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Monster Hunter World is a five-year-old game at this point and has no new content on the horizon, which is why it surprised us that it suddenly gained a spike in popularity. That is despite the newer and supposedly shinier Monster Hunter Rise. If you’re looking for reasons to pick one over the other since both games will entrap your attention (and your soul) for hundreds of hours, here’s our Monster Hunter World vs Rise comparison to help you choose.
Visuals – Monster Hunter World
This might sound weird, but when you combine the elements that make up the visual parts of either game, we have to give it to Monster Hunter World— the older game wins. Monster Hunter Rise does have better textures and more updated graphical effects, but it looks less realistic and can often feel more like an anime-style JRPG.
Subjective, we know, but here’s one more point for Monster Hunter World, the user interface. World‘s more (relatively) minimalist and elegant UI can make it feel more like the newer game. By comparison, Rise‘s UI which is a callback to old Monster Hunter games, well, makes it feel like those old Monster Hunter games. Some UI elements were also too big in Rise, though that’s understandable since it also had to adjust itself for Nintendo Switch.
Sound – Monster Hunter World
Sound does more than complement visuals. It can also help make you feel at home or welcome, especially with its music. In that regard, we have to give this point to Monster Hunter World since the fanfare soundtrack simply inspires and instills the thrill of the hunt into new and aspiring hunters.
Even for old franchise veterans, World‘s rousing music can help reignite their passion for this fresh new thing (well, it was fresh back in 2018). By comparison, Monster Hunter Rise‘s music is more tranquil and meditative, with less urgency and fire in its melody.
Story – Monster Hunter World
It’s hard to favor Monster Hunter Rise in this category if we’re being candid. Because most of the time, the story is just some hunting quests with little to no contextual presentation going on. Monster Hunter World, on the other hand, loves its cinematics and Fleet meetings. The overarching plot here is also clearer.
In World, you’re exploring a new continent ripe with monsters and Elder Dragons, and there’s something weird going on, causing all kinds of disruptive migrations and wildlife patterns. You have to investigate that. Rise‘s story and your context for hunting monsters are scaled down a bit much.
Atmosphere – Monster Hunter World
Atmosphere or that one particular evocation you get from terrific world-building might just keep you coming back long after you’ve finished the game. It goes hand-in-hand with the story, of course, and Monster Hunter World wins here yet again. While that credit-grabbing Handler can get annoying, the way the biomes are tied together in World makes it feel more alive.
It’s an ecosystem with a feisty personality that you must respect, not just a map or terrain you traverse to hunt the monster in a thinly-veiled arena. It also helps that you can explore the said environment through Investigation quests. Rise did nail that provincial mountain tribal village aesthetic but World‘s environmental variety, NPCs, and dialog can put a smile on your face.
Gameplay – Monster Hunter Rise
At some point, we do have to give a win to Monster Hunter Rise, so here’s where it trumps the older game in our Monster Hunter World vs Rise guide. Movement, build variety, and animations are more superb in Monster Hunter Rise. The Wirebug adds another dimension and a layer of verticality to the old combat formula. Frankly, it makes World feel slow.
Meanwhile, you also get Palamutes in Rise, which help you traverse a lot faster and hunts can now feel less like you’re just chasing after the monster. There’s more fighting involved. If you’re after video games for gameplay alone, then this should be enough of a reason to make you choose Rise over World. There’s more “game” here, so to speak though that isn’t to say Monster Hunter World is devoid of complex gameplay. There’s just less top build variety and movement options.
Content – Monster Hunter Rise
Speaking of more “game,” Monster Hunter Rise isn’t done yet. While it has already released its big expansion, the developers are still updating the game. That means you can expect more events that should keep you coming back from time to time. Moreover, those events can also mean that the meta will keep changing.
Of course, let’s not discount the new stuff you get with each new content update. There are more newer things to play with in Monster Hunter Rise. Monster Hunter World is done and will get no more events in which new players will flock and help you find co-op hunts much easier. Let’s not forget that the newer Monster Hunter game always features new monsters, with Rise taking inspiration from Japanese folklore this time.
Accessibility – Monster Hunter Rise
Which game is easier for beginners or more available to a wider audience? Well, that point goes to Monster Hunter Rise again. Firstly, the Palamute helps in lessening the slowness of the hunt and helps players get into the action faster. That coupled with the absence of footprint tracking makes the hunts more straightforward or easier for beginners.
Then there’s the Switch platform release which means you can take Monster Hunter Rise just about anywhere you go whether it’s in the bathroom or during the standby hours in the office. Sadly, there is no crossplay or cross-save in both Monster Hunter World vs Rise, so you’re stuck in your platform.
Difficulty – Monster Hunter Rise
If the difficulty is a metric for identifying a good Monster Hunter game, then Monster Hunter Rise is the more difficult title. At least it feels that way since monsters here tend to have more health compared to Monster Hunter World, likely due to the better player mobility and the removal of footprint tracking to make hunts more action-oriented.
You’re given more tools in Monster Hunter Rise which means monster difficulty is also increased to compensate for the player power creep. That isn’t to say Monster Hunter World is easy. Both games are notoriously difficult (like Dark Souls games) once you start progressing into the endgame and finishing the main story.
Price – Monster Hunter World
Like gameplay, this category is the make-or-break for most gamers. If budget is a concern but you still want a new game then Monster Hunter World might be the better deal for you, assuming you don’t care much about concurrent updates and events. There’s no need to worry though as the renewed interest in World means you usually won’t run out of players in co-op hunts.
Monster Hunter World‘s Iceborn bundle (which includes the base game) is unsurprisingly more affordable compared to Monster Hunter Rise‘s Sunbreak bundle. With that said, the pricing is quite close for the base game. So if you’re not after the expansions, this one’s a tie.
Overall Winner – Monster Hunter World
Lower price, subjectively better visuals, more immersive sound, and a lovable atmosphere and world-building are what fueled this win for our Monster Hunter World vs Rise conundrum. You can buy Monster Hunter World and still rest assured that you got a good game worth giving hundreds (or thousands) of hours.
However, do note that it’s not a landslide victory in World‘s favor. The competition is pretty close, and if you find yourself caring more about gameplay, quality-of-life improvements, and content, then you’re better off picking Monster Hunter Rise.
