▷Monster Hunter World: Iceborne review: the continent of ice 🥇

Winter has also arrived in the world of Monster Hunter World with the first expansion Iceborne. The long awaited DLC enriches the new world of Monster Hunter World with the discovery of a continent constantly beaten by winds and snow. The massive expansion brings to gamers, new fascinating monsters and old acquaintances from previous titles of the same series as well as a new and alive ecosystem and many new features in terms of gameplay.

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne review: the plot

Among the first innovations introduced by Iceborne we find one long and well defined plot. If you are a fan of the series you will be aware that the story was never the focal point and Iceborne makes no difference. In this case Capcom she really went out of her way to tell us a pleasant story full of cutscene and valid pretexts to bring all the innovations introduced.

Let's start by saying that the plot in Iceborne will only develop once we have finished the main adventure of the base game. At this point, our hero and assistant will investigate an unusual sighting of a Legiana in the Ancient Forest, extremely far from its habitat. The research will reveal to the protagonists the presence of a large flock of Legiana flying towards the open sea in the company of theAncient Dragon Velkhana. This event will reveal to them the presence of a new snow-covered continent full of mystery and new threats.

Along with the new monsters, large areas are unlocked, all to be explored, such as Brinose expanses o Seliana the new base for fleets exploring the new world. Here it will be possible to perform almost the same functions in Astera, except for small purely aesthetic additions such as having a nice sauna. Also here will obviously be a blacksmith with shiny new weapons and armor waiting to be forged and improved.

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New and old acquaintances

Where there are new weapons, there are new ingredients to be extracted from the new and terrifying monsters that inhabit this frozen land. The monsters introduced are in fact 27, each with their own abilities and peculiarities. It must be said that, with some exceptions, fans of the series will recognize most of them, already appeared in previous chapters. Maybe a little variety, like the one brought by the base game, wouldn't hurt but it's true that the old monsters return with renewed vigor. The creatures to fight have in fact a more lashing AI that guarantees a higher and more engaging degree of challenge and with greater satisfaction in taking them down.

To give variety to the monsters of the new-new continent we think the introduction of subspecies. These are interesting variants of monsters already encountered that have, however, different characteristics and abilities. These are not simple colors or variations of skins but real "genetic variants". We could for example fight against a Paolumu Onirico which, unlike its cousin already met, is able to release a powerful soporific gas. The subspecies are many and varied and intelligently increase the novelties of the game as well as the degree of challenge.

The difficulty was accompanied by the long-awaited G-Rank o Master degree. This higher rank introduces deadly new challenges that can put even the most experienced hunters in trouble. It will take a mix of cunning, strength and good equipment before embarking on a mission of this level.

The expansion also introduced a balancing important on some items and weapons, along with new moves and news in terms of gameplay. Among these, the most striking is the new move Grapple-claw which allows you to cling to monsters and try to weaken or injure them. This particular move gives a new added value to our slingshot that has unfortunately remained in the shadows in the main game.

Expansion with a capital E

There is no shortage in Iceborne other news, not essential, but which give an extra touch to the game making it even more alive. We appreciated, for example, the possibility of ride the smaller monsters to quickly reach a selected area on the map, or the new drink to ingest to avoid the debuff given by the cold. Although the number of monsters introduced is lower than the expansions of the previous chapters of the saga, the innovations introduced by Monster Hunter World: Iceborne are many and make it a particularly effective DLC able to add hundreds of hours of gameplay to the already rich main chapter.

In terms of graphics and audio, the expansion retains all the features, strengths and weaknesses, of the base game. It must be said that the settings of the Brinose expanses they are flawlessly crafted and immerse (sometimes literally) the player in beautiful snowy sceneries and mountainous landscapes. There is no shortage, even here, of frame rate drops especially in more eventful situations but, fortunately, nothing terrible.

Monster Hunter World Iceborne review: buy it or not?

Capcom has decided to make full use of the 20 months of waiting for the first Monster Hunter World DLC by giving us a gift an expansion worthy of the name. The news that we have told you and those that we let you discover for yourself, are many, well calibrated and do nothing but improve and expand the already rich and extraordinary world of Monster Hunter World. The hunt is still on!