Like a lot of people who purchased “Monster Hunter: World” back in early 2018, I had a firm interest in the eponymous concept of “monster hunting,” but the franchise’s primitive visuals and reputation for inscrutability always prevented me from fully-investing in the series.
The expansion isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel; the main changes boil down to a handful of bullet points, and most of them are the names of monsters that you’ll go toe-to-toe with by yourself or with three other Hunters. Each weapon has a new move or trick to keep you guessing – for example, my beloved Switch Axe now has a charge mode that boosts its damage after a few wild swings, and you can sheathe the Long Sword for lightning-quick iaido-style attacks.
The demo pitted I and three other hunters against a grounded wyvern called the Banbaro that absolutely loved to pick up giant trees with its horns and dash at us. Though it was a tough battle, we eventually overcame it, knocked it over on its side three times in a row, and savaged it until it stopped moving. After that, we faced the fearsome Tigrex, another flightless wyvern with a penchant for darting and charging back and forth, scratching the ground with sweeping claw attacks.
While I didn’t know the fellow journalists that made up my team, the feeling of achievement in defeating such a formidable foe still flooded through me, as though I had never put down the game. Even if I’m not sure if “Iceborne” offers enough new content to justify its fairly steep asking price, I know that “World” scratches an itch for me that few games that replicate. If you also feel that rush when you land the killing blow on a Jagras, this DLC is probably for you, too.