About three years ago, Capcom released theIceborneexpansion forMonster Hunter: World, which was a critical and commercial success for the Japanese company. Many fans found theIceborneexpansion to be the pinnacle of the series, adding in so much new content and mechanics that it felt more like a new entry instead of just more quests.
Fast forward three years later, and Capcom’s nextMonster Hunterexpansion,Sunbreak, is here, but this time for the Switch/PC exclusiveMonster Hunter Rise. Comparing these two expansions might not be fair, asRiseandWorldare two very different games, but still, it’s hard not to, especially sinceRisewas built off ofWorld’s quality of life features that make both games so approachable for newcomers.
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For anyone that’s played Iceborne, the contents ofSunbreakaren’t too different. There are returning monsters to hunt that come from classicMonster Huntergames, as well as brand-new monsters like Garangolm and the flagship monster,Malzeno.
There’s a new hub area called theElgado Outpost, which is a bit smaller than Kamura Village, but still gives players plenty to do. And, of course, the new Master Rank quests are added, giving hunters a challenging array of missions to complete to see how the story plays out.
However, even with the dozens upon dozens (or even hundreds) of hours that players can spend withSunbreak, it doesn’t feel as grand or purposeful asIceborne. It doesn’t have as many new monsters as it should, and a lot of the quests, especially the early ones, involve hunting monsters players have already fought against in the base game.
Even when players roll credits and continue in the Endgame, there are a lot of repeated monsters on the hunting list. There are some quests later on that players can unlock called Anomaly Quests, and the target monsters are afflicted with a virus that makes them enraged, sometimes even performing new attacks.
These quests sound cool in theory, but they don’t feel that different from fighting the monster in a normal quest. It does add a bit more variety to the total package, especially since hunters can get uniquematerials from the afflicted monsters, but still, it’s not one of the most memorable parts of theSunbreakexpansion.
As a seasonedMonster Hunterfan,Sunbreakdoesn’t check all the boxes to make it feel like a complete and well-put-together package. That being said, it’s stillMonster Hunter Riseat the end of the day, which is a wonderful and well-executed experience that is worthy of praise. The Wirebug mechanics feel as good as ever with the quality of life updates added inSunbreak, thenew Switch Skill Swap adds more variety to a hunter’s moveset, and hunting down monsters for the new master rank armor sets and weapons never gets old.
There are a lot of neat little touches here and there that makeSunbreaka fun all-around experience, even without the game-changer that was the Clutch Claw back inIceborne. ForMonster Hunter Risefansstill looking to grind out some armor for dozens of more hours,Sunbreakwill definitely deliver on that front.
But for the die-hardMonster Hunterfans out there that are looking for something a little different than the base game, there’s not much new stuff to partake in this time around.Sunbreakfeels like DLC forMonster Hunter Rise’s Endgame rather than being a proper full-blown expansion.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreakis available for PC and Switch. Game Rant was provided with a Nintendo Switch code for this review.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
WHERE TO PLAY
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak expansion:The world of Monster Hunter Rise gets bigger and deeper with this massive expansion featuring new monsters, new locales and more!A new adventure in a distant land:Renowned as the “Fierce Flame of Kamura” since the events of Monster Hunter Rise, you must set sail to uncover the cause of a terrible threat facing a kingdom across the sea!New enemies arrive, old foes return:Arriving in Elgado Outpost, you discover that the abnormal events threatening this kingdom are caused by Malzeno, Lunagaron and Garangolm – terrifying monsters known locally as the Three Lords. In addition to these new enemies, You must also face old foes as series monsters not featured in Monster Hunter Rise make their return!Deeper gameplay:Your trusty Wirebug returns and is more useful than ever, with the addition of new abilities for all 14 weapon types that bring a new level of flexibility and depth to the hunting action.A colourful cast of characters:Your new base of operations features a variety of locals to interact with, each with their own charming personality. Sometimes they will need your hunter’s help, and sometimes they will be the ones who help you out!Note: You must own Monster Hunter Rise in order to play this expansion. Sunbreak content is accessible after completion of the 7-star Hub quest “Serpent Goddess of Thunder”. If you purchase this content while the game is open, you must restart the game in order to access the content.
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