The Monster Hunter Stories series has always struggled to qualify as the main Monster Hunter games. This is because it tried to sanitize the idea of hunting monsters, killing them, and making hats from their skins for a child audience. Naturally, it didn’t work, not helped by introducing NPCs with some of the most annoying voices in video game history (I’m looking at you, Navirou).
It seems that Capcom has learned its lesson and decided to make a Monster Hunter RPG based on the turn for the older audience, closer to Fire Emblem than Pokémon. The tonal difference is striking, in a good way, with the iconic dragons and wyverns of the Monster Hunter franchise treated in a new way.
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Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twinted Reflection represents a bold new approach, and it begins with its setting, with war-torn kingdoms that can emerge from the pages of A Song of Ice and Fire.
The Tale of Two Rathalos
Starting off, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection asks you to design your character, the heir to the kingdom of Azuria. The choices you make during character creation also affect the child version of your character, which you’ll see a lot more of soon.
Once the main character is created, the game switches to a flashback where the egg of a mysterious monster is found. It is brought back to Azuria, where it gives birth to two Rathalos, the iconic red dragons that appear in many Monster Hunter games. These straight monsters have blue horns, which show as a rare Rathalos Skyscale, and the birth of two at the same time indicates a great disaster to come, just as the main character approaches them…
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twinted Reflection represents a bold new approach, and it begins with its setting, with war-torn kingdoms that can emerge from the pages of A Song of Ice and Fire.
Jump forward to the present day, and the main character is now a Ranger, a human connected to their now aged Skyscale Rathalos. Along with the other Rangers, it’s their job to deal with stray monsters (which still have the annoying “Monstie” name from the previous game) and control the environment of each area by finding eggs in nests and hatching them.
It’s not the giant Monsties that are the real threat, however, as a conflict with the nearby kingdom of Vermeil erupts. The entry of Monsties with strange glowing corpses endangers the people of Vermeil and forces them to flee, and war may soon break out with Azuria if a solution is not found.
Snow Song & Felynes
For this preview of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, Capcom asked that players not discuss events after a certain point, but I won’t. anywhere more story points than the basic outline listed above. Why? Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is the first Monster Hunter game with a really interesting story. I would be underestimating the fans by saying.
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is the first Monster Hunter game with a really interesting story.
I should clarify that this applies mostly to the main story of the star, which has all kinds of exciting twists and surprises. There are optional quests you can take on for extra loot, and they’re pretty paced: standard fetch quests and monster slaying items. There are also side stories for each companion, which drive the game from interesting visuals to interesting characters to boring prison runs.
The world of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is beautiful to look at, with a beauty and scope that feels like a cross between The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Everything is colorful and dynamic, while the character models are (for the most part) more realistic than the game’s predecessor.
Exploring the world of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is also a gift. The player can have up to six Monsties at any time, many of which have different abilities to cross, such as surfing, climbing, and swimming. The kingdom of Azuria is full of life, with lush fields, vast forests, and wild animals roaming the plains. I spent a good portion of my preview exploring the world, collecting resources, and filling out the map.
25% to 50% (But Not 100%)
Of course, it doesn’t matter how good the game looks if the gameplay sucks. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is a monster-collecting RPG with turn-based battles, using an improved version of the same combat system as its predecessor. Here, the Fire Emblem comparison is very strong, due to its triangle of weaknesses.
In the 3 stories of Monster Hunter: Twisted Reflection, the main character fights alongside his Monsties, one of which can be in battle at the same time, as well as an AI-controlled party member, and their Monstie. In battles, characters can use one of three attacks, a strong one and a weak one. Power attacks are strong against Technical, but weak against Speed; Tech is strong against Speed, but weak against Strength; Speed is strong against Strength, but weak against Technical.
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When facing enemies, a line will appear showing which character is targeting them, sometimes giving an indication of what type of attack they plan to use. If you choose a strong move against it, you will deal more damage, and if you are weak, you will take more.
I previously reviewed its predecessor Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, and so far my biggest complaint about the game was that you had a party of four characters, and only controlled one character. In Monster Hunter: Wings of Destruction 2 stories, you controlled the main character, but the AI controlled your Monstie, your partner, and their Monstie, meaning you only controlled 25% of the gameplay.
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection has improved things, as you now have more control over your Monstie than ever before. You can choose the type of attack they will use, which means there is a better chance of exploiting the enemy’s weaknesses. It’s not enough though. Nowhere in the preview can I control the other two party members, which means I’m still a slave to the AI.
There are a number of interconnected mechanisms in the combat system. The main character can bring three weapons into battle, each with unique abilities that use Stamina (MP). It is possible to identify the body parts of the Monstie; breaking them causes them to stagger, giving the team a free team attack. Many familiar items from the Monster Hunter series are here, and you will need to acquire certain Monstie parts to craft gear, collecting resources has become a huge part of the gameplay.
Nowhere in the preview can I control the other two party members, which means I’m still a slave to the AI.
You can also upgrade Monsties by swapping genes, each with a 3×3 grid/skill tree, and moving genes from one Monstie to another allows you to assign special attacks and brawls to your teammates. Creating gene lines on a grid that shares an item will also unlock more abilities, meaning it’s worth seeking out certain Monsties, just to strip their genes.
There’s a ton going on with the combat system in Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, but when it clicks, it feels good when it all comes together. It’s a shame you haven’t been able to fully control the team, at least not in the first game. Capcom needs to wise up and learn the same lesson that Atlus learned in Persona 3: RPGs players like to control the whole team, and they don’t like to sit there and watch the game play itself.
Monster Hunter Stories 3 Gave Me A Reason To Care For Eggs
Monsters don’t grow on trees. They hatch from eggs, which the player finds in nests and spawning caves on the map. When you enter, you can search for the egg you want in the nest, and try to escape with it before the parent comes home to make you dinner.
At the beginning of the game, the egg mechanic felt pointless. Once I got one of each Monstie, there was little reason to go back. However, when I played, eggs were very important. The aforementioned genetic modification feature was part of it, but the new system introduced in Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Minds really made me want to dig into the nests.
In the 3 stories of Monster Hunter: Twisted Reflection, once you defeat the powerful boss Monstie that inhabits each area, you get to set up a camp, which acts as a fast travel area/store/egg hatching stable. You will then be involved in an ecological system. Look, there are tons of invasive species in the world, and it’s the Rangers’ role to keep the balance.
The change of tone in the adult story, the well-written narrative, and the impressive development in the gameplay had me excited about the power of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Meditation.
To ensure that certain Monsties thrive, you need to hatch them and release them into the wild to boost their numbers. Doing so will unlock rare and powerful Monsties. For example, returning the Rathians to the original Azuria ecosystem will allow the powerful Pink Rathians to return, followed by the deadly Dreadqueen Rathian, all of which you can hatch and recruit into your party.
The ecology mechanics are brilliant, as it made me love hunting in caves and finding eggs, for the tangible reward of breeding Monsties. Throw in some genetic swapping, and the result was a game that had me hanging around the starting point, having a lot of fun shaping the wilderness, all the while strengthening my team and facing powerful enemies, even though I was curious to see where the story would go.
The change of tone in the adult story, the well-written narrative, and the impressive development in the gameplay had me excited about the power of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Meditation. It’s no secret that I was disappointed by Monster Hunter Wilds, as it felt like it removed the core gameplay loop of Monster Hunter Rise and didn’t put anything in its place, but with Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, the opposite is true, and it feels like a much-needed evolution in the spin-off series.
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Exhale, then press the trigger.
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twinted Reflection
- Released
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March 13, 2026
- The ESRB
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Teen Violence / Fantasy, Sexual Themes, In-Game Purchases
