the game, like Rise new monster have Japanese yokai theme and Sunbreak monster have Western horror theme. and Espinas, i hope its addition is a gateway for more Frontier monster to be added to the main game i think this is my opinion so far. for now, i'm still enjoying Rise/Sunbreak with a plan for replaying World. i hope the next game, especially for anniversary, will be a good game that combine the good aspect of Rise and World, sprinkle some reworked gimmick from previous title, underwater battle for example, and please Capcom, add new weapon, Accel Axe for example

[@johnsavage5279]

This script was very, very well written, and I actually fell asleep to it last night. Earned a sub from me dude.

[@sketh20]

Hey man, I know the video is 2 months old and you may not see this but absolutely fantastic video. I've been playing World on PC to get 100% before doing Rise 100% and I listened to this while doing Guiding Lands, but I kept finding myself pausing just to watch and listen to your analysis and I have to say I appreciated it very much. To further add; I've played the series more or less since the 1st game but really got into it non casually in Tri. This series is among the most important and enjoyed I and I'm sure many others have, and when Rise came out I found myself missing the immersion I found in World but as I beat base Rise then Sunbreak and enjoyed the game as my first time using Dual Blades I really came to appreciate it as a separate experience that I agree, has a few things that should stay in Rise and a core part of its identity as the second 5th gen game but overall moves the series in a new and interesting direction and I do have high hopes for Wilds. Anyway, I'll probably be binging your content while I grind MR and crowns so take my sub and like. Cheers

[@cr-volcanic]

I see you bud, thanks for the kind words

[@sketh20]

@@cr-volcanic You earned them, we'll see you to 5000 subs yet

[@patman_for_sure]

A month later, I finally finished this video. Very lovely experience. Very well done, Mr. Volcanic.

[@cr-volcanic]

Thank you!

[@patman_for_sure]

@@cr-volcanic A pleasure 👍👍👍👍

[@afroling2096]

I like rise a lot and I think it’s definitely the easiest game to get into for new comers. And I actually made a new MHW account to play with my brother and the tutorial was so dam lengthy, I still say world is my favourite for the detailed world and more brutal fights but rise has some of the fastest and most convenient gameplay that is perfect for the switch. While base rise did rather drain quickly for me I really like what sun-break did. And that was the moment the game really clicked with me. So yeah while I say I would love monster hunter 6 to be a more world like game I absolutely loved what rise and sun break had to offer.

[@afroling2096]

Oh but if theirs one thing I would never want to see on another monster hunter game…rampages. Their long and boring to me especially when trying to get the apex quests that also offer nothing of value.

[@cr-volcanic]

Honestly I had the same experience, I only had maybe 120 hours in base Rise, and when Sunbreak came out that shot up to about 700

[@TheDestinationSurf]

An amazing analysis of the game! I especially enjoyed your segment on Ibushi and Narwa and their correlation to the music. I didn’t notice those details on my first play-through.

[@seaalon138]

Great video, clearly lots of effort and passion put into it. Enjoyed all 4 hours of it and agreed with most points you brought up. Cheers :)

[@michaelchesnut865]

I love what Rise did with the Switch Axe, I hope it gets to keep at least a few of its new abilities. The counter might be too much to ask for, but the finishing discharge was one of my favorite moves they added.

[@corbingovers7559]

I'd like the sword gauge to be a bit harder to maintain (since I really don't think about it anymore in rise). But being able to amp up quickly makes the weapon feel so punchy!

[@diannerenard]

Agreed. While i consider rise vastly inferior to World, it is still a fun game. Some stuff like the canynes was fun and want to see them again. Some stuff like the village defend missions were absolutely atrocious and should never return (even underwater missions in tri were more enjoyable and even fun). And others like the wirebug ... Guess can be succeded by something similar just like how it is a spiritual succesor to the clutch claw and hunter arts, but such succesor should be far less mobile and overpowered.

[@SuperDavvan]

Great work on this video. Very proffessionally done and great voicework! 👍

[@cr-volcanic]

Thank you!

[@sunghyunpark8724]

i totally agree with the rampage visuals of “where is that city im defending”. i think they answer that in almost an easter egg way, if you explore the training grounds, one of the water falls you can sling and climb all the way up and it’ll bring you to a giant gate which i believe is the other side of where the rampage happens. there’s a little fishing spot around it but other than that there is no reason or incentive for you to find it. it’s such an odd way of grounding you in the setting of “where i am during the rampage” but kinda neat in its obscurity

[@kumatorahaltmanndreemurr]

I haven’t really touched the Rampage Quests since entering Master Rank, so kudos to you for reminding me how great its theme is

[@icecatti]

A really great video, dude. I can't imagine the amount of time it must have taken to write, record, and compile all this footage. And this is coming from someone that knows very little about Rise and still watched the whole thing on my second monitor lol. All I can say is that the team over at capcom are very lucky to have a fanbase so utterly devoted and erudite so as to think so deeply about each and every nook and cranny in this game. I just love to see this kind of love and passion for art.

[@Trash-sl4xt]

This video is almost my exact thoughts to a tea with a few differences, as someone who played generations ultimate a bit and world + ice borne I think my main complaint with rise is some weapons get a bit simplified from their older versions, in world the customization of the bow guns is one of my favorite parts of world but in rise it’s only an option of 2 with the power barrel being what feels the most optimal, hunting horn’s songs are way easier to pull off which is fine if people like it that way but it saddens me a little cause I really like the hh in gu, and my main weapon gunlance feels like the wide versions are outclassed with the normal and long gunlance’s feeling a bit faster and uses the sunbreak wirebug skills a bit better. Obviously my 500+ hrs in the game means I enjoy the game but these are my favorite weapons and I miss these interesting mechanics that I hope return or are fixed in wilds, every weapon is still fun but yeah. Great video btw.

[@Nyahahameha]

Y'know, I've played this game plenty, and it wasn't until this video that I actually saw any of the familiarity in Tri's returning maps. This whole time I just thought they were the same maps in name only. I think the music has a lot to do with that. It's a crime we didn't get remixes/rearrangements of the original themes for these areas, those had so much to do with the identity of these maps. The completely new tracks we got instead really don't cut it.

[@NibbleSnarph]

Wow a fantastic video. You’ve earned my sub and gave me the itch to play sunbreak again. Run into the endgame wall with re-vitalized enthusiasm. It seems we have another year + before the new is upon us. Maybe I’ll grind out a special investigation haha

[@cr-volcanic]

Thank you!

[@MegaMask335]

Rise was my third MH game after 3U and 4U and I'll admit, it's the one I go back to the most. Sure you can beat the base game's main story in about a day or two but the fluid combat and moveset changes carried from World make fights addictive and the grind a bit less tedious. Wyvern riding is fun in concept but it would need a lot of rebalancing if that mechanic were to ever return in future games much like mounting in gen 4. I'd understand if Wirebugs get cut in gen 6 or whatever game comes next (though maybe the Switch Skills/Silkbinds can work with something like the style arts from Generations) but I will weep if Palamutes ever get dropped going forward, they're such a fun travel method that I honestly prefer over the mounts in World. I also both love and have issues with Sunbreak's follower system as the effort put into characterizing the Elgado and Kamura characters is phenomenal, it gives single-player only hunters a taste of what it's like to hunt multi-player, and difficulty is decently balanced in ongoing story missions but taking 2 followers on repeat hunts makes fighting monsters very easy (then again, going actual multi-player might be just as trivializing). Rise's new set of monsters are hit-or-miss; they're either unique and cool like Bishaten, Goss Harag, Lunagaron, and Malzeno or are forgettable/easily foreshadowed like Aknosom, Somnacanth, and Ibushi. The one big issue I have with Rise's roster is that even with Sunbreak and all of the updates finished, it still feels like it's missing some monsters. There's Uroktors and Zamites yet no Agnaktor or Zamtrios, there's a baby Tetsucabra hanging around Kamura's hub but no adult Tetsucabra you can hunt, and the Jaggis and Boggis just exist without their Great counterparts (that will still be my biggest gripe with Risebreak). Despite that, I love the returning monsters (minus Jyuratodus) and Espinas returning in Sunbreak is a big deal. Now there's a shred of hope for other fan-favorite Frontier monsters like Shantien, the Akuras, etc. to be included in mainline installments. Both World and Rise have been the most experimental Monster Hunter games to date which comes with both good and bad consequences. Those titles (including that recent mobile game probably) have gotten many new people into the series and made the MH series even more of a success but such radical changes from Gen to World and moreso from World to Rise have caused more divides in the fan base between Freedom vets, gen 3 & 4 vets, and now the World & Rise newcomers. Whether those World and Rise newcomers get invested in the earlier games or stick with World/Rise I'm fine either way, but I do somewhat understand the cautious attitude that older players have with World's extensive changes, Rise's difficulty, or even Gen's cool yet over-the-top style system. I also wouldn't want the series to devolve into Devil May Hunt because despite how fun that type of game is, Monster Hunter at its roots from 19 years ago to today is about the challenge and rising up (no pun intended) to forces of nature that would decimate a normal person; it's about drive, teamwork, and getting stronger without necessarily devaluing said forces of nature. Capcom already has DMC, Monster Hunter can afford to be its own thing. Long comment aside, this was a great video! You went really deep into elaborating your thoughts on the mechanics and feel of Risebreak. I almost forgot to mention how fun it was to explore the areas (Sunbreak's Citadel might be one of my new favorites) and find lore, sub-camps, or rare Endemic life so hearing your thoughts on each locale was interesting. Also love how you broke down the stories for Rise and Sunbreak, it really made me appreciate the characters more than before. You've earned my like!

[@cr-volcanic]

Very well said, and yeah myself being a guy whose played since Tri I get why a lot of older vets have concerns about MH’s future and tho at this moment I’m very happy with 5th gen and am not afraid that Capcom’s going to ruin the franchise, tho I do understand it is certainly possible, I think the smartest move they can make is some ports of Freedom Unite Tri Ultimate and 4 Ultimate. Keep the classics alive and easily accessible to those who prefer those games. Thankfully the MH devs are pretty damn good about listening to feedback and repurposing ideas to improve them. I think Rise can have a very positive legacy for MH if some of its findings and feedback are skillfully taken into consideration.

[@MegaMask335]

@@cr-volcanic I definitely agree, it's true that the MH devs are great regarding feedback and I think they'll be able to polish Rise's mechanics and make them work in future entries. 4 Ultimate definitely needs a port to PC and modern consoles since it's still 3DS exclusive and one of the most popular entries in the series. Along with the first two gens, a modern release of Portable 3rd would also be welcome since it feels different enough from Tri and 3U to be a new experience for Western fans (the PS3 version is Japanese exclusive so no need for Capcom to make a new remaster from the ground up) and it's one of the highest selling PSP games; give it the GenUlt treatment and I think it could sell well.

[@elsienova4269]

Rise and Sunbreak feel like what should have come after 4U and GU. World and Iceborne were experiences made to steal the western market completely instead of putting everything into upgrading what Monster Hunter is, and they suffered on an obscene amount of fronts because of that. Rise and Sunbreak feel like what everyone imagined a non 3ds Monster Hunter would be. Technology allowing the game to be so much more interactive and complex while also giving us actual stories and characters. People don't talk about it a lot but base Rise's story especially geniunely feels so, so much better, so much more charming and awesome than anything World did. Its clear the story direction for the series is better when we focus on characters rather than the weird mix of lore and plot of World. Also, small note, but Amatsu's theme wasn't reworked but it was remastered. High quality in terms of spatial sound and bitrate, and even some of the lower quality sounds from P3RD got replaced with higher quality versions.

[@victory8928]

I somewhat agree I feel rise’s issue was also development due to corona virus as we see with Sunbreak. But yeah for all the things world did right it took 5 steps back. I honestly would love to play rise to get a feel for the game one day. It looks amazing though I do hope that capturing creatures can returning so that you can decorate your home with them again best part of world that was

[@daltonburroughs3811]

My first MH was World, I never got the DLC because I could never get my friends into the game. Got Rise and a few friends did also. I overall prefer everything about Rise except for the maps (and Bazel)[I also miss the sieges of World]{I also liked mounting the monster in World instead of riding it in Rise}. I thought the grind was way less irritating in Rise, Sunbreak allowed you to make any piece of gear good so it had so much variety, and I actually really loved the wire bug. Really hoping the next game is as good as World and Rise.

[@tahaelhour690]

You should definitely get into ice borne.

[@oomomow6621]

Man oh MAN I'm glad you mentioned the Narwa and Ibushi themes. They're all so good, but the All Mother theme is straight addictive. I used it as my hub music in Elgado and never tired of it. It's just so so GOOD it feels so godly

[@yoohoo236]

The twins are very interesting if you talk to them during the story. Forgive me I forget which is which. The hub twin has a massive inferiority complex and is rather... upset when her sister resonates. She wants nothing more then to take her place. And when she starts to resonate as well she is estatic about it! I found that so interesting... I also really like that during sunbreak if you go back and talk to everyone they'll ask how its going and comment on what you've been doing during sunbreak. Very cool

[@cr-volcanic]

Yeah Minoto I think is probably the best of Kamura’s characters

[@magnabueno5360]

Since my second file, I have been talking to every single npc everytime something interesting happens.

[@infinitezion2029]

Small correction, Minato doesn't envy Hinoa she loves her so much that the fact she isn't also able to use this power feels like her sister is once again gone somewhere she cant reach furthering her feelings of inferiority. She gets super ecstatic when she does eventually resonate because she feels closer than ever to Hinoa.

[@zacharyhansen8250]

Monster Hunter is, and always will be my favourite video game franchise of all time. I think the only Monster Hunter games that are "Bad" are really the first and second game but that's more to do with the fact that they are showing their age, not that the games aren't objectively good, and were genuinely incredible when they were released. Monster Hunter as a franchise never seems to forget where it came from, every game learns from the last game (Whether good or bad) Every game is an experiment, and a lesson for the next in the series. Its monster design while fantastical is grounded into the world they live in so strongly that It would be almost impossible to not immediately recognize a monster hunter monster. I adore that every single game is immediately recognizeable but is always fundamentally different from one another. My most favourite thing about the franchise by far is that every single game can be enjoyed for different reasons, that monster hunter core is always inherently there in every game but you are playing each game for its unique vibe. 4U was a huge step for the franchise, had new weapons a new sense of verticality never seen in monster hunter before. World had its incredible level of immersion that really made you feel like you were a hunter living in that world. Rise's combat in my opinion has the most fun combat but I'm a huge sucker for perfect evades, and parries and the such. Every single game has something unique that I enjoy that I won't be able to find in the other games and that means that nearly every single game in the franchise is worth playing. That's something that almost no other franchise has to this level of quality. I can go back and play any monster hunter game and have a good time wherein other franchise and its sequels always have an issue where the game that isn't supported whether it be by the developer or the community always falls out of relevancy but that just doesn't really happen in monster hunter. Every game is worth playing. While Rise in general is my favourite in terms of gameplay and artstyle I probably play it the least. I love it, but I've already had my experience. I'm full and I'm ready for what's next

[@sdunned7842]

I’m new to MH. I play souls games, Skyrim, mmo’s like black desert, pso2, and ff14.. this game never really appealed to me, but I downloaded WORLD yesterday.. HATED IT.. I wanted my 8$ back.. but there was something about it, that made me feel like it wasn’t trying to appeal to me, as if it didn’t care if I liked it or not, kinda the same way the dark souls games do. Because of that, it grew on me a little. Something was telling me I needed to watch a guide.. after the last day of watching gameplay and weapon guides and crafting and stuff, I see just how much time and effort was spent crafting this game. And the main thing I will say, outside of gameplay, is the reason I’m going to give this game another chance, and why it’s grown on me just based on what I’ve seen, is because it’s not trying to cram an agenda down my throat.. it’s not tainted by western influence. it’s only purpose is to be a fun game.. I don’t get the impression that they’re trying to suck me in and force micro transactions, it’s not trying to remind me that feminism is god, it doesn’t even have a fomo system.. for that reason alone, it deserves another chance.. also I’m gonna pick a different weapon, the transforming sword axe looks like my kind of weapon or the bonk stick, I may use that because of the dark souls in me. Nothing more satisfying than bonking.

[@ghoulishgoober3122]

I would recommend watching grifted's masterclass on hunting horn, it really made the game click for me. Even though it's not pushing any agenda's the mh is pretty tolerant and there are quite a few lgbtq folks that play it. I hope you love the game. The switch axe is a good weapon but I'd also recommend the sword and shield if you like dark souls.

[@choty7066]

You can use palamutes to sharpen your weapon while moving during a fight. They allow you to sharpen for free every time and basically remove the sharpening mechanic

[@proggz39]

Same for drinking a potion or using any item that you would normally have to time carefully during a hunt. Easy mode

[@toiletseat777]

Just like leaving the area to sharpen. Nothing has changed.

[@choty7066]

@@toiletseat777 a lot has. How far are you willing to run away to sharpen in world for example? And what if the monster follows you anyway? You are just wasting time at that point. If you think being able to sharpen while running around the monster isn't a combat advantage you are just wrong

[@SilkieDino]

​@choty7066 I know this is old but I think he was referring to the older games where you just switched zones

[@metalgamer8179]

I really loved the unique monster themes the monsters had. Like how Tetranadon was a kappa but also had a ton of references to E. Honda. The Mermaid and otter references Somnacanth has are pretty sick too. Basically every new monster added into the game had some sort of awesome mythological reference and even some Capcom references thrown in. I love it.

[@themelonzone38]

Finally, a retrospective that looks at ALL of rise for what it is. Great work, man.

[@soulkibble1466]

The whole Malzeno storyline in Sunbreak felt really compelling to me especially with the Primordial Malzeno and how the series gave us an Elder Dragon that is not Evil just misunderstood. As for the skills, I do love them. And the Mesu Shoyugeki is satisfying to pull off considering if you time it correctly you will counter a monsters attack and do more damage, but if you don't time it right you'll both take damage and use up both of your wire bugs so it's a good Risk vs Reward system. Granted, I do think a lot of monsters do need a serious overall to better match-up the mobility of the Hunter and pretty much all of the newer monsters like the Magnamalo and Malzeno are incredibly mobile and feel far more like actual difficult challenges that will easily punish players who get too full of themselves due to the lightning fast speed of the hunter character.

[@CrudusViscus]

"endemic life" = Hunting Helpers (and I also agree, they should come back) Absolutely wild to hear someone go to bat for Rampages though. Maybe the least 'Monster Hunter' thing about Rise and VERY glad Capcom decided to nix them in Sunbreak for that reason.

[@cr-volcanic]

For what they were, I liked Rampages just fine. They’re fun to boot up every once in a while

[@Alumx]

idly having this while playing, but immediately got sucked into paying attention :D i loved watching this documentary, lucky to catch such a great channel at its "rise" hue

[@peaberry9413]

I know you, official Celestia voice actor! Didn't think I'd see you on a video like this. Been a fan for years, was very happy to see you come back from that huge break a while ago.

[@kin_istired]

This video was amazing to watch, and the points made were perfect. On the point of the player character, i wish there was voice acting, but instead of being exactly the same for everyone, there could be dialogue options which you can select for your character to say something else and to recieve different responses, which would make the experience more personalised and engaging, but if that was the case for every single dialogue it would be very hefty to add to a game, especially to one initially released for the switch, which is starting to become outdated for big, full games like these. But i do hope we could get something like this, or even just dialogue options without voice acting for monster hunter 6 or beyond!

[@audrey._.9708]

This was a beautiful video you have amazing content definitely going to be checking out a lot more of your videos because of this. I felt nice to get a full understanding of the game that I been playing for the past three years lol:)

[@cr-volcanic]

Very happy to hear it!

[@cookeecutkk]

I know it’s very subjective, but for me one of the great triumphs of Rise were the aesthetics. Both Kamura village and Shrine Ruins are simply stunning locations to look at and traverse. I’ve found the latter to be one of the most restful gaming experiences, simply picking up an expedition quest and roaming free among the nature and audio of the ruins.

[@genv02]

Funnily enough, even though i have the option to skip the cutscenes and storylines. I didnt for Rise for some reason. Unlike World, something engaged me into it's story, call it a hero complex, but I like when people tell me I did a good job.

[@cheesyboy0709]

What an incredible and passionate vid! Just discovered your channel today and I love your energy and writing style. You’ve got yourself a new sub and I look forward to playing catchup on your content. Keep up the amazing work!

[@cr-volcanic]

Thank you!

[@cheesyboy0709]

@@cr-volcanic btw, I’d love to see a series from you on your thoughts and or reviews of the weapons in the series, and even some thoughts on a future 15th weapon!! Cheers brother and Happy New Year!

[@LordShonji]

Definitely the thing i would like to see them do with followers in newer games is let you use the info from guild cards you get from people online if you are doing multiplayer hunts offline or something akin to that. Gives more options to go along side the Hunter for Hire system if they bring that back One thing i really like about rise's training area is that other players can be there, which is handy when showing a friend in a voice call how to use a weapon and what animation timings to look for. Was very handy while teaching a new player how to use charge blade and great sword

[@spilleraaron4748]

It’s good to see someone giving rise its credit instead of completely shitting in it cuz it’s not world

[@CrudusViscus]

Also, Scarred Yian-Garuga was the first variant to appear in a game without it's base form.

[@cr-volcanic]

True didn’t they technically create scarred first and just called it Yian Garuga? Only properly classifying it during Iceborne

[@CrudusViscus]

@@cr-volcanic True, it is grandfathered in. BUT ACKSHYUALLY 🤓🤓🤓

[@MoonlitMongrel]

As soon as you mentioned endemic life and how incredible they are yet entirely underused due to the boss rush mentality, i immediately resonated with that sentiment. Then speaking of spiribirds, i immediately thought of how all my friends modded max rainbow spiribirds into the first camp to bypass the mechanic entirely, which they arent the only ones who entirely pass by the mechanic or cheese it, simply to arrive at the monster immediately. Fast travelling to sub camps to cut down on traversing the map. Missing the placement of endemic life, small monsters, and spiribirds. Im truly glad im not the only one who enjoyed the fights however, my constant thought really kept gliding towards, am i really hunting?

[@Spike2276]

To add my feelings to your initial statement: I love Rise and i agree with everything you said about how great it is, but also about wanting the series to move on from it. But my addition to your statement is that i'll also always be happy to come back to it. I don't exactly want another MH like it, but i can feel that in the future i'll always have that hankering to come back to it, and for just a while longer enjoy it's insane gameplay. Edit: About skills though, i feel like the problem (mostly caused by Qurio Armor Crafting) is just how damn many we can fit into a single set. The quality and crazyness of the skills is fine on it's own and if the skills were locked to their specific pieces and if each piece had a set amount of skill points, then this wouldn't even be a discussion. But none of that is true and we can fit an extra point of almost any skill into almost any piece. My point being: something like Intrepid Heart, or Bloodlust, or Powder Mantle isn't enough to significantly shift the balance of the game on it's own...but when i can have all three of them plus a ton of other unique skills, plus all of the traditional attack+crit skills...yeah it gets out of hand fast. Edit 2: i love Magnamalo, i love that he's a literal tiger virgin otaku "i studied the blade" weeb, but he REALLY needed a different color pallette. As much as i get what Capcom was going for with his colors...he kinda does look like a toy more than he does a monster. He also could use a few tufts of fur in between his plates of armor.

[@luckydragon6067]

If they keep a lot of the stuff they gave insect glaive in Rise I will happily go forward with the weapon. I love getting to actually pick my bug that isn't just "here is the fastest and hardest hitting one" and being able to truly feel like a dragoon, vaulting high into the air, precision jumps into weak parts before diving wyvern is pure bliss. It feels like the true vertical combat master weapon as it should!

[@Ravio.Helianthus]

I tip my hat from one bug stick enjoyer to another

[@spinerflame7922]

I like how for the Sunbreak music section you transitioned into Horror Story narrator. Good voicing

[@dibbo9823]

I never really had the counter problem because I never used weapons that liked to use them. Because insect glaive and gunlance's counter were semi-useless and had significantly better switch skills they were paired with.

[@Masterofhammers]

Even with everything considered. I'll give monster hunter rise sunbreak a 9/10. There's pros. There's cons. But.. Let's be honest with ourselves. Nothings perfect. I enjoyed the ever-living crap out of this game and can't wait for the future this franchise holds. Doesn't matter what its gonna be. Because as long as it's fun, I'll be satisfied

[@Hazearil]

Initially one of the people to dislike it for not being World, I went to appreciate Rise. While still preferring World by a lot, there are still many things I wish from it I could have from Rise. Many of the new monsters, switch skills, or palamutes to name some.

[@johnofwar0160]

It seems like a lot of people forget that Rise is designed by Capcom to be a MOBILE title where World was a main title. The philosophy of mobile titles is to reduce the total hunt time to allow for quick spontaneous play. The devs at some point years ago even used the example of a person taking the bus/train on their way to work or school would be able to get a quick hunt in before they arrive. Wilds will not follow this design philosophy as it is a main title and the next release after will likely be mobile bringing back this more frantic playstyle. I do personally think even World did move a bit too far off from the preparation and hunt aspects and hope Wilds will bring these back. Prefer to see them find ways to streamline prep work and make it more intuitive over time rather than eliminate it (maybe your items in chest would highlight if notably beneficial to the quest you have chosen letting the player know it's advisable to bring them along).

[@kyleross1149]

I hope in MH: Wilds, they bring back mounting and make it the norm. Find a way to homoginize a wirebug/clutch claw middle ground that takes eaches strengths and minimizes their flaws (tenderizing for one, silk bind reliance for the other, make these normal switch skills) while keeping Wyvern Riding by having Puppet/Marionette spiders ONLY. And make them a super rare Endemic life that have high respawn times and only allow the targeted monster to be mounted. That rewards map exploration without hampering the overall immersion of what makes monster hunter what we know it best for. So much potential and hype and by god am I ready for it!

[@allanredhill8682]

Ive started in 4U and played through a couple of MH so far. 3U, GU, 4U, Iceborne and Sunbreak. And honestly... while my nostalgia and fondness for 4U will always be in my heart I really think Sunbreak is the best monster hunter experience I (personally) had so far. Its like its made perfectly for my sensibilities. The traversal is fast, fun and engaging; It has the build variety and weapon depth of GU but expanded it with the smoothness and flair from Iceborne; Its maps are open and vast but retain the more streamlined arena feel from the older titles. And even tho the game does play more "arcady" (I hate this description but whatever) its actually closer in spirit and presentation to the older gens then world was imo. Also Sunbreak in particular does straightup feel like a spiritual successor to 4U specifically. I think it is fitting that the expansion for the most experimental and action packed monster hunter so far borrows heavily from 4U. 4 ultimate for its time was actually a bit of a departure from the older titles as well - its verticality, mounting and new weapon types really pushed the franchise into a more action oriented direction. The story and follower focus of Sunbreak also falls in line perfectly with 4U wich is widely recognized for its solid campaign. There were moments in 4u where you had to rescue fellow hunters from gore magala but now Sunbreak finally expanded on these moments by letting you fight alongside them. Also Sunbreak borrows really iconic monsters from 4U with the gores, Shagaru and Seregios. Lets also not forget the affliction wich seem to be heavily inspired by the frenzied monsters. So yeah... I adore Sunbreak. Do I think its the best MH ever? nah prob not. But lets be honest here for how similar most monster hunter entries are they still can be very polarizing and its hard to rank them in a proper objective way. Mechanics like swimming, the clutchclaw or wirebugs will always be polarizing but that doesnt mean any of them are necessarily bad or underserving mechanics. Monster hunter isnt always "just" monster hunter - its had its different iterations and interpretations over the years. I just happen to really love Rise!

[@ventuswill_]

i noticed one song that went unmentioned (and i only noticed because it is one of my absolute favorite's from rise) was kamura's arena theme; official name being stage of the strong iirc. Curious as to your thoughts on that song, as I think it's just a really exhilarating and underrated song; It made the arena quests a bit more fun and shook things up a little before you had access to infernal springs and later on forlorn arena via sunbreak.

[@justsomejojo]

I came from Gen3, to 4, then Gen and World and was honestly really REALLY annoyed when World's complete overhaul to combat made everything much faster and - seemingly - less calculated. I grew to really like World, but the same cycle repeated come Rise. The game became *even* faster and from the demo, I honestly had my doubts if I even wanted to buy it. To be honest, in some way, I still feel I lost something nice to the adrenaline junkies, but I can't deny Rise grew to be super fun. I ended up putting in 600 hours and loving every hour thoroughly. But, as you say, I'm ready for Rise to stay Rise and MH moving on to keep being different every game. My biggest gripe after I had made my peace with the combat, was definitely Magnamalo. My first Magnamalo kill was on a random expedition in the Frost Islands, after the rampage appearance with the Arzuros but BEFORE Hamon's request. Magnamalo was handled abysmally and while I don't mind MH stories being bland, I do mind them being badly handled. Magnamalo is the biggest offender here, but I also just feel like Kamura doesn't at all feel at risk. They are all so upbeat all the time, it's hard to believe there's a calamity on the rise. Until Sunbreak, I ended up playing Rise only for the gameplay, because the story was hard to care about. Sunbreak really turned it around for me though, with impactful scenes AND story-gameplay integration that made actual sense.

[@jalapenoburger7114]

A four hour monster hunter video, you know damn well I ain't sleeping tonight without watching this

[@j_162]

28:40 palamutes deal more damage than palicos and are therefore more often used in speedruns. I think they can deal up to 30 % damage in certain setups

[@cr-volcanic]

Interesting! Last I had heard the Palicos were the more optimal choice

[@boshwa20]

I firmly believe Spiribirds are just the rest of the health and Stamina buffs we usually get from food

[@abaque24]

I feel like the A team of MH will focus more in unexplored, untouched areas- while the B team will focus more in the inhabited areas… it’s why I’m not very excite for wilds, and more excited for a purported MH portable 6th. If sunbreak is a base for what we can see next, i think the next one will have a good focus on the story, characters, and world interactions, which is a lot more exciting to me. Though the environmental weather system from wilds is pretty cool.

[@MrRushSkies]

The only Monster Hunter i played was Unite in PSP. I am getting a switch and get a MH Rise couple weeks from now. I never had any chance to play other MH games such as MH3 or Tri. Thank you for making this.

[@my_username_was_already_taken]

REALLY impressive video, especially from such a small channel! Script was fantastic, your passion for this game and what you do really shines through from your writing AND how you delivered it. You've echoed a lot of my own exact thoughts with this game. Really fun for what it is, and there's some ideas here that I would love to carry over to the mainline games, but I do NOT want this to become the standard for games moving forward. MHW was damn near perfect in terms of weapon and movement feel for me. I can appreciate rise for being a nice cross between new age MH and old school MH with some wackiness thrown in like games such as Frontier or GU, but I want these games to be their own thing. I think they're great for experimentation to see what we can add to the main series, and things like switch skills are something that I definitely hope carries over (it'd be hard to go back to non-instablocking lance lol)

[@cr-volcanic]

Intsta-block lance is so fuckin nice man 😂

[@tahaelhour690]

I think there's a major part that's always overlooked when discussing rise and that's player mindset. For example, compare the souls series to devil may cry. Souls is a difficult game that's mechanically very shallow, you have your basic r1, roll, r1, roll, maybe weapon art or jump attacks or cheese with spells but still, what you see is what you get. While DMC is a decently easy game that's mechanically deep. There's some combos on dante that require years of practice to pull off, and wether you engage with that or not is your choice, you can just mash your way to Victory on low difficulty if you want. Monster hunter was historically catered to the first kind of player, while monster hunter floors souls in complexity is was still always find the optimal strat and stick with it till you win. That mindset didn't disappear when rise came out so all you have are people complaining that the game is too easy after not even bothering with half the moves and skills at your disposal. Just google the optimal setup and work towards it. And that does rise's gameplay a huge disservice as there's some really fun things you can do with rise's skill system, decos, switch skills, wire moves...

[@lewa3910]

I love switch skills, but randomly, I really hope they make it into Dragon's Dogma 2. Anyone who played the 1st game should know how similar a few concepts both Rise and Dogma share, with silkbind skills being similar to classes special moves in dogma. And even the hunter followers being a slightly similar system to the Pawns in Dogma, tho technically even Palicoes sorta fit into that similarity. But Dogma never had the ability to change its special skill moves with a switch ability like RiseSunbreak has, so i really hope Dogma2 gets something akin to skill-swap when it comes out

[@wallacesousuke1433]

Yeah, agreed, something like switch skills, style switching from DMC or stance system from Nioh would've been great

[@victory8928]

I think the way to fix wyvern riding is to make the threshold for monster attacks to trigger it to be higher and to have both creatures become enraged after the ride so now you have two mad monsters on your tail

[@DarkMoonRaven100]

Eh this would be a bad idea and would make it so no one used the mech in general since it would ruin most hunts pretty fast. The easiest fix is making monsters only fight each other for a short time and make the ride like steering a bucking bronco, where it attacks and runs to get you off and you just try your best in sending those attacks at the enemy monster. You could also keep it the same and just have the world's monster fights until they decide to break away but that would also lengthen hunts to a annoying degree again. Dont want to ride a deviljoe into a jaggres and have him pick it up after use and swing it at you.

[@hybrid513]

4 hours is crazy for a Monter Hunter Rise critique Imma watch it

[@cr-volcanic]

Figured I’d might as well do it right