Monster Hunter Rise gets new trailer and a demo on Switch

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Let’s hunt: on January 7, 2021, Capcom held a Monster Hunter digital event dedicated to Monster Hunter Rise, the series’ new game, set for release on March 26, 2021, exclusively on Nintendo Switch. (The original post said “Monster Hunter Rising”, but the correct name is Rise.)

Check out the presentation:

The same day, Capcom released a free demo for one month, with four missions, all fourteen weapons, solo mode and online multiplayer. It came out swinging: demand was so high that Nintendo’s eShop went down for a while.

Rise was announced in a Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase on September 17, 2020 and brings heavyweight new features to the series. The Palamute, a canine companion, serves as a mount across the map and fights alongside you. The Wirebug, an insect that works as a grappling hook, lets you climb walls, strike in the air and even ride some monsters. The name Rise comes precisely from this verticality. The game uses the RE Engine, the engine of Resident Evil 7 and Devil May Cry 5, and the central village, Kamura, has a look inspired by feudal Japan.

For collectors, the launch came with three amiibo, Palico, Palamute and the flagship monster Magnamalo, and a special themed Switch.

What came next

Monster Hunter Rise came out on March 26, 2021 and was well received. A second demo came on March 12. The PC version came out on January 12, 2022, the Sunbreak expansion on June 30, 2022 and the PlayStation and Xbox versions on January 20, 2023, with Game Pass at launch. The game passed 20 million copies sold, the second best-selling in the series, and Sunbreak passed 8 million.