Monthly Archives: October 2020
Numbered Monster Hunter Games Are No Longer the Norm
Specifically, I asked if Rise and World were examples of a new normal naming convention, and if we were done with numbered Monster Hunters. Tsujimoto responded with: “Yeah… Each new game is based around a specific theme or concept, and we decided that it would be better for the players to understand what kind of, what the game is about, if we give the game a title that reflects what it's about rather than just a number. So yes, we will be doing this in the future as well."
Though we can't be completely certain numbered Monster Hunters are permanently put to rest, expect more descriptive titles in the near future.For more on Monster Hunter Rise, read about Monster Hunter Rise's Skippable Cutscenes and More New Details we learned in our full interview, and watch the Monster Hunter Rise Tokyo Game Show gameplay presentation above.
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Casey DeFreitas is an Editor at IGN who loves monster hunting, slaying, and catching. Catch her on Twitter @ShinyCaseyD.Numbered Monster Hunter Games Are No Longer the Norm
Specifically, I asked if Rise and World were examples of a new normal naming convention, and if we were done with numbered Monster Hunters. Tsujimoto responded with: “Yeah… Each new game is based around a specific theme or concept, and we decided that it would be better for the players to understand what kind of, what the game is about, if we give the game a title that reflects what it's about rather than just a number. So yes, we will be doing this in the future as well."
Though we can't be completely certain numbered Monster Hunters are permanently put to rest, expect more descriptive titles in the near future.For more on Monster Hunter Rise, read about Monster Hunter Rise's Skippable Cutscenes and More New Details we learned in our full interview, and watch the Monster Hunter Rise Tokyo Game Show gameplay presentation above.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=new-monster-hunter-rise-screenshots-oct-2020&captions=true"]
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Casey DeFreitas is an Editor at IGN who loves monster hunting, slaying, and catching. Catch her on Twitter @ShinyCaseyD.Fall Guys Season 2: How Knight Fever Was Made
What Is Knight Fever?
Joseph “JJ” Juson: Knight Fever is, I guess, familiar in a sense that it's a race level. It's one of our big 60-player, race-to-the-finish-line, be top 75% [events]. We knew that this was going to be dropping after people had got to grips with these kinds of levels, and had got quite good at them, and so we thought, “Let's make one for these players who've conquered everything else so far and do a really hard version of that.” On a smaller scale, we have a lot of new obstacles in Season 2, and a lot of these are showcased in this level. So we have rotating spike logs, and we have these scythes that swing really fast, and we have these massive log swings with spikes on them that are trying to get you. So when we were looking at this level, it was really about, “How can we show these off in a difficult way, and also in a way where it's back-to-back obstacles?” I think, more than our other races, you can fall off at any point – there are some bits that I still find really hard and I'm falling off all the time.The Inspiration
Joe Walsh: There are just a couple of obstacles in game shows that we'd seen when we were researching Fall Guys in general. One of the things we looked at is Richard Gere in The First Knight – he goes through this epic swinging obstacle course of swinging scythes and that was in our brains, like, "That's pretty good. We should probably use that." Then the other one is this TV show called Raven that used to exist back in the day, and it had this thing called The Way Of The Warrior, where the person who was rubbish at Raven would get a go at completing this obstacle course in order to qualify. For those who don't know, it's a kids’ TV show with a high fantasy style and an amazing Scottish host. It's just a great obstacle course with some really scary-looking obstacles. I think we just had really good ideas for medieval obstacles that felt too good to put into the launch game, because it felt like we could do a whole season just around medieval stuff. Knight Fever is like a greatest hits of all of our favorite medieval obstacles from these shows that we like. [caption id="attachment_2417405" align="alignnone" width="1600"]
Knight Fever concept layout.[/caption]
The Concept
JJ: The first step of working on a level like this was basically taking those obstacles and brainstorming around different sections that would fit them. There are some obstacles where it feels very natural, what you're going to be doing with them. The scythe for example – at least to start with, you're going to be running through a row of these scythes. And then it was kind of like, “OK, well how do we make that interesting? How do we make that feel like Fall Guys?” Because we obviously still want it to feel like it's a game show, and this is an obstacle course. So, I spent a few days doing that and put together a document of some ideas for sections with these obstacles. The obstacle designs were so good that it was like they kind of made themselves. We realized quite early that there was a lot of balancing, basically. You're either running along a beam and avoiding scythes, or you're running along a beam and avoiding the swinging log, or you're running across this spike log and it's like, “OK, well it's a bit overboard on balancing, that's all you're doing.” So we then took it back a little bit and looked at different ways to use these obstacles that weren't necessarily just about staying on a tight beam. One of the things I knew, even actually before we started, probably before we even had the obstacles, was I knew that I wanted a drop halfway through the level, like a slimy drop. Kind of reversed to the end of Hit Parade where you're going up and there are the things moving across – let's give people the opportunity to just go down as a fun moment halfway through. So that kind of forms the basis of the structure. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="3840"]
Knight Fever's obstacles.[/caption]
Once we had that on paper and we were happy with that, we went into the blocking out phase and I would make these sections separately. It's an interesting way to make a level, especially a level like this that’s pretty big and quite long – you have no idea how any of the sections are really going to play or feel until you have the whole thing together. I could go down that little slide on its own and it's like, "Well, great. Does it feel like I earned that in the level and does it feel like it's actually fun in conjunction with the other stuff?” So you have to make it all to then know if these sessions are going to work.
We had one section, which had these giant logs swings, and it was kind of like a maze that you would be going through, under the log swings. On paper it looked quite cool, it felt like you'd be able to make some interesting choices and jump across. Then when I actually got in the [level] editor, it probably should have been something I saw before, but the log swings were just hitting each other, because they were massive and there was no space. It was so cramped and it just didn't really work as a section. I was playing around with it a bit, but I think you get that inherent feeling now, I think having worked on these levels for a long time, you just know, “This doesn't Fall Guys and it's not going to work.”
I think we realized, we don't need that many because they're so big and so tricky to get past, that two is enough. So we have this massive half pipe with loads of holes in it, and you've got to avoid these giant log swings. I think it's much more enjoyable than the original section we wanted to make.
Joe: [Knight Fever] is more of a skill check, I think. It's definitely harder and I think it creates this nice image of storming the castle, which is something we talked about really early on – we wanted the finish line to be these two big crenelated towers and it's like a hoard of badly dressed, wacky, overweight Fall Guys charging through. It just seemed like the right thing and we wanted to, just for this one at least, really funnel players together and have them getting in each other's way and tripping over each other and stuff like that.
[caption id="attachment_2417404" align="alignnone" width="3000"]
Knight Fever concept art.[/caption]
The Future
JJ: I think when you think you've mastered how to make a Fall Guys level, it changes because people master this stuff and get better at it and are like, "Well, where's the new challenge? What's the next new thing for me to tackle in this game?" Part of [dealing with] that is we've been doing this level variation stuff where we've got different versions of the levels we know. I think having these new obstacles, the Season 2 drop isn't the end of how we can use this stuff. It just gives us a really good platform for the future. Joe: I do think we're asking more of players with Season 2, for sure – both in these levels and then later on when we bring these obstacles elsewhere in the game – I think it's going to be really exciting to see people try and master these ones. JJ: If every race level was as hard as Knight Fever, I don't think the game would be as fun as it is, but I think when you can sprinkle this into the mix of levels that are already there, you really give different play styles and different people the opportunity to shine or have fun – I think that's really cool. One of the things we're thinking about when we're making our levels now, which is different, is how we’re going to remix this more down the line. We know exactly how the system works and we know what's fun. We know what people like. I think the thrill of it is those surprises, moments that you didn't expect to see in this level because you know it so well. So we definitely want to keep this level fresh – we're leaving these sections, giving them more space to be able to play with in the future. [caption id="attachment_2417406" align="alignnone" width="2560"]
Knight Fever in action.[/caption]
Joe: I dread to think what you've got up your sleeve for Knight Fever remixes down the line.
JJ: There's some really good stuff. I'm a bit obsessed with Big Yeetus as well, because it always feels inherently fun to jump into a hammer and get flown across a map. But now it's like, how can we do this in a different way? How can we give players who care more about finishing in style than just finishing? Yeah, that's really exciting.
Fall Guys Season 2 will be released on Thursday, October 8.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.Fall Guys Season 2: How Knight Fever Was Made
What Is Knight Fever?
Joseph “JJ” Juson: Knight Fever is, I guess, familiar in a sense that it's a race level. It's one of our big 60-player, race-to-the-finish-line, be top 75% [events]. We knew that this was going to be dropping after people had got to grips with these kinds of levels, and had got quite good at them, and so we thought, “Let's make one for these players who've conquered everything else so far and do a really hard version of that.” On a smaller scale, we have a lot of new obstacles in Season 2, and a lot of these are showcased in this level. So we have rotating spike logs, and we have these scythes that swing really fast, and we have these massive log swings with spikes on them that are trying to get you. So when we were looking at this level, it was really about, “How can we show these off in a difficult way, and also in a way where it's back-to-back obstacles?” I think, more than our other races, you can fall off at any point – there are some bits that I still find really hard and I'm falling off all the time.The Inspiration
Joe Walsh: There are just a couple of obstacles in game shows that we'd seen when we were researching Fall Guys in general. One of the things we looked at is Richard Gere in The First Knight – he goes through this epic swinging obstacle course of swinging scythes and that was in our brains, like, "That's pretty good. We should probably use that." Then the other one is this TV show called Raven that used to exist back in the day, and it had this thing called The Way Of The Warrior, where the person who was rubbish at Raven would get a go at completing this obstacle course in order to qualify. For those who don't know, it's a kids’ TV show with a high fantasy style and an amazing Scottish host. It's just a great obstacle course with some really scary-looking obstacles. I think we just had really good ideas for medieval obstacles that felt too good to put into the launch game, because it felt like we could do a whole season just around medieval stuff. Knight Fever is like a greatest hits of all of our favorite medieval obstacles from these shows that we like. [caption id="attachment_2417405" align="alignnone" width="1600"] Knight Fever concept layout.[/caption]
The Concept
JJ: The first step of working on a level like this was basically taking those obstacles and brainstorming around different sections that would fit them. There are some obstacles where it feels very natural, what you're going to be doing with them. The scythe for example – at least to start with, you're going to be running through a row of these scythes. And then it was kind of like, “OK, well how do we make that interesting? How do we make that feel like Fall Guys?” Because we obviously still want it to feel like it's a game show, and this is an obstacle course. So, I spent a few days doing that and put together a document of some ideas for sections with these obstacles. The obstacle designs were so good that it was like they kind of made themselves. We realized quite early that there was a lot of balancing, basically. You're either running along a beam and avoiding scythes, or you're running along a beam and avoiding the swinging log, or you're running across this spike log and it's like, “OK, well it's a bit overboard on balancing, that's all you're doing.” So we then took it back a little bit and looked at different ways to use these obstacles that weren't necessarily just about staying on a tight beam. One of the things I knew, even actually before we started, probably before we even had the obstacles, was I knew that I wanted a drop halfway through the level, like a slimy drop. Kind of reversed to the end of Hit Parade where you're going up and there are the things moving across – let's give people the opportunity to just go down as a fun moment halfway through. So that kind of forms the basis of the structure. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="3840"] Knight Fever's obstacles.[/caption]
Once we had that on paper and we were happy with that, we went into the blocking out phase and I would make these sections separately. It's an interesting way to make a level, especially a level like this that’s pretty big and quite long – you have no idea how any of the sections are really going to play or feel until you have the whole thing together. I could go down that little slide on its own and it's like, "Well, great. Does it feel like I earned that in the level and does it feel like it's actually fun in conjunction with the other stuff?” So you have to make it all to then know if these sessions are going to work.
We had one section, which had these giant logs swings, and it was kind of like a maze that you would be going through, under the log swings. On paper it looked quite cool, it felt like you'd be able to make some interesting choices and jump across. Then when I actually got in the [level] editor, it probably should have been something I saw before, but the log swings were just hitting each other, because they were massive and there was no space. It was so cramped and it just didn't really work as a section. I was playing around with it a bit, but I think you get that inherent feeling now, I think having worked on these levels for a long time, you just know, “This doesn't Fall Guys and it's not going to work.”
I think we realized, we don't need that many because they're so big and so tricky to get past, that two is enough. So we have this massive half pipe with loads of holes in it, and you've got to avoid these giant log swings. I think it's much more enjoyable than the original section we wanted to make.
Joe: [Knight Fever] is more of a skill check, I think. It's definitely harder and I think it creates this nice image of storming the castle, which is something we talked about really early on – we wanted the finish line to be these two big crenelated towers and it's like a hoard of badly dressed, wacky, overweight Fall Guys charging through. It just seemed like the right thing and we wanted to, just for this one at least, really funnel players together and have them getting in each other's way and tripping over each other and stuff like that.
[caption id="attachment_2417404" align="alignnone" width="3000"] Knight Fever concept art.[/caption]
The Future
JJ: I think when you think you've mastered how to make a Fall Guys level, it changes because people master this stuff and get better at it and are like, "Well, where's the new challenge? What's the next new thing for me to tackle in this game?" Part of [dealing with] that is we've been doing this level variation stuff where we've got different versions of the levels we know. I think having these new obstacles, the Season 2 drop isn't the end of how we can use this stuff. It just gives us a really good platform for the future. Joe: I do think we're asking more of players with Season 2, for sure – both in these levels and then later on when we bring these obstacles elsewhere in the game – I think it's going to be really exciting to see people try and master these ones. JJ: If every race level was as hard as Knight Fever, I don't think the game would be as fun as it is, but I think when you can sprinkle this into the mix of levels that are already there, you really give different play styles and different people the opportunity to shine or have fun – I think that's really cool. One of the things we're thinking about when we're making our levels now, which is different, is how we’re going to remix this more down the line. We know exactly how the system works and we know what's fun. We know what people like. I think the thrill of it is those surprises, moments that you didn't expect to see in this level because you know it so well. So we definitely want to keep this level fresh – we're leaving these sections, giving them more space to be able to play with in the future. [caption id="attachment_2417406" align="alignnone" width="2560"] Knight Fever in action.[/caption]
Joe: I dread to think what you've got up your sleeve for Knight Fever remixes down the line.
JJ: There's some really good stuff. I'm a bit obsessed with Big Yeetus as well, because it always feels inherently fun to jump into a hammer and get flown across a map. But now it's like, how can we do this in a different way? How can we give players who care more about finishing in style than just finishing? Yeah, that's really exciting.
Fall Guys Season 2 will be released on Thursday, October 8.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.Monster Hunter Rise’s Skippable Cutscenes and 8 More New Details
Capcom featured Monster Hunter Rise prominently at Tokyo Game Show, with not one, but two 20-minute gameplay demos with developer commentary. After that showcase, we had the opportunity to interview Monster Hunter Rise producer Ryozo Tsujimoto and director Yasunori Ichinose, and learned even more.
Here is some of the most important new information about Monster Hunter Rise for the Nintendo Switch, from skippable cutscenes to how Capcom is handling Nintendo Switch Online.
1. The New Normal Naming Convention
This is more of a big picture detail, but you should know Monster Hunter games with subheads, like World and Rise, are the new norm.
Tsujimoto said each new game is based around a specific theme or concept, and they decided that it would be better to give new Monster Hunters a title that reflects their focus – for example, World’s introduction of large, open areas, and Rise’s emphasis on verticality.
Specifically, I asked if Rise and World were examples of a new normal naming convention, and if we were done with numbered Monster Hunters. Tsujimoto responded with: “Yeah… Each new game is based around a specific theme or concept, and we decided that it would be better for the players to understand what kind of, what the game is about, if we give the game a title that reflects what it's about rather than just a number. So yes, we will be doing this in the future as well."
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=new-monster-hunter-rise-screenshots-oct-2020&captions=true"]
2. Rise Is “Very Much Its Own Unique Thing”
Though it has shared similarities with Monster Hunter World, Tsujimoto and Ichinose insisted it’s “very much its own unique thing” and “not just a carbon copy of World.”
Ichinose was the director for Monster Hunter Generations, and had been wanting to make a new portable Monster Hunter, which he began working on largely in tandem with Monster Hunter World - this game became what we now know as Monster Hunter Rise.“If you try out the game, I'm sure you will notice that it is very much its own unique thing,” Ichinose said. “We have some of the same quality of life improvements [as Monster Hunter World], but it is very much focused on the Switch as a platform.”
[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=%5BRise%20is%5D%20going%20to%20have%20its%20own%20unique%2C%20new%20things%20as%20well.%20Some%20of%20which%20we%20are%20not%20allowed%20to%20talk%20about%20yet."]
As for whether Rise “feels” more like World or a more classic Monster Hunter like Generations, Ichinose said "there are elements from Generations and from World, but, [Rise is] going to have its own unique, new things as well. Some of which we are not allowed to talk about yet. So there's a lot to look forward to."
Ichinose also said that Rise will certainly feel like a Monster Hunter, and every game in the series has to meet those standards as not to alienate fans. With that in mind, any experience from any past game, whether it's World, Generations, or an older Monster Hunter game, will prepare you for a new game in the series.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/17/monster-hunter-rise-official-announcement-trailer"]
3. Single-Player and Multiplayer Quests are Separated
If you’ve only played Monster Hunter World, you'll be used to the idea that all key quests can be completed either solo or with friends. But in previous Monster Hunters, there was a separation between the two playstyles, with single-player quests accepted in the “Village Hub” and multiplayer quests accepted in a “Gathering Hub”-like location.
This more traditional method of quest separation returns in Monster Hunter Rise – but don’t worry, single-player progression won’t affect your ability to progress in multiplayer quests and vice versa. However, past Monster Hunters did require players to progress the single-player campaign in order to unlock certain features and facilities, and we don’t know if this is the case for Rise just yet. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-monster-hunter-review&captions=true"]4. Monster Hunter Rise’s Cutscenes Can Be Skipped
In Monster Hunter Rise, cutscenes are skippable in both multiplayer and single-player. This means they will no longer create a barrier to joining multiplayer quests, like they did in World.
“We made sure not to put too many restrictions on that,” Ichinose explained. “...So, you can play with anyone you want. The only restrictions that are in place are your Hunter Rank [your character level in multiplayer].”
Thankfully, you will always be able to rewatch these cutscenes at your leisure, even if you do choose to skip them initially.
5. No, Monster Hunter Rise Is Not Inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
In Monster Hunter Rise you can climb and explore pretty freely, so it’s not hard to make comparisons to another familiar and explosively popular Nintendo Switch game. I’m sure Ichinose and Tsujimoto have heard this comparison quite a bit already, because they burst out laughing when I asked if Rise was inspired at all by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. But contrary to what people might think, Breath of the Wild isn’t the inspiration behind Rise, as the team has wanted to create a Monster Hunter with a lot more freedom of movement ever since they completed Generations – which was released in 2015 for the Nintendo 3DS.
[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=%E2%80%9CJust%20moving%20around%20alone%20is%20going%20to%20be%20a%20lot%20more%20fun%20in%20this%20game.%E2%80%9D"]
“[Monster Hunter games] already had a lot of exploration elements to them, and we basically wanted to build on that. We wanted to give the player even more freedom to move around,” Ichinose said. “Just moving around alone is going to be a lot more fun in this game.”
As far as how this freedom of movement affects combat, I was told “it doesn’t mean that you have to use the Wirebug during the battle, but monsters’ attacks have different variations, and depending on where the hunter is, there are monsters that will change their attack methods.”
So don’t expect to be able to cheese monsters too badly by taking advantage of being able to traverse walls. Ichinose also said, “We hope that players enjoy having the freedom to do various actions by using the Wirebug.”6. All About the Wirebug (and More Surprises to Come)
In both the trailers and TGS gameplay, we've been able to see quite a few flashy new attacks made possible by consuming the Wirebug gauge. These attacks remind me of Generations’ Hunter Arts – however, Ichinose explained that while Hunter Arts were mostly used as a “sort of special moment that could only be used occasionally because of long cooldowns,” the Wirebug attacks are something they “actively want players to use during combat in between attacks to make new combos.”Also unlike Hunter Arts, these Wirebug attacks are not customizable. However – here comes the exciting part – there are other new elements regarding actions that they can't talk about yet. They said to please look forward to that. (And as a bonus detail about combat, they told me there would be no armor skills that augment the Wirebug’s abilities.)
7. Icons Are Being Adapted to Suit the Nintendo Switch’s Small Screen
I must admit, I didn't actually notice this myself, but I did see plenty of buzz around it online – and like me, the director and producer were surprised that so many people were talking about it: the change in the antidote icon. In previous Monster Hunter games, the antidote icon looked exactly like a potion except it was blue. However, in Monster Hunter Rise it has a totally different shape. This is because they are adapting some icons to be more legible on the smaller screen of the Switch. As a result, they've been looking over existing icons and fixing them to suit the Switch as necessary, like Bowgun ammo as well.
8. NintenDon’t Voice Chat
Speaking of adapting for the Nintendo Switch (and unfortunately moving on to the “not so hype” part of this list), there will be no voice chat on the Nintendo Switch or on the Switch mobile app. This is pretty much the norm when it comes to Nintendo Switch games, however I can't help but be a bit disappointed. When asked to elaborate as to why, they said they "cannot comment on Nintendo Switch hardware features."
Instead, you will be able to input messages, create quick commands, post stickers, and use gestures in order to communicate with your fellow hunters. Capcom also confirmed a Nintendo Switch Online subscription would be required to play online multiplayer.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/26/21-minutes-of-monster-hunter-rise-dual-blades-gameplay-tgs-2020"]
9. Prowler Mode Is Not Returning
Finally, one final bit of mildly disappointing news we learned is that the Prowler mode, which let you play as a felyne in Generations, will not be returning in Monster Hunter Rise. But hey, at least you can play with your adorable Palicos and Palamutes by your side instead!
Of course, we learned a ton more than that during the gameplay videos shown at Tokyo Game Show – like how you won't need paintballs or scout flies to track monsters in Rise. You can read more about what we learned during TGS in Monster Hunter Rise: Gameplay Shows Off New Abilities, Combat and More or watch in the presentation above.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/04/07/monster-hunter-generations-official-prowler-trailer"]
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Casey DeFreitas is an Editor at IGN who loves monster hunting, slaying, and catching. Catch her on Twitter @ShinyCaseyD.Monster Hunter Rise’s Skippable Cutscenes and 8 More New Details
Capcom featured Monster Hunter Rise prominently at Tokyo Game Show, with not one, but two 20-minute gameplay demos with developer commentary. After that showcase, we had the opportunity to interview Monster Hunter Rise producer Ryozo Tsujimoto and director Yasunori Ichinose, and learned even more.
Here is some of the most important new information about Monster Hunter Rise for the Nintendo Switch, from skippable cutscenes to how Capcom is handling Nintendo Switch Online.
1. The New Normal Naming Convention
This is more of a big picture detail, but you should know Monster Hunter games with subheads, like World and Rise, are the new norm.
Tsujimoto said each new game is based around a specific theme or concept, and they decided that it would be better to give new Monster Hunters a title that reflects their focus – for example, World’s introduction of large, open areas, and Rise’s emphasis on verticality.
Specifically, I asked if Rise and World were examples of a new normal naming convention, and if we were done with numbered Monster Hunters. Tsujimoto responded with: “Yeah… Each new game is based around a specific theme or concept, and we decided that it would be better for the players to understand what kind of, what the game is about, if we give the game a title that reflects what it's about rather than just a number. So yes, we will be doing this in the future as well."
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=new-monster-hunter-rise-screenshots-oct-2020&captions=true"]
2. Rise Is “Very Much Its Own Unique Thing”
Though it has shared similarities with Monster Hunter World, Tsujimoto and Ichinose insisted it’s “very much its own unique thing” and “not just a carbon copy of World.”
Ichinose was the director for Monster Hunter Generations, and had been wanting to make a new portable Monster Hunter, which he began working on largely in tandem with Monster Hunter World - this game became what we now know as Monster Hunter Rise.“If you try out the game, I'm sure you will notice that it is very much its own unique thing,” Ichinose said. “We have some of the same quality of life improvements [as Monster Hunter World], but it is very much focused on the Switch as a platform.”
[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=%5BRise%20is%5D%20going%20to%20have%20its%20own%20unique%2C%20new%20things%20as%20well.%20Some%20of%20which%20we%20are%20not%20allowed%20to%20talk%20about%20yet."]
As for whether Rise “feels” more like World or a more classic Monster Hunter like Generations, Ichinose said "there are elements from Generations and from World, but, [Rise is] going to have its own unique, new things as well. Some of which we are not allowed to talk about yet. So there's a lot to look forward to."
Ichinose also said that Rise will certainly feel like a Monster Hunter, and every game in the series has to meet those standards as not to alienate fans. With that in mind, any experience from any past game, whether it's World, Generations, or an older Monster Hunter game, will prepare you for a new game in the series.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/17/monster-hunter-rise-official-announcement-trailer"]
3. Single-Player and Multiplayer Quests are Separated
If you’ve only played Monster Hunter World, you'll be used to the idea that all key quests can be completed either solo or with friends. But in previous Monster Hunters, there was a separation between the two playstyles, with single-player quests accepted in the “Village Hub” and multiplayer quests accepted in a “Gathering Hub”-like location.
This more traditional method of quest separation returns in Monster Hunter Rise – but don’t worry, single-player progression won’t affect your ability to progress in multiplayer quests and vice versa. However, past Monster Hunters did require players to progress the single-player campaign in order to unlock certain features and facilities, and we don’t know if this is the case for Rise just yet. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-monster-hunter-review&captions=true"]4. Monster Hunter Rise’s Cutscenes Can Be Skipped
In Monster Hunter Rise, cutscenes are skippable in both multiplayer and single-player. This means they will no longer create a barrier to joining multiplayer quests, like they did in World.
“We made sure not to put too many restrictions on that,” Ichinose explained. “...So, you can play with anyone you want. The only restrictions that are in place are your Hunter Rank [your character level in multiplayer].”
Thankfully, you will always be able to rewatch these cutscenes at your leisure, even if you do choose to skip them initially.
5. No, Monster Hunter Rise Is Not Inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
In Monster Hunter Rise you can climb and explore pretty freely, so it’s not hard to make comparisons to another familiar and explosively popular Nintendo Switch game. I’m sure Ichinose and Tsujimoto have heard this comparison quite a bit already, because they burst out laughing when I asked if Rise was inspired at all by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. But contrary to what people might think, Breath of the Wild isn’t the inspiration behind Rise, as the team has wanted to create a Monster Hunter with a lot more freedom of movement ever since they completed Generations – which was released in 2015 for the Nintendo 3DS.
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“[Monster Hunter games] already had a lot of exploration elements to them, and we basically wanted to build on that. We wanted to give the player even more freedom to move around,” Ichinose said. “Just moving around alone is going to be a lot more fun in this game.”
As far as how this freedom of movement affects combat, I was told “it doesn’t mean that you have to use the Wirebug during the battle, but monsters’ attacks have different variations, and depending on where the hunter is, there are monsters that will change their attack methods.”
So don’t expect to be able to cheese monsters too badly by taking advantage of being able to traverse walls. Ichinose also said, “We hope that players enjoy having the freedom to do various actions by using the Wirebug.”6. All About the Wirebug (and More Surprises to Come)
In both the trailers and TGS gameplay, we've been able to see quite a few flashy new attacks made possible by consuming the Wirebug gauge. These attacks remind me of Generations’ Hunter Arts – however, Ichinose explained that while Hunter Arts were mostly used as a “sort of special moment that could only be used occasionally because of long cooldowns,” the Wirebug attacks are something they “actively want players to use during combat in between attacks to make new combos.”Also unlike Hunter Arts, these Wirebug attacks are not customizable. However – here comes the exciting part – there are other new elements regarding actions that they can't talk about yet. They said to please look forward to that. (And as a bonus detail about combat, they told me there would be no armor skills that augment the Wirebug’s abilities.)
7. Icons Are Being Adapted to Suit the Nintendo Switch’s Small Screen
I must admit, I didn't actually notice this myself, but I did see plenty of buzz around it online – and like me, the director and producer were surprised that so many people were talking about it: the change in the antidote icon. In previous Monster Hunter games, the antidote icon looked exactly like a potion except it was blue. However, in Monster Hunter Rise it has a totally different shape. This is because they are adapting some icons to be more legible on the smaller screen of the Switch. As a result, they've been looking over existing icons and fixing them to suit the Switch as necessary, like Bowgun ammo as well.
8. NintenDon’t Voice Chat
Speaking of adapting for the Nintendo Switch (and unfortunately moving on to the “not so hype” part of this list), there will be no voice chat on the Nintendo Switch or on the Switch mobile app. This is pretty much the norm when it comes to Nintendo Switch games, however I can't help but be a bit disappointed. When asked to elaborate as to why, they said they "cannot comment on Nintendo Switch hardware features."
Instead, you will be able to input messages, create quick commands, post stickers, and use gestures in order to communicate with your fellow hunters. Capcom also confirmed a Nintendo Switch Online subscription would be required to play online multiplayer.
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9. Prowler Mode Is Not Returning
Finally, one final bit of mildly disappointing news we learned is that the Prowler mode, which let you play as a felyne in Generations, will not be returning in Monster Hunter Rise. But hey, at least you can play with your adorable Palicos and Palamutes by your side instead!
Of course, we learned a ton more than that during the gameplay videos shown at Tokyo Game Show – like how you won't need paintballs or scout flies to track monsters in Rise. You can read more about what we learned during TGS in Monster Hunter Rise: Gameplay Shows Off New Abilities, Combat and More or watch in the presentation above.
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Casey DeFreitas is an Editor at IGN who loves monster hunting, slaying, and catching. Catch her on Twitter @ShinyCaseyD.