Update - September 16: The leaks were accurate: Monster Hunter Rise is coming to Nintendo Switch on March 26, 2021.
Rise features new dog companions called Palamutes which you can ride around maps. You can heal and use items while riding them, and they never run out of stamina, so they're ideal for chasing monsters or covering long distances. Palamutes can also join you in combat, and between them and your Palico, you can have up to two partners follow you around. In multiplayer, each person can bring one partner with them. Palamutes are aggressive while Palicoes are supportive, and you can use any combination of the two, so Rise will have a bit more party complexity than previous games. You can customize your party and gear at Kamura Village, the main hub of Rise.
As director Yasunori Ichinose explained in a follow-up stream, Rise was named after the verticality built into its environments. This shines through with the new grappling hook tied to Wirebugs. You can use these bugs virtually anywhere, whether you're mid-air or mid-combo, and the trailer showed players scaling every inch of the seamless Ancient Shrine map. Rocks and vistas that look like inaccessible set-dressing can easily be reached with a few bugs, wall runs, and stylish backflips. You can also use Wirebugs in combat to close gaps, evade attacks, or perform special attacks like the sword and shield AoE spin shown today.
Four new monsters were shown in today's reveal trailer: Aknosom the fiery bird wyvern, Tetranadon the rock-devouring amphibian, the pack hunting bird wyvern Great Izuchi, and a mysterious new flagship brute wyvern called Magnmalo. The story of Monster Hunter Rise revolves around a "monster rampage", and you'll see some familiar faces in the chaos as well. We saw Monster Hunter World original Tobi Kadachi, Arzuros, and Nerscylla in today's reveal as well.
You can now pre-order Monster Hunter Rise, along with a themed controller and Switch console.
Original story:
A newly minted leak claims that Monster Hunter Rise is coming to Nintendo Switch next year, and it will feature new mechanics inspired by Monster Hunter World.
Reddit user PracticalBrush12, who has accurately predicted Pokemon Sword and Shield as well as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate details in the past, published a short write-up on the alleged sequel this morning. Beyond the alleged name of the game, they shared details on a new rideable dog companion opposite your Palico buddy, a Breath of the Wild-esque ability to "climb seemingly any surface," and a crudely described "fairy grappling hook" that sounds like the Clutch Claw from Monster Hunter World crossed with a Zelda Hookshot. Layered armor is said to be back, underwater combat is reportedly still absent, and maps are apparently seamless like the ones in World.
The post also points to some new and returning monsters, including a new Zinogre variant and a purported flagship whose Japanese name is Magaimado. Arzuros and Nerscylla, who haven't been seen since Monster Hunter Generations, are also said to be back, as well as Monster Hunter World's Tobi-Kadachi.
Perhaps most importantly, this leaker suggests that Monster Hunter Rise will launch in Japan, and seemingly worldwide, on March 26, 2021. They also casually teased that a sequel to Monster Hunter Stories, the monster-raising spinoff RPG on the DS, will be announced soon as well.
Adding a bit more credibility to the leak, analyst and known tipster Daniel Ahmad cheekily tweeted, "Don't forget to rise early for this one" in regards to today's Nintendo Mini Partner Direct. This Direct would be the perfect place to reveal a new Monster Hunter, and Ahmad's tweet came just minutes after the above Reddit leak. This could all be a coincidence, and Monster Hunter Rise remains unofficial for now, but it raises more than an eyebrow. Hopefully we get official word soon.
The final Monster Hunter World title update will add Fatalis next month. The franchise will also be making its way to tabletops everywhere via the upcoming Monster Hunter World board game.
