Months after its reveal at the September 2021 Nintendo Direct, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is now available for $39.99 on PC and Switch. Capcom's "massive expansion" to Japan's most-downloaded Switch game of 2021 is worth celebrating, even if there's no cross-play between console and the PC port that launched this January. Sunbreak adds a second hub area and multiple maps with both new and returning monsters, with more in development to fill out Free Title Updates.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak also includes new features such as Follower Quests, in which popular NPCs from Kamura Village and Elgado Outpost assist with taking down monsters. Various mechanical changes could be tested out through a second Monster Hunter Rise demo released in mid-June, with the most impactful being Switch Skill Swap: a chance to bring multiple sets of skills into any given hunt and swap between them at will. That demo included new HUD elements to make the feature's effects clear, and Capcom was smart to carry that into Sunbreak's full release.
Switch Skills in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
Switch Skills were a new idea for Monster Hunter Rise, aiming to give players a bit more freedom with how they approach its 14 weapon types. Whereas previous concepts like Monster Hunter Generations' Hunting Styles and Arts had more of a focus on overall mechanics for any player, Switch Skills were designed to affect the ways a chosen weapon interacts with the environment and opposing monsters.
Just a small handful of Switch Skills were introduced for each weapon in Monster Hunter Rise's base game. These either changed the weapon's inherent techniques, or they swapped out one of the Silkbind Attacks that players can activate with Wirebug charges - a feature also used like a grappling hook to parkour around the environment and escape monster pins. Sunbreak adds a few new Switch Skills for every weapon type; for example Great Sword's "Surge Slash Combo" replaces its typical string of charge attacks with a quicker flurry, or Lance's "Skyward Thrust" Silkbind Attack commits the player to multiple vertical strikes.
As mentioned, the advent of Switch Skill Swap allows hunters to bring two sets of skills into battle, with the added benefit of a dodge roll as they swap. Sunbreak visualizes this with "Red" and "Blue" scrolls in an icon above the player's Wirebug counter. During a hunt, basic Wirebug movement techniques and Switch Skill Swap are display around the scroll icon, alongside their corresponding button combos. Once a weapon is drawn, those movement techniques are replaced by the active combative Switch Skills and accessible Silkbind Attacks. Activating Switch Skill Swap changes out the labels surrounding that scroll.
Sunbreak's New HUD Elements Are a Great Reference
The new HUD elements corresponding with Switch Skill Swap could have just been added for Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak's demo, serving as an extra tutorial for newcomers who needed to catch up on interactions with their Wirebug. However, this being permanent means any and all players have an easier way to track what techniques are available to them at any given time. Even if there weren't two sets of Switch Skills to swap between, veteran hunters could still get tripped up by the skills applied to a weapon if they cycle between different ones between hunts. Now there's an easy way to look down and get a quick reminder of how their current weapon is about to dish out damage.
In an expansion full of flashy additions like maps and monsters, sometimes smaller changes really make a difference. New Switch Skill Swap HUD elements that keep all players abreast of their shifting move sets, and the option to toggle what activates Wyvern Ride, are just a few additions that make Sunbreak more robust than its base counterpart. For those who feel the additional on-screen display pieces are distracting or take up too much screen space, Capcom also has options available to toggle off the HUD elements alongside most others in Monster Hunter Rise.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is available now on PC and Switch.