There’s a lot of people out there that would call Metroid Dread the Nintendo Switch Game of the Year for 2021. In fact, many people would probably call it the Game of the Year, full stop. But I don’t even think it was the best Switch game of 2021: right back at the start of the year, Capcom surpassed all expectations with Monster Hunter Rise – a slightly more stripped-back, easy-to-play game than its undeniably more dense console sibling, Monster Hunter World.
On Switch, I put over 100 hours into Monster Hunter Rise in 2021 (thanks to some lockdowns and a light start to the year), so you’d think I’d have had my fill of chasing down packs of Rathalos on the back of a baying dog, shunting my sword into their heads and ripping off their skin so I can wear it like a coat. But, as the January 12, 2022 PC release date approaches, I can’t help but find myself getting excited to step back into Kamura Village all over again.
Why? Why would I want to make such a commitment when we’ve got the likes of Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West approaching rapidly? First up, I never got to experience all the DLC that got added to the game post-launch. It’s traditional for Monster Hunter titles to continue updating the games long after release, and in the months since it first hit the Switch, Rise has been updated with armor sets and weapons tied in with Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, Okami, Street Fighter, Mega Man 11, Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection and the non-Capcom Sonic the Hedgehog.
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