After the success of Monster Hunter: World and it’s Iceborne expansion, Capcom has had its work cut out for it trying to follow up with Monster Hunter Rise on Switch. However, some of the new features that Monster Hunter Rise has brought to the series, with a brand new system called Switch Skills standing as one of the strongest additions in the new game.
The best thing that the Switch Skills feature does for Monster Hunter Rise is give players the ability to customize their playstyle, not only with what weapon to use, but how to use it. On top of the personalization, many of these attacks introduce flashy and powerful ways to take down monsters, especially when used to enhance the effects of Wirebug attacks.
Starting with how Monster Hunter Rise‘s Switch Skills are unlocked, players won’t be able to jump into this feature right away, but it can effect gameplay in the later sections of the game. The first time players are allowed to swap out these attacks is when they’ve reached either Rank 2 in the online Hub or Rank 3 in the Village quests. After that, it’s a matter of both progressing through the story again, as well as mastering and upgrading the players’ favorite weapons.
This does mean that players will set off on their adventure with the same moveset that longtime fans have become familiar with over the series’ long history. However, these changes will start appearing as players progress and continue to hunt monster parts in Monster Hunter Rise in order to forge and upgrade new weapons. For some players looking forward to seeing these appear early in their gameplay, it may be frustrating to have to wait for so long, but it works as a concession to new players in order to get them up to speed before switching things up.
The best thing that Switch Skills bring to Monster Hunter Rise is a new level of customization for how players choose to engage with the series’ familiar combat. These changes are small at first, with little additions such as giving certain attacks the ability to guard or charge forward in ways that the normal combos wouldn’t have allowed for. One example would be the new charge cancel added to Monster Hunter Rise‘s Great Sword moveset that requires more precise use to be successful, but rewards players with an attack from behind a guard.
Considering that the customization is already a strong part of the game, especially with Monster Hunter Rise‘s layered armor, this level of personalizing is an obvious fit into the series. There are already ways to make a character look the way any given player wants, or to choose a weapon that fights anyway they want. However, the ability to pick these weapons apart and figure out the best way to improve on their combos on a player-by-player basis is a new level of control for the series as a whole.
One of the most interesting ways that the Switch Skills come into play is how they affect the new Wirebug mechanics of Monster Hunter Rise. This is done by having what the game seems to assume will be the final unlock for each weapon be a new attack using the Wirebug’s “X” command while a weapon is drawn. In some cases, it can switch out the original Wirebug attack for a simpler move, though in other examples it can give players the option to rocket into the air and bring heavy attacks crashing down on monsters.
A strong example of a newly unlocked Switch Skill enhancing a weapon comes from Monster Hunter Rise‘s Switch Axe, which gains a multilayered aerial attack. Not only does this attack often let the player dodge incoming attacks if timed properly by propelling them high above most monsters, but it also allows for a quick and powerful swap into the weapon’s sword form. Then combining this with the Zero Sum Discharge can keep the player consistently in the air as they pummel a monster with attacks that leave delayed explosives on contact.
By the time each weapon’s Switch Skills have all been unlocked by progressing through the High Rank, these new abilities can have a massive increase on the utility of each combat style. Some new movement and multi-shot abilities can even bring equipment like the bow into the higher tiers for Monster Hunter Rise‘s weapons. This also gives players more incentive to tool around with each weapon, in order to see how these new skills might turn a previously neglected style into the preferred instrument for a given hunt.
To a degree, it can make sorting the weapons into tiers a difficult so early in the game’s lifespan, especially when considering the risk/reward of some of these new skills. Players of different skill levels might or might not be able to pull off certain attacks, or others might not be able to adapt to the changes that come with the slight variations on each moveset. In some cases, it isn’t enough to completely change how some players approach combat, but there are plenty of examples that could make players try out Monster Hunter Rise‘s Insect Glaives or Dual Blades for the first time.
The online nature of the Monster Hunter series, while not placing the games in the “games as service” model entirely, does mean that players can assume there will be consistent updates. Most of these will often take the form of special events appearing in Monster Hunter that might give access to special layered outfits or weapons that are only available to those who log in while these are running. However, if Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is anything to go on, Capcom is more than willing to make massive updates right in the middle of a game’s lifespan.
In the case of Iceborne, players not only got new areas to hunt new monsters in, but also a new feature in the form of the Clutch Claw, which acts as a bit of a precursor to the current Wirebug. So, it’s entirely possible that down the line, Capcom might see fit to fiddle around with the Switch Skills again in order to give each weapon even more ways to engage in combat. However, considering how much there is to do on the way to and after beating Monster Hunter Rise‘s final boss, it might be a while before players need a substantial update to keep them occupied.
Monster Hunter Rise is available now for Switch.
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