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There’s no hiding the fact that the Monster Hunter Stories games have always been aimed at a younger audience. The recurrent landslide success of Pokémon titles makes it clear why, but I’ve always wondered about what’s been left on the table in regards to a more complex and layered experience -especially narratively.
After around 10 hours with Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, it feels as if CAPCOM is thinking the same. Where Wings of Ruin felt like a worthwhile iteration on a novel idea, my experience with Twisted Reflection so far suggests that this title is more ambitious, introducing new layers of depth across all of its gameplay systems while telling a story that feels remarkably nuanced by Monster Hunter standards.
This preview portion of Twisted Reflection covers the first two chapters of the game, running about five hours over where the free trial wraps up. Where protagonists of previous Stories games have started from humble beginnings, Twisted Reflection follows the prince or princess of a kingdom named Azuria. Azuria shares its lands with another kingdom called Vermeil, and tensions are running unusually high.
Azuria and Vermeil are both suffering from an environmental disaster aptly named the Crystal Encroachment. This unexplained phenomenon is wreaking havoc on the natural ecosystems surrounding Azuria and Vermeil, crystallising the land, diminishing resources, and even turning some monsters feral. In addition to all this, the Crystal Encroachment is crystallizing endangered monster species, throwing the environmental balance out of whack.
Alongside the princess of Vermeil, Eleanor, our protagonist sets out with Azuria’s rangers to uncover the truth behind the Crystal Encroachment and to repair the relationship between the adversarial kingdoms. There’s also a pair of twin Rathalos, established early on as a ill-omen for the lands and likely sharing some connection to the Crystal Encroachment.
It can’t be understated how strong this setup is and how different it feels compared to prior Stories games. This is for two main reasons. The first is that Twisted Reflection is genuinely interested in exploring the political dynamics between Azuria and Vermeil. I wouldn’t go as far as saying that Stories 3 is pivoting to a fully mature and dark narrative, but there’s enough here that it feels quite well thought out. The second reason is simply that this game’s presentation blows Stories 1 and 2 out of the water.
The overall step-up in production quality and direction of the cutscenes, voice acting, set pieces, and plot beats is leagues above that of the first two games. It’s genuinely engaging in a way this series rarely is, and I can only hope that trend is carried through to the credits and comes together in a satisfying manner.
This sentiment also carries through to the overall gameplay loop of Twisted Reflection. The core rhythm of hatching Monsties to use in battle is here in full force, but there are many changes to the way eggs are collected and how you shape Monsties to be the best they can be. You’re still exploring the overworld, looking for rare monster dens and looking for strong gene combinations, but it’s the new systems around all of this that change up how you approach it all.
The biggest new inclusion is Habitat Restoration. This system sees you releasing hatched Monsties back into the wild to rebuild the natural ecosystem. This, in turn, increases the ecosystem rank and the rank of the respective Monstie species you release into the wild, increasing the potency of their eggs, potential stats, and skills.
So far, it’s quite the addictive system and fits in nicely with collecting and hatching Monstie eggs to build your ideal team. It’s also a nice narrative throughline in the sense that you feel like you’re helping to heal environments from the Crystal Encroachment and restore endangered Monstie species.
The biggest combat shakeup comes in the form of the Wyvernsoul Gauge. This is a deceptively simple mechanic that seamlessly slots into the experience established in the first two games. By damaging monsters and destroying parts, you’ll also deplete their Wyvernsoul Gauge, with a full depletion knocking them over where they’re vulnerable to a Synchro Rush – a big combo attack from everyone in the party.
The depth comes from the fact that breaking different parts leads to different effects. While some may lead to increased Wyvernsoul damage, others may reduce the monster’s offensive capabilities. So far, this has been best showcased in fights with Feral Monsters, who are infected by crystals from the Crystal Encroachment. You can target these crystallised parts to reduce the overall threat, but that means you’re omitting Wyvernsoul damage that could lead to a Synchro Rush. It makes for a fun dynamic in combat as you weigh up what’s more valuable to you in the moment, made more meaningful by a general increase in challenge compared to the previous games.
My only real gripe so far is that the selection of Monsties in the first two areas is a bit on the underwhelming side. There are a couple of Monsties that are new to the Stories subseries, specifically monsters from Monster Hunter Rise and Sunbreak, but there’s a distinct lack of stuff from Monster Hunter Wilds. I suspect this will change as I move deeper into the game, but I wish I had more moments where I got actively excited about seeing a specific monster and going out of my way to hatch a particularly strong one for my team.
The one thing I take away from my time with Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection so far it’s this entry has confidence in a way the previous two games didn’t. That’s not to say those games lack identity or aren’t taking swings of their own, but Twisted Reflection really feels like a big step forward across the board. I’m very eager to continue my journey because if the whole experience carries this level of quality, Twisted Reflection will be the best Stories game thus far.
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection launches on March 13th, for PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series X|S.
