Monster Hunter Rise has been a huge success on the Nintendo Switch and is considered one of the franchise’s best entries. Roughly a year after its initial release, we get the first big DLC expansion in the form of Sunbreak. Is it good enough to revisit the monsters of Monster Hunter Rise? Let’s find out!
Read before you buy
Before you buy Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, it’s important to know that this is an end-game DLC that continues the story of the events of the original Monster Hunter Rise. If you haven’t completed the main HUB quests, you can’t play the DLC just yet. For newcomers, this means they’ll have to spend a lot of hours in Monster Hunter Rise before being able to conquer the monsters of Sunbreak. Of course, playing through Monster Hunter Rise isn’t a punishment since it’s one of the better entries in the franchise by far. In order to start Sunrise, you’ll need to clear the 7-star Hub quest “Serpent Goddess of Thunder” in which you defeat the powerful Narwa. This quest marks the ‘end’ of the main events in Monster Hunter Rise without considering the many hours of side-quests. After you defeated Narwa, you’ll have access to the Elgado region. Since you’re a legendary Monster Hunter by that time, a mysterious messenger comes to you with a rather troublesome message. Some monsters are leaving their natural habitats, causing chaos and destruction all over the new region. It will be your job to hunt them down and stop the madness once and for all. Like always, the story isn’t the selling point of this Monster Hunter expansion, it’s all about discovering new monsters and environments, the story is just there to bring you from one point to another. That being said, the cut scenes and lore offer enough depth to create an interesting new world, which you’ll happily discover bit by bit.
More monsters, more skills
While the story isn’t the main focus of this big expansion, the new monsters and environments certainly are. Sunbreak adds two new gigantic environments and seventeen new monsters to conquer. For a DLC, this is a lot. Sunbreak actually feels more like a Monster Hunter Rise 2 than just a DLC. When it comes to quality and quantity, this is an expansion similar to the infamous Blood & Wine expansion of The Witcher 3. That being said, there’s a lot to explore and the new Elgado Outpost is just the beginning. This outpost forms the beating heart of your expeditions and plays the same role as Kamura Village. In the Outpost, you’ll prepare for your quests by changing your gear and skills all while equipping some important items before you head off into the monster’s territory. What I like about the Outpost is the fact that everything feels way more compact and all important vendors are closer to each other compared to Kamura Village. This is an important improvement to the overall quality of life aspect of Monster Hunter games. You’ll find everything you need close to each other, so you won’t lose your precious time running from one vendor to the other. The more you advance in Sunbreak, the more you’ll unlock and the better you’ll be able to prepare for your next hunt. At some point, it’s even possible to travel back to Kamura Village if you want, but in all honesty, I liked the new Outpost a lot more.
Once you’ve prepared for the hunt, it’s time to take down those new monsters. Without going into a lot of details here, the monsters you’ll be facing are some of the most original and dangerous creatures that ever graced the franchise. The premise of monsters breaking out of their natural habitats allowed the developers to really go all out in delivering a wide variety of new monsters and thus also new ways to tackle them. An important innovation is the so-called ‘Switch Skill’, which enables you to change your skill set even in combat. With this new Switch Skill mechanic, you can carry different skill load-outs into combat and change between them with just one push of the button, really altering your battle style in mere seconds. I loved using this mechanic against some of the game’s most fierce monsters and once you hit that flow of combat, you’ll never want anything else. It might sound like a small upgrade to the gameplay but it really affects the way you hunt these monsters a lot. I hope this feature gets carried over to the inevitable sequel.
Besides this new mechanic, you’ll also have access to new weapons which will allow you to take down your enemies in ways you never thought possible. Discovering these weapons and how to use them is one of the game’s biggest charms and selling points so I won’t go into details here. Just believe me when I say you better prepare for the unexpected because the weapons in Sunbreak are as deadly as they are unique.
Hunt alone or with friends
As always Monster Hunter is better when you play it with friends, this hasn’t changed in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak. If you want to conquer the most dangerous monsters, it’s better to assemble a group of hunters and try to take them down as a team. If you prefer to play it on your own, Sunbreak comes with some good options, offering you access to powerful NPCs. These NPC hunters are created with a lot of variety to offer different styles of support. I tried defeating some of the hardest monsters with NPCs on my side and to my surprise, they really delivered some critical hits and helped me out a lot. That being said, Sunbreak does offer the best experience in multiplayer but it’s good to see those lone wolves aren’t forgotten. The DLC takes care of every type of hunter and even though it’s a rather difficult expansion to master, it’s always fair. If you can’t defeat a monster, you’ll need to upgrade your skills and gear and try again;
Conclusion:
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is the perfect example of how you DLC. It comes at a higher price but certainly delivers everything you’re hoping for as a Monster Hunter fan. New environments, new monsters, and new creative ways to take them down. If you’re looking for more Monster Hunter Rise action, this is simply a no-brainer and must-have for the fans!
9/10
Tested on Nintendo Switch OLED
