A limited-time demo for Monster Hunter Rise is now available on Switch, following Capcom’s “Monster Hunter Digital Event” that took place overnight. The demo is available until February 1, giving players a taste of some of Rise‘s new exploration mechanics, solo and co-op play, and of course, monster hunts.
The demo includes the following modes and quests, with all 14 weapon types available:
- Training: A tutorial on Monster Hunter basics, along with an introduction to Rise‘s new Wirebug and Palamute riding mechanics (solo play only)
- Wyvern Riding: An arena where you can try out Monster Hunter Rise‘s new Wyvern Riding feature, allowing hunters to ride monsters (solo play only)
- Beginner quest: Great Izuchi – a hunt designed for first-time players or those who need a refresher, with one of Monster Hunter Rise‘s new monsters as the target (solo play, local multiplayer, and online multiplayer)
- Intermediate quest: Mizutsune – A more challenging quest to hunt a Mizutsune, which returns after its debute in Monster Hunter Generations (solo play, local multiplayer, and online multiplayer
There are a few other restrictions to be aware of with the Monster Hunter Rise demo. Each player will be limited to 30 quest attempts, across both the Great Izuchi and Mizutsune quests. The Training and Wyvern Riding don’t count against the 30-quest limit, but once all attempts are used up, those modes will no longer be available. Online multiplayer for the demo requires a Nintendo Switch Online membership, but local multiplayer doesn’t.
As well as the demo, the Monster Hunter Digital Event introduced a few other new details about the upcoming game, including the aforementioned Wyvern Riding feature and a new location, the Frost Islands, home to the new Goss Harag monster. The event also introduced some of the characters who will feature in Monster Hunter Rise, and showed footage of a few more monsters that will feature in the game: the Lagombi, Khezu, Great Baggi, Barioth, Mizutsune, and Tigrex.
Monster Hunter Rise expands on the series’ monster-hunting action RPG core with more emphasis on aerial combat and vertical exploration. (That latter point, in particular, is what makes it one of my most anticipated games of this year.) It launches March 26, 2021 for Nintendo Switch.