Monster Hunter Stories 3 Review: The RPG Spinoff Grows Up

"Monster Hunter Stories revolves around "Riders" who aim to raise, ride, and understand monsters rather than immediately blow them away with a gunlance. You still chop up a fair number of monsters and make overalls out of them a la the main series, but themes tend to revolve around the idea that "Monsties" are friends, not food."

"The fights in Monster Hunter Stories 3 are still turn-based and still incorporate the rock-paper-scissors element, but results are less about luck and more about making sure you're well-armed and well-studied against the monsters you interact with. Outside of battle, you set up camps to hatch monsters and re-introduce them to a diminished world."

"While Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection still carries a softer, more cel-shaded aesthetic than regular games, it's far more complex and layered than any release to date. Monster Hunter Stories 3 is ultimately what the series long hoped to mature into."

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection represents a significant evolution for Capcom's Monster Hunter spin-off series. Unlike the main Monster Hunter games focused on hunting and harvesting monsters, the Stories series emphasizes raising, riding, and understanding monsters as companions. While earlier entries featured brighter, more cartoonish aesthetics and simpler rock-paper-scissors battle systems, the third installment maintains the softer cel-shaded visual style but introduces substantially more complexity and strategic gameplay. Turn-based battles now reward preparation and monster knowledge over luck, requiring players to be well-armed and well-studied. Outside combat, players establish camps to hatch and reintroduce monsters to a diminished world, reinforcing the series' philosophy that monsties are friends rather than resources.

Read at Kotaku