'Monster Hunter Rise' is the most ambitious Nintendo Switch game in a long time

When it comes to the gameplay loop, there's little to differentiate it from "Monster Hunter World," and that's actually a remarkable thing. "World" was a massive upgrade for the once-niche series, streamlining its action while making it look prettier than ever. That "Rise" manages to match this almost one to one is in and of itself a remarkable feat. It's also not a knock that "Rise" takes after "World" so much. After all, the "Monster Hunter" series is one of those giant mega-franchises (over 64 million sold worldwide) that reiterates the formula with small updates because people already love the core loop.