Monster Hunter Rise’s Sound Design Builds on Past Titles with a Japanese Twist

Capcom Unity released a new Monster Hunter Rise interview, this time featuring sound director Kosuke Tanaka and lead composer Satoshi Hori. The interview revealed key details about environmental sound effects, hunter voices, and how the upcoming game’s monster themes and BGM will focus heavily on the addition of vocals and Japanese instruments.

Hori revealed that there will be “no huge changes” to monster themes. The team intentionally included nostalgic sounds from past titles into Monster Hunter Rise. Instead, they added a “catchy twist to them to better fit the themes of [the] game.” Monster themes for both new and returning monsters will feature vocals and instrumentation. Hori states that they recorded traditional Japanese instruments like the shakuhachi, shamisen, and koto, as well as many instruments that people wouldn’t normally hear.

For environmental sound effects, Hori explained that the team did field recordings in order to make the game feel realistic. From the songs of birds to ambient cave noises, the game will feature many “real sounds” that change depending on what area the hunter is in.

Additionally, Tanaka also explained the reasoning behind adding hunter dialogue in Rise. He mentions that players used to play together in the same physical space on portable consoles, and that the team wanted to recreate this feeling for those that were unable to do so.

Furthermore, Tanaka says that the hunter voices also removes the necessity for voice chat functionality, lowering the hurdle for communication. Hunter voice lines will be tied to the player’s own settings, allowing people to communicate over language barriers. He adds that the frequency of spoken dialogue can be customized in-game. This includes an option for those who only want grunts and vocalizations like in past titles.

In late February, Capcom Unity also interviewed the director of the game Yasunori Ichinose, where he talked about fan reception and his thoughts about the upcoming title.

Monster Hunter Rise will launch on Nintendo Switch on March 26, 2021.