Monster Hunter World will likely go down as my favorite game of this current console generation. I’ve sunk hundreds of hours into what is now Capcom’s best-selling game of all time. This is surprising considering I was never a fan of the series before. Because of my love for MHW, my most eagerly anticipated game of 2019 was its expansion, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. I knew Iceborne would be awesome going in but as I write this, the expansion continues to blow me away. If no other game came out this year, I’d be perfectly fine playing nothing but Iceborne. It really is everything I could have wanted from a Monster Hunter World expansion.
Iceborne introduces an entirely new biome: the Hoarfrost Reach. This icy tundra contains a number of new monsters to hunt down. There’s also a great amount of returning behemoths from older entries in the series. If you’re a veteran, you can consider the new and returning monsters in Iceborne the equivalent of G-Rank monsters from previous games. These beasts are harder to kill and can dish out a lot of punishment. Though they’re more challenging, defeating them yields players with better armor and weapons.
The biggest new mechanic Iceborne introduces is the Clutch Claw. With this device, players can latch onto monsters with a grappling hook and attack their weak points. What’s interesting about the Clutch Claw is that it is a natural extension of two existing mechanics. Players always had the ability to swing from specific points on the map using a grappling hook. They could also jump on monsters and hack at specific parts. The Clutch Claw combines both into one beautiful package. While it is a blast jumping on monsters at any time, you need to be careful when using the Clutch Claw. Trying to use it on an enraged creature will end with your face in the dirt (or snow in this case). Proper mastery over the Clutch Claw elevates hunts in a significant and fun way.
Then there’s Hoarfrost Reach itself. Despite being a frozen land, it has a surprising amount of visual diversity. There are snow-covered plains, frozen lakes, and icy hills. Players will even find deep underground caverns covered in sheer walls of ice and hidden passages made of stone. Numerous hot springs litter the land. These not only add to Hoarfrost’s visual flair but give players stat boosts if they should take a dip in one. Considering how dangerous these Master Rank monsters are, having added defense or stamina will go a long way to keeping you alive.
The Hoarfrost is roughly the same size as the other Monster Hunter World maps. You can more easily traverse this new land, as well as any of the previous levels, by riding smaller monsters. Truthfully, riding on top of monsters isn’t necessary. Though the maps are expansive, it’s not hard to travel across them on foot. With that said, riding monsters is a whole hell of a lot of fun. Why use your feet when you can jump on a monster and take in the sights? This is definitely one of my favorite new mechanics.
Hoarfrost contains a new headquarters called Seliana. Like Astera from the main game, Seliana is where players can forge new equipment, pick up missions from the request board, manage their inventory, eat, or visit the Gathering Hub. Seliana’s level design is more user-friendly than that of Astera. For example, you won’t have to manage equipment on the ground floor and then run up a long flight of steps to get food. Even the Gathering Hub where you meet with other players has a simpler level design. Like the rest of Hoarfrost, it has an appropriate winter wonderland vibe. The folk music which always plays in the background is also pretty fun.
Iceborne’s story is very much like that of Monster Hunter World. Something is disrupting the natural environment and you’re required to investigate (i.e kill) whatever is causing it. While the story comes complete with a healthy amount of action-packed cutscenes, it’s not the main draw here. The narrative serves as an excuse to get you from one monster hunt to another. This wasn’t an issue before and it isn’t now. The short cinematics and character dialogue do just enough to get you hyped to go out and slay the next monster.
Taking down monsters in Iceborne is just as glorious as ever. As much as I loved the base game, I eventually stepped away after I created the “perfect” character build. Because of that, I love how Iceborne showed me how inadequate my equipment was from the outset. Even the crappy first monster provided better gear than what I came in with. I’m not even halfway through Iceborne but I’m already fully caught up in the old gameplay loop of fighting new monsters to get gear that’ll help me take on stronger monsters. Fighting new creatures rekindles the same sense of awe I felt when playing MHW for the first time. Even slaying suped-up versions of older creatures is exciting because of their new attack patterns.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is one of the very best expansions I’ve had the pleasure of playing. It takes everything that made the base game great and amps things up by introducing deadly new monsters, useful abilities, and a ton of equipment and weapons to grind for. There is so much content that it’s almost like playing a full-blown sequel. Like I said up top, this is all the game I need for the rest of 2019. I can safely say I’m now fully back on my Monster Hunter World BS thanks to Iceborne.
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