Though Monster Hunter games have had a second home on portable consoles since the days of the PSP, some fans were skeptical that an experience as seemingly massive as Monster Hunter Rise wouldn't quite fit on the Nintendo Switch, and its somewhat limited hardware. However, to the surprise of many, Monster Hunter Rise is a superb addition in the series, blurring the lines between a handheld game and a sprawling home console release. With its vast success, it was only a matter of time before an expansion would be announced, and in September 2021, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak was teased.
In the months that have followed its initial teaser trailer, only a few scraps of information have been revealed, such as the Citadel and Elgado Outpost locations, along with a handful of returning monsters from prior Monster Hunter entries. During Monster Hunter's digital event on March 15, a whole slew of new information was released, including some brief glimpses at the game's main set of monster bosses: The Three Lords.
Garangolm
A never-before-seen monster, Garangolm is one of Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak's Three Lords. Taking on the appearance of a large, hulking ape, covered in stone armor, this monster looks extremely tough to take down, especially from a direct assault. From what fans can see in the trailer, Garangolm seems to use a vast range of AoE attacks, jumping up and slamming into the ground ferociously to knock back opponents. Garangolm also uses a selection of fire and water elemental attacks, meaning that players will need to be equipped for all situations.
In the official Three Lords announcement statement, it's said that each of the Lords is inspired by "staples of Western horror." In this case, the Garangolm seems to resemble the classic Western horror trope of the Golem, a rock-based monster that is seen as a hulking protector. More specifically, Garangolm may take inspiration from Frankenstein's Monster, often considered to be a flesh-golem. Some fans have pointed out that Garangolm's helmet of stone does resemble Frankenstein's Monster's square-shaped head, and the monster has tinges of green around its armor.
Lunagaron
A brand new Fanged Wyvern, Lunagaron looks like it may be one of the most agile monsters in the game, shown in the trailer dashing up cliff faces and sprinting around the arena with ease. Though its name and appearance are fairly similar to Monster Hunter World's Odogaron, Lunagaron is an ice-based monster, shown to use its frost powers to inflict its enemies with Ice Blight. Players will need to carefully monitor their stamina in their fight against Lunagaron, as its ice powers can slow stamina regeneration.
Lunagaron seems to be inspired by the Western horror trope of the Werewolf, as in its own reveal trailer, the monster first appears as a mere dog-like creature. But when Lunagaron howls at the full-moon, it transforms into a massive wolf, now brandishing icy scales along its body which act as armor. Lunagaron seems to be able to produce new icy spikes at will, using them to impale its opponents.
Malzeno
The flagship monster of the expansion, Malzeno has been front-and-center of all Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak promotional material. A gigantic Elder Dragon, Malzeno is sure to be one of, if not the toughest foe in Sunbreak. Its appearance and rumored abilities seem to suggest that this monster is heavily based on the Western horror trope of the Vampire.
In many of Sunbreak's screenshots and trailers, Malzeno is shown to wrap its dark wings around its body, similarly to how a stereotypical vampire would use their cape. Malzeno's abilities will also reflect its horror inspirations, with the monster having life-drain powers. It's also stated that the more energy Malzeno drains from other monsters, the more powerful it becomes, eventually giving it a more "sinister" appearance.
Monster Hunter Rise is available now for PC and Switch.