Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection Hands-On Preview
As a huge Monster Hunter fan, and a lover of JRPGs, the Monster Hunter Stories sub-franchise tickles a sweet spot in my gaming interests, and everything that Capcom had shown about their latest entry, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, left me feeling confident that this might be the strongest title in the spin-off franchise yet. Thanks to Capcom, I’ve been playing the launch build of the game, and from what I’ve tried so far, I my confidence continues to surge.
While players will absolutely benefit from having played prior Monster Hunter Stories games, largely for a head start in terms of wrapping their heads around the gameplay, there is no prior history required to be able to get into the narrative. The plot of Stories 3 is disassociated with what we’ve seen in prior games, though there are some consistencies that the established fans will undoubtedly appreciate. Twisted Reflection depicts the tale of two nations, Azuria and Vermeil, which have a fractured relationship, as both look to survive against the looming “Crystal Encroachment”, an environmental threat that is overwhelming the nations. Assuming the role of the heir to the Azurian throne, the player will take their royal responsibilities and lead an investigation into the threat, in an attempt to discover some way of repelling it. With your trusty Rathalos by your side, the lands are yours to explore as you build your party of monsties, to be able to fend off all dangers on the road ahead.
The core of this plot is relatively simple, but I found myself quite invested in the world’s politics and the characters themselves. Due to solid writing and quite impressive voice acting, key scenes carry the necessary weight to hook the player. While it is disappointing that not all dialogue has received equal amounts of comprehensive voice work, fans of JRPGs will sadly be familiar with the single word that is uttered, only to kick off a larger exchange that is only accessible by reading the on-screen text.
Of course many JRPGs live or die based on their gameplay loops, and while Twisted Reflection’s is rooted in the tried and true from previous games, the formula has yet to have grown stale. Much like previous titles, combat encounters see the player employing one of either a tactical, speed, or power attack, in rock-paper-scissors-inspired encounters against numerous different monster types. Fans of Monster Hunter World, Rise, and Wilds in particular will feel at home as the likes of Anjanath, Chatacabra, Glavenus, and more all feature prominently in the game’s opening acts, and the savvy rangers will quickly learn the monsters’ preferred attacking style so that they can counter appropriately. Each party can contain up to six of your own monsties, and balancing their strengths and weaknesses in battle is a major key to success. While navigating the various hub-regions, you can also leverage their abilities to fly, climb, or swim across, through, or over environmental obstacles.
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is a gorgeous game. The game utilises an art style that evokes elements of Ni No Kuni, as well as Nintendo’s recent Zelda titles, Breath Of The Wild and Tears Of The Kingdom, all to great effect. In a climate where overly vibrant environments are starting to grow tiresome for players, the world of Twisted Reflection is engaging, stunning, but not overbearing. There have been a few moments of minor texture pop-in, but by and large, the playing experience has been beautifully smooth.
With a month to release, I’m fascinated to see how the story of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection comes together. With each game’s release and the improvements in hardware available to the team, each game has been better than the last, and Twisted Reflection seems to be the most profound example of this so far. The game feels equal parts fresh, but familiar, and it’s hard not to be swept up chasing up one final monster den in the hopes of scoring that fancy new monstie. This is a game that I sense I’ll be playing for a long, long time to come, a smile on my face throughout the experience.
