Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreakis winding down its updates, and with that many are hoping the announcement ofMonster Hunter World 2to come soon. The originalMonster HunterWorldblew players away with its quality-of-life features, seamless environments, visuals, and strong gameplay loop. It stands to reason that the entry which helpedMonster Huntertruly find its global footing could get a direct sequel, likely with some enhancements inherited fromRise. How much they overlap remains to be seen, but the aerial mobility honed across both entries seems to be where the series is heading.
That’s not the only place it could go, however.Monster Hunter’s conquest of the skies is old hat by this point, and risks devaluing the regular grounded fighting if it’s pushed any farther.Monster Hunter World 2needs to add more wrinkles than that to its gameplay to really stand out. Thanks to some pointers fromHorizon Forbidden West’s Burning Shores DLC, this extra oomph is fairly obvious.Monster Hunterhas done underwater combat in the past, and it might be time to finally bring it back.
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Water Combat Could Come to Horizon, and Return to Monster Hunter
AcrossHorizon Forbidden West, Aloy spends a lot of time switching between modes of transportation. Grounded hunting and climbing are her main methods of traversal, but there’s also an emphasis on flight and swimming. Aloy can gain Machine mounts, and theBurning Shores DLC offers another mountthat can do both. The Waterwing enables Aloy to potentially explore Burning Shores' map from top to bottom. Many players are also hopeful that the Waterwing will finally enable aquatic combat, something that felt missing from the base game.
A similar sentiment has been growing in theMonster Huntercommunity, though with one key difference. Underwater combat was the main attraction oftheMonster Hunter Triera, even though it was clunkier than the regular gameplay. BothTri’s mascot monster Lagiacrus, and its final boss Ceadeus, were frequently found in deep waters. Battles with a Lagiacrus were meant to show off the game’s new sense of scale, with fighting transitioning from land to water. It was impressive for the time, but the actual fun factor wasn’t as high as it should have been.
Monster Hunter and Horizon Could Set Examples for Great Water Combat
Now is the time forMonster Hunterto right its biggest wrong. Whether it ends up havingunderwater combat or not,Horizon Forbidden West’s DLCis primed to make the case that moving between land, sea, and sky seamlessly is great for a hunting game. The chances for dynamic set pieces and secrets to take up large portions of Burning Shores’ map is huge, and the same can be said forMonster Hunter’s fighting if it brings back underwater battles.
Monster Hunter World 2has the chance to make right what once went wrong withMonster Hunter Tri’s aquatic encounters. Players should be able to move and attack more fluidly underwater now than they used to, and can use amphibious Wirebugs or other aquatic life forms to zip around the deep. Bringing this system back would also finallyjustify the return of the Lagiacrus itself, which is one of the few flagship monsters who have yet to make the jump to a modern hunting entry. Bouncing ideas off of each other,Horizon Forbidden WestandMonster Hunter World 2could finally get one of gaming’s most common pet peeves right with some truly stellar water sections.
Horizon Forbidden Westis available now on PS4 and PS5, and the Burning Shores DLC will launch April 19 on PS5.
