Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection (NS2) Review

Gameplay

Graphics

Audio

Narrative

Summary: The best Stories game to date that easily stands shoulder to shoulder with its mainline brethren.

4.5

King of the Monsties

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is a coming-of-age for the superb monstie-rangling spin-off series that matures in both its gameplay and setting, in what is by far the best entry in the series to date.

Players take on the role of the heir to the throne of Azuria. Along with their usual royal duties, they’re also the captain of the Rangers, a special unit tasked with studying and maintaining the country’s ecology and wildlife.

A duty that has become far more pressing with the spread of the Crystal Encroachment, a destructive blight that is trashing the environment and turning monsters feral. Tensions are high in the region since the encroachment has already claimed the neighbouring Kingdom of Vermeil, and its troops are mustering on Azuria’s borders

With the political climate a powder keg, it’s up to our prince and his band of environmentalist pals to find a cure for the blight before the two desperate nations descend into all-out war.

What’s clever, though, is how the main narrative weaves its way through its central gameplay loop, which has you caring for and improving the ecology of different areas of the map by battling feral and invasive monsters, raiding dens for eggs, and reintroducing endangered species into areas.

With every monster you release back into an area, you’ll raise its rank, and future eggs you hatch will then produce more powerful offspring, and even different elemental variations of certain monsties.

I found this loop to be incredibly addictive and rewarding, and I couldn’t help but go egg hunting whenever I was close to a monster den or try to take out feral monsters whenever I found one, so I could set to work restoring an area once it had been ousted. It’s a very clever way of hiding what would be in most other monster-collecting RPGs, just straight-up grinding to improve your party.

Your conservation efforts also reward you in combat, as they allow you to raise more powerful monsters with better base stats and more powerful and varied attacks, which you can also further customise to suit your needs and playstyle better.

The combat itself feels like a more refined, yet slightly expanded version of the rock-paper-scissors style mechanics from the earlier titles. Once again, you fight alongside one of your team of six monsties, along with a partner and their monstie. With you needing to consider what weapons and attacks to use, or which parts of the monster to focus on, to stun or knock over the monster and unleash a string of powered-up attacks, which can turn the tide of more desperate struggles.

Battles feel grander and more puzzly than previous entries, especially against feral beasts that are effectively roid raging mini boss versions of other monsters in a region that requires a far more tactical approach, as attacking certain parts of the monster (usually the part with crystals stuck to it) will result in them knocking your party on its arse with powerful counterattacks.

The reward for vanquishing these beasts is well worth it, though, as it allows you to set up camp and begin restoring the area’s ecosystem. As well as cook some buff giving grub, access the stables to hatch and organise your monsties, and save your game.

The only quibble I have about combat is that there are a lot of systems to get your head around, and they’re not always well explained. For example, one battle requires you to perform double attacks with your monstie, and even after looking up the entry in the tutorial section, I still don’t know how to deliberately pull it off. Apparently, you and your monstie have to use the same type of attack during a standoff. However, half the time nothing happens, and they attack separately anyway.

Also, sometimes your CPU-controlled partners can be a ruddy liability as they’ll attack whatever part of the monster they fancy. During the Feral monster battles, they repeatedly hammer away at areas that had the party getting swatted with a counterattack, or keep whacking parts of the monster that are already broken. It would be good to at least have the option to control everyone and stop your own party members from sabotaging your efforts.

Overall, though, it’s a really cleverly constructed game that makes you feel like every action you take is progressing either your story or your party in some meaningful way. This is especially true of the side stories, which see you helping out different members of the Rangers with their various duties around the kingdom. These not only help you power up your party and monsters but also offer further insight into each character’s motivations and beliefs, which enhances the main story and makes some of its bigger swings have even more impact because you know exactly what’s at stake for everybody involved.

It also helps that the game is absolutely gorgeous. The open world feels huge and is packed full of monsters roaming the plains, while jumping onto the back of your Rathalos and gliding overhead feels majestic in execution.

It’s all beautifully animated too, with a delightfully well-realised cast of characters, emotive creatures, and a nice level of hustle and bustle that makes it all feel alive.

The combination attacks in combat are also absolutely jaw-dropping, and even though you can skip them. I rarely did because they were so damn cool, and experiencing each monstie’s special is a clear highlight.

The sound is also superb, with a sweeping score and a cast of characters brought to life by phenomenal performances from the voice cast, which makes me hope it gets an anime adaptation like its predecessor.

Final Thoughts

I may be in the minority, but I’ve always preferred Stories to the mainline Monster Hunter games. With Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, I would say that the spin-off series confidently steps past being merely a decent spin-off into being just straight up one of the best Monster Hunter games there is.

Its myriad intriguing interlocking mechanics, cast of likeable characters, sky-high stakes, and sumptuous presentation result in a compelling turn-based JRPG that is not only a great time for fans of the series but a perfect entry point for anyone curious about what Monster Hunter has to offer.

About the Author

Gareth Newnham

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection (NS2) Review