Concept art has been posted revealing Magnamalo, the flagship monster in the upcoming Monster Hunter Rise. The latest game in the series was revealed during a Nintendo Direct last week; it will be a Switch exclusive along with Monster Hunter Stories 2, which was announced at the same time. Rise will be the second mainline Monster Hunter game to appear on the Switch, and the first one to be exclusive to Nintendo's hybrid console.
Capcom is doing a lot to set Monster Hunter Rise apart from its predecessor, and that's likely for the best. Monster Hunter: World was a tremendous shift for the franchise, breathing new life into the franchise by massively changing up the formula of the game and taking huge strides to make it more accessible for new fans. The results spoke for themselves; the game was a huge success, and currently holds a position of prestige as Capcom's highest-selling game ever. After a game like that, Monster Hunter Rise has a lot to live up to. It showed off its plan for filling Monster Hunter: World's shoes during the aforementioned direct, showcasing an adorable new dog companion, a tool called a Wirebug that functions similarly to a grappling hook, and a terrifying new flagship monster named Magnamalo.
Fans got a closer look at Magnamalo today, courtesy of Monster Hunter's Twitter page. The account posted two photos from Magnamalo's concept art, including a full-body shot and a closeup. The creature is truly imposing. It holds itself like a big cat, but it has the scaled back of a crocodile, and two wickedly sharp blades emerging from its wrists. Menacing purple flames spew from its mouth. Even from a still piece of concept art, it's obvious that Magnamalo will pose a serious threat to hunters in several different ways. Check out the concept art below.
The Monster Hunter games would be nothing without monsters to hunt, and the series has consistently delivered excellent and memorable creature designs. There are plenty of standouts, like the iconic dragon monster Rathalos, but over the years, the roster has swelled with more and more intimidating and fearsome foes. Standing out in such a crowd isn't easy, but Magnamalo looks more than capable of providing a challenge no hunter will ever forget.
Capcom has done a lot to drum up excitement for its new game, and it shows, especially in the design of Magnamalo. The developer is even packaging this fearsome beast as an Amiibo with the collector's edition of the game, so players who are especially excited about the monster can look forward to displaying it proudly on their shelves when the game launches. Details about how this creature will fare in combat are still slim, but players should expect a struggle when Monster Hunter Rise launches on March 26, 2021.
Source: Monster Hunter