Monster Hunter Rise Sunset received a treatment that Capcom, to the delight of all, it reserves for its most anticipated productions. Right now you can download one Free demo of the expansion coming in the next few days, and as big fans of the series we could not try it, especially considering the news. We got to discover the possibility of change trading skills during matches, instead of having to return to the hunting base every time, but also the "new" map taken from second chapter of the series, and also the fearsome Malzeno.
This demo, released a few days ago, offers us four missions that will vary in difficulty level and possibility of fainting, plus three of training. Those that interest us most, however, are those of expert and advanced difficulty, which will test us against theAstalos di Monster Hunter Generations, in the new map, and in front of the unprecedented Malzeno.
First of all, the first big news that we have the opportunity to discover in this trial version of Monster Hunter Rise Sunset is the aforementioned ability to change trading skills during matches. We do not hide that we had some doubts about the ease of use and the actual relevance in the gameplay, when Capcom unveiled it to the public. After all, Monster Hunter's playful system is much more delicate than it seems and making changes or improvements to it can risk putting a strain on the gameplay.
On the contrary, we were very surprised to see that not alone the functionality is very easy to use, but also that the exchange takes place very quickly and painlessly. For this reason, it is unlikely that carrying out it can put us in a dangerous situation during the clash with a monster, but indeed its simplicity of use is such as to allow us to exploit it during a fight, perhaps together with a combo. While we're waiting to see all the applications of the feature and how we could - eventually - customize it, let's admit that the first impact was very positive.
To have convinced us, albeit not as much as the change of the exchange skills, it was also the new map game, the jungle. Taken directly from Monster Hunter 2, this hunting area has been completely revisited to be able to fit into the roster of Monster Hunter Rise areas. Capcom has managed in an excellent way to rework the entire morphology of the map, first divided into micro-zones, to be able to integrate it with the faster movements of Rise.
However, this resulted in a feeling of relative smallness of the area, given that the development team could not take too many liberties wanting to faithfully recreate one of the most iconic maps of Monster Hunter 2, reaching inevitable level design compromises. The small defect, however, was partially resolved with theaddition of some more hidden spaces that speed up the movement of the area, And with greater verticality which offers the possibility of seeing the jungle from a different point of view.
Strategically speaking, however, the presence of a large tree in the center of the map and the small size compared to the other areas of the game, could also be seen as small advantages if we consider the tactical advantages that they can bring. Also for this aspect, we just have to try the full version of the expansion in order to analyze in detail how the development team will exploit this new hunting area.
Honorable mention must be made to Malzeno, the monster who will be the standard-bearer of Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak and which will undoubtedly be a very demanding challenge for all those who have played the main campaign. We are talking about an incredible creature to say the least, capable of eliminating the entire team without too much difficulty. For this reason, we believe that the multiplayer factor and the strategic organization of roles can be decisive for the outcome of the clashes against Malzeno.
This trial version made us realize that Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak will not only be a particularly content-hungry expansion, But that it will also raise the bar of the difficulty level. We would have liked to have been able to discover something more of the story that awaits us, but obviously it is not a lack that has weighed on the enjoyment of the demo. Rather, we weren't particularly convinced we were forcing users to complete a large part of the endgame in order to access Sunbreak.
However, on balance, the difficulty increase that entails starting the expansion right after the initial campaign is complete it will in all probability make the clashes even more challenging, thus enhancing the multiplayer. Our first impressions are therefore more than positive, which is why we can't wait to be able to experience first-hand all the missions in which we can take part. If you have not already done so, of course we recommend that you also download the trial version of Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak, remembering that the release of the expansion is scheduled for this June 26th on Nintendo Switch, while it will arrive on June 30th on Steam.
