As a hunter, you’re tasked with protecting a charming small town from the danger of monsters. To complete the all given objectives, you should have to track down the monsters and you will keep going until the area residents are secure, and your character’s stats are perfect. If you are already a fan of the Monster Hunter franchise and already played any of the previous titles (i.e. Monster Hunter Rise or Monster Hunter World) before that, the Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak will feel like a trip down memory lane to you. As a conventional expansion, it offers unique enemies and locations to fight against, but the level of all those inclusions only serves to emphasize how much delightful the experience can be through the gameplay. There are a lot of exciting new creatures to face in Capcom’s latest addition, however, the sluggish release of substantial fresh stuff makes it feel a little stale.
That tale is yet another primarily uninteresting and formulaic narrative about why the monsters are enraged. The hunters can watch the sunset over a vast water body and this time the players find themselves in the European-themed Kingdom, not in the Japanese-inspired Kamura. At this point, the area is plagued by a formidable group of monsters known as “The Three Lords”. Some other monsters arrive in some far places giving hunters reason to seek out tasks at formerly accessible Rise locations. The new Elgado Outpost is modest and boring so there isn’t much to do besides constructing equipment and getting prepared for the next quest. There is not much more to it than retailers and quest givers, but it would be nice if Capcom had given it the same attention to detail as it had done in Kamura.
Master Rank, which features extra tricky editions of the game’s creatures and a variety of new and old monsters, continues the expansion’s long history of making each of your gear completely pointless as soon as it is unlocked. That’s hardly a criticism, however, because it’s genuinely thrilling to see the level reset so dramatically, with a plethora of effective weapon improvements to joyfully pursue. Perhaps, one of the best Monster Rank’s benefits is that it offers monsters with modified behaviors and even new maneuvers so that the players always get a unique level of battle.
Aside from being visually stunning, Rise’s monsters are also a joy to combat because of their incredibly diverse abilities. All three of the “Three Lords” – Garangolm, Lunagaron, and Malzeno stand out for various reasons: Garangolm’s rocky ape-like look conceals its rapid movement and startling primal impacts; Lunagaron’s amusing take on the typical wolf concept; and Malzeno’s vampire-centric abilities make it a really interesting creature to battle against. There are also some familiar faces from previous games, such as Astalos and Gore Magala, who look much better than before and offer some sort of difficulty to those players unfamiliar with them.
As a matter of fact, it’s been going on for a while now. Even though Sunbreak raises your hunter to Master Rank in a short span of time, a new monster will not appear unless you have completed Master Rank 3, which can take a bit longer to reach. Most longstanding Monster Hunter enthusiasts won’t get much surprised by this new DLC. However, there are some new mechanics, but they are mostly just the same old ones. It doesn’t live up to my expectations at all.
As soon as the game’s first major update was released, players were given the ability to switch between two distinct load-outs of switch skills. While it’s a wonderful addition, it can also be used as an effective evasion when the time comes. Aside from the obvious advantages of being able to go overboard with weapon refining and minimizing downtime, switching between hunting skills also has a number of other benefits included later on in the game. Skill-switching can be seen as a metaphor for Sunbreak’s entire gameplay. While this may seem like a minor tweak, it has a big impact on your huntings. There are many possible switch abilities that it is hard for me to keep up with them all, however, this provides the opportunity to determine what could be most useful against a certain monster and use it. What this addition really do is make the previously available amazing hunt gameplay even better.
A few of Rise’s flaws have been remedied by the removal of Rampages to a quite insane level. It’s almost as if there aren’t any advent of newer solutions for the Rampage weapon tree at this point. For the most part, it appears that the Rampage storylines haven’t been renewed whatsoever, and new firearms don’t use the Rampage Skill system. Even if it’s a spectacular turnabout, the tedious repetition of Rampage objectives shouldn’t have come as a surprise.
The fact that Rampages have been removed from the game is disappointing, but it’s even more so because there is not any replacement added in the Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak. In spite of its lack of longevity, I was pleased that Capcom made the decision to test with a fresh quest sort just like this. In addition, the removal of a key component of Rise in Sunbreak makes this version feel significantly less substantial than it otherwise would have. Contrast this with the ingenious new concepts given to World by Iceborne in the form of the Guiding Lands, an intriguing reinterpretation of its conclusion. Sunbreak, on the other hand, simply increases the complexity of the monsters with a little though humorous surprise that I can’t reveal.
As significant as the monsters themselves, Monster Hunter’s surroundings are equally as crucial to the game. Jungle, which was previously found in Monster Hunter’s second edition has now made a comeback again. While it may be a lovely bit of remembrance for certain players, the place soon begins to appear modest and straightforward when contrasted to the rest of Rise’s environments. The Citadel, a new, highly significant arena expansion, has numerous tiny nooks and routes making the territory appear densely packed with movement and track choices. It also has a variety of biomes, such as a gloomy resin marsh that slow down the movement of both hunters and monsters, an ice-coated tunnel, and a collapsing castle. Enemies can be tripped up by Marionette Spiders, and creatures that influence Wyvern Riding can be found in most of the areas, giving players new ways of coping with beasts.
Even while it has its flaws, such as a lack of adaptive controls, an overuse of older material, and resource repetition, these are not major considerations. The narrative’s lack of creativity is undoubtedly its most severe flaw. However, my dissatisfaction is limited in comparison to the importance of the subsequent improvements. Being a fan of Monster Hunter Rise, you will get satisfied with the new game edition. If you’re looking for a thrill and competition unlike any other game, look no farther than Monster Hunter. Briefly stated, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is an excellent game. It’s excellent and more than justifies the steep price.
