"We really delivered on that" - Capcom talks about the increased difficulty in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne

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New master-rank monsters will be a stiff challenge

(Image credit: Capcom)

Fans of the Monster Hunter franchise know how difficult it can be to hunt down a testy Nergigante, but that's nowhere near the challenge ends in Monster Hunter World. While World did make the game far more approachable for new players, Iceborne is going to make things a bit more intense. 

In an interview with Game Informer, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne executive director and art director Kaname Fujioka talked about how Iceborne might be tough for players who didn't get as deep into Monster Hunter World's late game challenges. 

“I think for players who are going straight from the end of the story from World it’s going to feel a little more difficult when they’re transitioning into the new master rank for Iceborne,” says Fujioka. “If it’s players who have been going in-depth into the content for Monster Hunter World and the updates, then they’ll feel a much smoother transition for difficulty than other players will.”

That doesn't mean that the development team hasn't taken steps to make sure Iceborne is enjoyable for all players. “[S]till, we’ve taken great care to make sure that players who are just transitioning straight from World have no fear and have an easy time of getting into the game and enjoying themselves,” game director Daisuke Ichihara said during the same interview. “We’ve taken that feedback to heart from players who wanted more difficulty and more challenge and really delivered on that."

Aron Garst
Contributor

Aron Garst is a journalist and writer exploring the future of games and interactivity. Follow him on X at @GarstProduction.