E3 2019 - Hands on with Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
Monster Hunter has been a series that I have jumped into, when each game is released, but after a few months, I lose interest and move onto other things, there is nothing wrong with the game, it just feels like more of the same as things move on, but Iceborne feels different.
I can’t put my finger on it and why it does, but there is something about it that feels different and it aint the snow. But speaking of snow, Iceborne is taking the game to a new location, which is good and as the series has done a lot of fields, jungles and the occasional desert, but for snow, it has never been done like this before. The new location, called Hoarfrost Reach is filled to the brim with new dangers and I don’t mean the creatures, there are now patches of ice you can fall through, giant snowbanks that can impact your ability to move and more, but of course there are a host of new and returning monsters to hunt.
When I sat down for my session, the Capcom rep asked if I had played a Monster Hunter game before, giving a yes, they moved me past the tutorial mission and onto the fight against the new creature, Banbaro. Before even setting out for the hunt, the game advises that you drink a hot drink, to help fight the cold, because if you don’t then your stamina will be severely impacted, which in turn impacts your abilities in any fight. Hunting down the Banbaro was similar to the main hunts in World, if there were any subtle changes, I did not notice them, but those who play the game more than I, might notice them. With the creatures tracks acquired, it was time to see where they lead.
The first thing I notice and if you have seen the trailer, is that the creature breaks the reptile mold that most of them have, even the hard fight in the demo had a refresh of another classic enemy, the Tigrex, which is more reptile based. The Banbaro is more of a mix of a moose and mountain goat, because it contains both dexterity and power and if you are caught in those giant horns on its head, you can take some serious damage. The creature also likes to pick up giant tree trunks to use as battering rams and occasionally dig into ground, again using the horns, to stagger and hurt you, so staung clear of that is important.
Fighting the creature was hard work, it was able to keep close to me for the early stages of the fight, which left me doing all I could, to get some space to heal up. As the fight dragged on and it started to take damage, I was not able to ush in and deliver blows to it, because the games new location, was still a challenge. Those giant snowbanks I mentioned earlier, running into them was something I did a few times and while they don’t hurt, they slow you down and when the Banbaro is running away and all you can do is slog through snow, the odds of losing it are high, thankfully I didn’t but the chance is always there.
Iceborne adds a heap of content to the base game, new weapons, new gear and most importantly new hunts, but it is the location alone that make this something special and because of it fans who have stepped away should really come on back, just rug up before you do.
