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Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is a tough yet accessible expansionFrankenstein’s Monster Hunter
Frankenstein’s Monster Hunter
Seregios can get stuffed. I recently faced off against the massive golden dragon during a hands-on session for Sunbreak, the upcoming expansion pack forMonster Hunter Rise, and it battered me repeatedly for the best part of an hour. It has become the flying white whale to my dual blade wielding Ahab, and I left the preview event determined to chop it to bits when the DLC finally arrives later this month.
Sunbreak’s new master rank quests aren’t messing around, basically. It seems Capcom have taken criticisms that the base version of Monster Hunter Rise didn’t provide challenging enough end-game content to heart, and have loaded the expansion with some truly agonising encounters purpose-built for returning veterans.
Hands On - Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Is A Challenging Yet Accessible Expansion | PC GameplayOh I mean sure, you couldreadthis article, but if you fancyhearingit instead, check out the video above. You can also see the game running in 4K at 60fps. Neat!Watch on YouTube
Hands On - Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Is A Challenging Yet Accessible Expansion | PC Gameplay
I was able to hunt two beasties during my time with the game. Alongside Seregios (ugh), a returning beast that first appeared in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, I also faced off against Lunagaron. New to the expansion, Lunagaron is an ice wolf with a massive health pool and even bigger claws. As I chased it through the new citadel locale I was repeatedly caught off guard as it lunged towards me at incredible speed, its attacks chewing through my health bar at an alarming rate. The second I felt I had gained the upper hand, it moved into its second phase, where it sprouted enormous icicles out of its spine and gained the ability to spray a freezing cold beam of death out of its snarling jaws.
Our battle was as arduous and as thrilling as you’d expect from a late-game mission. Battered and bruised, the beast eventually retired to its underground lair. How apt, that this would be the place that hosted our final encounter. I swapped to a fresh set of silk bind moves and raised my blades, ready to deal the final blow… before the timer ran out and I was kicked back to the hub area. Ah well. Maybe next time, Lunagaron. Despite the disappointing outcome, the mission was an exceptional introduction to what Sunbreak has in store.
My battle with Lunagaron lasted so long that I saw the citadel at multiple points during its day-night cycle. Although it’s extremely purple during the night, the day sees it drenched in warm sunlight that gives it an almost welcoming atmosphere.
Alongside its roster of groovy ghoulies, the expansion also retrofits a couple of new mechanics that give combat and exploration a bit of much-needed zip. Wall running can now be initiated without using a wirebug first, for instance, a minor change that makes clambering up vertical surfaces way smoother than in the launch version of the game. The biggest addition is the clumsily-named Switch Skill Swap ability, which allows hunters to seamlessly transition between two switch skill loadouts at any point. With each of the game’s 14 weapons receiving new silk bind moves to play around with, Switch Skill Swap enables you to chain multiple moves together into one long combo.
Swapping only takes around half a second, but you’re able to initiate a dodge at any point during the animation in case a monster is making a beeline for your hunter. Sunbreak is full of little additions like this. Tiny tweaks that help smooth off a couple of Monster Hunter’s long-standing pointy edges. You’re no longer forced to wyvern ride once you’ve dealt substantial damage to a monster, for instance, while new endemic life incentivises smashing beasts into walls thanks to rings of bugs that explode on impact.
My favourite, and perhaps the most noticeable change for returning players, is how your available moves are now displayed on the bottom of the screen whenever you unsheathe your weapon. With Switch Skill Swap altering your abilities on the fly, it’s a great decision that will no doubt prevent any confusion about what moves you currently have equipped while in the heat of battle. It’s also a neat way to familiarise yourself with the nuances of a weapon without having to dig into your hunter’s notes. Improved UI is an odd thing to highlight when discussing an expansion pack, but hey, that’s Monster Hunter I guess.
Seregios related blunders aside, I really enjoyed my time with Sunbreak. Switch Skill Swap is a genuine game-changer while new monsters are sure to offer fresh challenges for returning players. It would be easy to summarise Sunbreak as “more Monster Hunter” but, I guess that’s not a bad thing? I loved Rise, and the prospect of having more of it is hardly a problem, but Sunbreak does feel like something a bit more substantial than that. Perhaps “Rise, but better!” is a more apt definition.
I really do hate Sergios though. My life will not know peace until I can craft its rubbish scales into a lovely piece of armour.
