Is the PC Port any good?
After about a year of exclusivity, Monster Hunter Rise is finally available on Steam via Capcom’s new PC port. After Monster Hunter: World had an incredible showing on the PC platform, (especially when looking at sales and player count), one can only hope that Rise can impress. While not as technically impressive as World, it does run pretty great on PC. But is it enough for you to buy it again on PC? With the expansion coming up this year, it’s time to decide which platform you want to play it on.
I figured I’d address some of the most important questions anyone might have when considering this, even if you aren’t a double-dipper.
[Header image courtesy of this mod]
Tested on: Ryzen 3600X 3.8 GHz, 16GB of RAM, Geforce RTX 2070 Super, Windows 10. Framerate measured with NVIDIA GeForce Experience and Steam
How is the PC port, overall?
It’s great! Monster Hunter Rise is not quite the high-fidelity game that World was, which makes it innately run a lot smoother on PCs. I mean, this is a Switch game, after all. With all the settings cranked up to High, my rig, which is definitely aging at this point, was able to consistently run at around 110 FPS (though I personally capped it while playing instead of leaving it unrestricted). While I never saw the framerate tank, there is noticeable screen tearing.
It’s also worth mentioning that, while installed on an SSD, the load times are near-instant. It feels so great to just load right into a zone when launching into a new quest. In fact, the increased framerate and load times are probably two of the biggest factors that would lead anyone to double-dip, along with mods. Everything is just so crisp and blazing fast, I love it.
Speaking of mods, there are already plenty of mods that will help hunters get to a level that is more consistent with what they might have on the Switch. I am, of course, referring to cheat engines and item-creation mods. While yes, this is, essentially, “cheating” your way through goals, I absolutely understand the allure of just granting yourself that Talisman that you love on Switch but simply don’t feel like grinding for. And of course, it wouldn’t be a blossoming mod scene without at least one Thomas the Tank Engine appearance.
When I played the port of World, I mentioned that I actually preferred playing with a mouse and keyboard; I don’t think that is still true for me. I think it plays alright, and I do still prefer it for ranged weapons, but I do find myself going back to the comfort of a controller. The controls can be re-bound to basically anything, including side mouse buttons, which is great for accessibility.
I have had issues with it launching onto either the wrong monitor or in weird pseudo-borderless mode until I fix the issue in the main menu. Other than that? I haven’t noticed any bugs, glitches, or other oddities that would make me feel as if this port was sloppily done. That being said, scouring the negative reviews on Steam does show many users with crashing and/or saving issues. This is clearly a minority of players, however, as it still maintains a “Very Positive” rating on Steam, with over 11,000 reviews in total as of now.
Can I transfer my save from the Switch?
No, but with mods, it is relatively simple to create a version of yourself that resembles what you may already have on Switch. Though you will have to play through the missions again. This can hurt, but at least the Monster Hunter franchise offers the ability to specialize in a new weapon type and increase your skills with that if you have to start all over again. So if you find yourself in this situation, why not just experiment with a weapon type you’ve always wanted to try?
Is it up-to-date with the Switch version?
As far as I can tell, yes it is. The PC port has the added benefit of having the event quests that came as a slow drip to the Switch all at launch. This helps to break up some of the clusters of samey or boring standard quests Switch players had to deal with. The expansion is coming out this summer and will release simultaneously for both platforms.
It also launches with literally 100 DLC microtransactions, but really I’ve come to expect this from Monster Hunter by this point. And to be honest, some of them are pretty cool!
Can my PC even run it?
Very probably, yes! Here are the specifications from the Steam store page:
Again, it’s important to note that this is a Switch game and has no interest in pushing your PC to its limits, especially if you don’t care much about what framerate it runs at. Limiting the FPS to 30 or 60 will ensure smooth gameplay as long as your PC is alright-at-best.
If you aren’t sure your rig will run it or just want to get a taste, there is a demo available on Steam!
Are there any PC-specific features?
As is expected of PC ports, the options menu has a plethora of things available to tinker with in order to get the best possible performance. There is even a spot in the Advanced Graphics settings that shows your Graphics Memory Usage and CPU Load. On PC, Monster Hunter Rise does support ultra-widescreen monitors, HDR, and up to 4K resolutions (I have not personally tested these). Other than that, the aforementioned uncapped framerate and PC-specific mouse and keyboard controls are also available.
And of course, all you have to do is scroll up to the top image in this post to be reminded about how amazing the modding community can be when it comes to PC games.
Does it have any type of DRM?
As expected, Monster Hunter Rise has Denovo, just like World did before it. World also removed it eventually, so anyone looking to avoid this purchase until Denuvo is gone, it’s likely just a matter of time.
How will it work on the Steam Deck?
As of now, Monster Hunter Rise is not one of the verified games to run super smoothly on the Deck. Now, the Deck hasn’t even been released yet and I’m sure the number of verified games is sure to skyrocket over time. I’m also pretty confident that Rise will end up running just fine on the Deck, but only time will tell for sure. Assuming it does, you won’t even lose the idea of portability when playing the PC version if you own a Steam Deck!
I’m not double-dipping, should I buy the game?
If you enjoyed World, then I’d say that Rise is very likely also up your alley. If you were one of the few who thought that World was a step in the wrong direction after so many hardcore entries into the series, well Rise only makes things easier and simpler. If you have never played a Monster Hunter game before, then I think Rise is a great place to start. It’s pretty easy, all things considered, and a bit light on content compared to previous entries (including World). The addition of the Wirebug has dramatic effects on the game in terms of combat, and all of the weapon types have new moves and alterations. If you’re like me, you may find yourself upset at some of the changes (RIP my beloved Hunting Horn playstyle), but just think of it as an excuse to branch out and try something new!
Check out our original review of Monster Hunter Rise, and if it sounds good, just know that it’s even better when running on PC.
[These impressions are based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]
