Summary
One of the joys of keeping up withMonster Hunteris being able to participate in its collaboration events. SinceMonster Huntergained online functionality, it’s added plenty of content from other media as limited-time quest rewards. FromOne Pieceto other Capcom franchises, crossover weapons, armor, and even story scenarios have become a regular sight inMonster Hunter. During its tenure,Monster Hunter Worldwent as far as addingFinal Fantasy 14’s Behemoth andThe Witcher 3’s Leshen as unique monsters, demonstrating that the practice still has room to grow.
AmongMonster Hunter’s more prolific collaborations were itsHorizon: Zero Dawnevents. With one added inMonster Hunter Worldand another coming early in its Iceborne expansion’s life, these PS4-exclusive quests let players turn their hunter intoHorizonprotagonist Aloy and use some of her tools. Not only did this promoteHorizon: Zero Dawnand its Frozen Wilds DLC, but it also capitalized onparallels betweenHorizonandMonster Hunter’s gameplay.Monster Hunter Risecouldn’t repeat the process withHorizon: Forbidden Westthanks to launching as a Switch exclusive, but the nextMonster Hunterinstallment could, and should, team up withHorizonagain.
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All Monster Hunter and Horizon Collaborations So Far
Horizonhas quickly become a promising new PlayStation franchise and shares a lot of its appeal withMonster Hunter. Much ofHorizon’s gameplay involves using various tools to battle giant machines comparable toMonster Hunter’s wildlife. Aloy employs different damage types, traps, and equipment crafted from her quarry to get the upper hand, makingHorizonresemble a single-player version ofMonster Hunter. Thanks to two series of collaboration quests forMonster Hunter Worldand Iceborne, players were able to bringMonster HunterandHorizontogether through their rewards.
While many rewards were cosmetic, the armor pieces and weapons players gained could all be upgraded, and, apart from the Shield-Weaver and Stormslinger,Horizon’s armor and weapons have layered variants. Running any build as Aloy sounds appealing, but the authentically protective Shield-Weaver can be useful in a pinch, and one ofMH World’s strongest Light Bowgunsis the Stormslinger Adept. As a whole,Horizon: Zero Dawnturned out to be a good crossover forMonster Hunter World, and gave long-range weapon players some rare collaboration support.
Monster Hunter Could Do So Much More With Horizon Crossovers
The Frozen Wilds' collaboration quests should not be the end ofMonster HunterandHorizon’s crossovers. Both series' monsters and equipment are practically interchangeable, to the point where a futureHorizongame could conceivably getMonster Huntercontent of its own. Other collaborations have gone much further thanHorizon’s did as well, with several featuring original cutscenes and the aforementioned Behemoth and Leshen becomingMonster Hunter’s first crossover monsters. Fortunately,Horizon’s existing collaborations should give it a foot inMonster Hunter’s door.
Ideally, futureMonster HunterandHorizontitles would synchronize their collaborations likeFinal Fantasy 14andMonster Hunter Worlddid. Each would feature stories involving monsters and characters from each game hopping worlds, with Aloy helping the Hunter’s Guild deal with a foreign mechanical threat while someone from the latest base camp, or perhaps a Palico, directs Aloy in capturing her first flesh-and-blood beast. WithiconicHorizonmachines like Thunderjaws and Stormbirdsserving as prime crossover boss fights, a newHorizoncollaboration could be one ofMonster Hunter’s best yet.
