Monster Hunter Rise took the highest honour at the Japan Game Awards, taking home the Grand Award at the 2021 awards on October 3.
The annually held awards, organised by Japan’s Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association and partially voted for by the public, took place during Tokyo Game Show 2021.
In a statement, CESA said of Monster Hunter Rise: “The game has successfully met the expectations of series fans who had been waiting for its release with a new and exciting hunting experience. In the public voting, many fans called it the “best in the series” and a “divine game,” and it was awarded the Grand Prize with overwhelming supports.”
Curiously, Capcom‘s title actually shared the top award with Ghost Of Tsushima, despite Sucker Punch‘s game releasing in 2020, which CESA highlighted for its “beautiful graphics, the epic story, the variety of actions, and the game music. The game received great praise from many users and received the Grand Award.”
In NME’s five-star review, Luke Shaw called Monster Hunter Rise “the greatest Monster Hunter yet”, citing “unparalleled movement, inventive weapon changes, gorgeous locales, and a setting inspired by Japanese folklore all blend together to make this a truly wonderful experience whether you play it solo, with friends, or on with random hunting acquaintances.”
Other winners of the Japan Game Awards included Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit for the Game Designers Award, while the Global Award for Japanese Product went to Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
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Last month during the latest Nintendo Direct, a new massive Sunbreak expansion was announced for Monster Hunter Rise coming in Summer 2022 simultaneously for Nintendo Switch and PC.
During Tokyo Game Show, the PC version of Monster Hunter Rise was also announced for January 12, 2022, boasting 4K resolution, enhanced textures, and higher frame rates, among other improvements, with a demo coming to Steam very soon.