Monster Hunter: Rise of The Samurai is the latest outing in the long-running Monster Hunter series. The game kicks off with you as a brand new adventurer, fresh out of your time in Final Fantasy. As usual, you have the option to continue where you left off from. However, as we know, things do get hectic from time to time, especially with growing threats to Earth and its inhabitants. That’s when you have to decide to join forces with someone who shares your vision or leave things alone to face these threatening odds.
In Monster Hunter Rise of The Samurai, you will once again find yourself in the thick of things. You will find yourself in Kamura Village, telling the locals that another monster has been sighted nearby. You then have to decide whether you should investigate joining up with the tower defense system and go on a full-scale hunt for more monsters.
Like most Monster Hunter games, you will be given an introductory hero class and several monster hunter classes to choose from. You can also buy a variety of weapons and armor as you progress through the game. The hero in this game is a boy who resembles a boy from the cartoon show named Adventure Time. If you enjoyed that show (which is one of my favorites, by the way), you would certainly have a good time playing this Monster Hunter game where you have to defeat monsters while using your excellent hero weapon.
However, as exciting as this may sound, the truth is that this game is not very much different than any other Monster Hunter game. It just has some unique features, such as the Monster Hunter Rise of The Samurai add-on. I’ll give you a little background information before I go on. When the series started in the late 90s, the game was top-rated but slowly lost its popularity as the years went by. However, it did pick up a few fans when Wii consoles started supporting the game.
The game starts with a brief tutorial showing you how to use the weapons and items you’ll be using to take down your enemies. Monster Hunter is not just another hack and slash game where you hack and slash at everything in sight. Monster Hunter is about survival. You have to learn about using your environment to your advantage, so you can get a better vantage point and shoot your prey better. And you need to use these skills against more vigorous opponents. You can switch from using a regular sword and shield to using a rifle, which has a higher attack power and is a lot more effective at taking down more prominent targets.
To gain an advantage in combat, you can equip yourself with armor that provides high defense and stamina. On top of that, you can also buy some powerful weapons and armor that will make you even more formidable. These items are usually called “relics.” They can boost your skill points, but they can also significantly reduce your weapon damage taken during combat.
Although there are some minor differences, such as a new silhouette feature for the protagonist, the gameplay and parts of the game are the same between the Monster Hunter Rise of The Samurai and the Monster Hunter Wii game. I find the Wii game to be a bit easier to handle, especially when you have a few friends with you playing. However, the graphics and sound quality in this version of the game are slightly crisp and might take some getting used to. It’s mostly a matter of adjustment until you get used to the differences.
I recommend that you do not switch between the Monster Hunter games and the Wii game after you’ve gotten used to the new release. Monster Hunter Wii does have some admirable qualities, such as the firebug, but you can only see them if you play both on a Wii console and PC. Switching between the two will cause some very unsightly clipping and artifacts that ruin the game’s look. Also, keep in mind that this game is designed with the hardcore gamer in mind, so there will be many missions and boss battles. You will need to equip yourself with a lot of gaming stamina if you want to put up the most resistance against these creatures during your adventure through the land of Hoothy Hollow.