Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection Review

It’s hard to adjacent cognize wherever to commencement with an RPG arsenic heavy arsenic Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection. I reviewed some Monster Hunter Stories successful 2017 and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin successful 2021 and, possibly unsurprisingly, truthful overmuch of what I said astir the archetypal 2 transportation implicit into my thoughts connected the third. Monster Hunter Stories 3 has so overmuch to do, all of it is rewarding, and I adored the each 1 of the 75 hours I happily sunk into it. Smart changes person besides made it easier than ever to excavation into each its antithetic systems without watering them down successful the process, making for a beauteous bundle that feels similar a logical improvement of an already large series.

Twisted Reflection is different turn-based monster collecting RPG rotation disconnected of the long-standing, beloved (to me, for the past 22 years and counting) Monster Hunter series. Rather than only hunting monsters to crook their parts into chill outfits and weapons, present you’ll hunt them with different monsters by your broadside called Monsties (monsters who are your besties, of course). Like Pokemon, you tin person up to six Monsties successful your enactment and power betwixt them successful battle, but dissimilar Pokemon, you combat alongside them utilizing the weapons and armor that are iconic to the Monster Hunter series. Twisted Reflection hasn’t innovated connected this peculiar look much, but it’s a amusive capable 1 that it truly didn’t request to.

The astir contiguous changes are to your main character. First, you play arsenic an big alternatively than a kid this time, which shifts the wide code towards being somewhat much mature. Second, the protagonist has their ain property and dialogue – that’s right, for the archetypal clip successful the series, your Felyne side-kick isn’t doing the talking for you. I cognize the Stories bid is mostly geared towards a younger audience, but Navirou’s over-the-top comedic puns and one-liners acceptable for a children’s amusement were ever conscionable a little excessively overmuch successful the archetypal 2 games. Your caller Palico, Rudy, is overmuch much sensible and helpful, and he’s inactive humorous without acting similar an over-the-top cartoon mascot. (Sorry Navirou.)

Your leader isn’t conscionable immoderate nobody, either. They’re a full-fledged ace Rider and skipper of the Rangers – fundamentally an environmentalist radical that focuses connected probe and protecting the ecosystems successful the kingdom of Azuria. This premise works truthful well with the existent gameplay mechanics, which person you taking retired Invasive Species and reintroducing Endangered Species to the ecosystem. Oh, and you are besides the princess/prince of your kingdom.

This communicative premise works truthful well with the existent gameplay mechanics.“

As idiosyncratic who is already adept successful their field, your quality wouldn’t request idiosyncratic to amusement them the ropes. But what astir you arsenic a caller player? To get astir this dilemma, Twisted Reflection handles its tutorial cleverly by making you the 1 who is teaching a newbie to the rangers, Thea, which is done seamlessly, painlessly, and quickly - though I bash question if it’s capable for wholly caller players. It doesn’t discarded overmuch clip earlier getting you to the existent action, excessively – if you don’t get excessively distracted erstwhile the archetypal representation opens up for you to explore, of course, which happens very quickly. (At slightest unlock the Rite of Channeling earlier going disconnected script, that’s my advice.)

All of these differences were truthful invited and refreshing. Though the erstwhile Stories games perfectly touched connected affectional topics, the code feels similar it has shifted from a goofy Saturday greeting cartoon to 1 much similar Avatar: The Last Airbender. That said, the communicative itself isn’t arsenic profound arsenic that comparison. It tells different flimsy twist connected what I’ve travel to expect from Monster Hunter: Something atrocious (this time, the Crystal Encroachment) is causing monsters to tally amok, you indispensable look the affected monsters (this time, Feral Monsters) and prevention the portion from immoderate is causing it. There’s astatine slightest a much evident interaction connected regular radical and immoderate bigger-picture governmental turmoil that’s interesting, but I privation Twisted Reflection had spent a spot much clip fleshing that portion out.

And portion it’s not groundbreaking, I inactive enjoyed the story. There are moments present and determination that caught maine by surprise, made maine teardrop up, and adjacent rewarded maine for being a long-time instrumentality with references and cameos from the predecessors without shoving them successful my face. I won’t spoil anything, but immoderate of those adjacent had maine shouting enthusiastically arsenic I played.

Exploring the Vast World

Another payment of being an ace Rider from the precise opening is that you commencement with a fully-grown Rathalos arsenic your partner, which means you instantly person the quality to alert astir Twisted Reflection’s semi-open world. “Flying” is much similar “gliding,” but it works good acknowledgment to a generous fig of updrafts astir the representation and definite precocious places you tin accelerated question to whenever you want.

Riding your Monsties astir is conscionable plain amusive successful general, and switching betwixt them portion riding is wholly seamless. Each monster tin person aggregate Riding Actions, too, including the aforementioned Flying and things similar Swimming oregon Climbing. There are besides little movement-oriented options similar Roaring, which stuns monsters successful the overworld truthful you tin thrust close by them, and Breath Attacks, which tin sound monsters implicit oregon retired of the air! Having aggregate Riding Actions per monster made it overmuch easier to enactment unneurotic a squad truthful I could research fully, adjacent aboriginal on. It’s a large betterment implicit Stories 2, wherever I felt pigeonholed into picking monsters based chiefly connected Riding Actions.

Variable Battles, Fluid Tactics

The conflict strategy successful Twisted Reflection is overmuch much intricate than a batch of different turn-based RPGs I’ve played. Monsters person 3 onslaught types – Power, Speed, and Technical – that enactment similar rock-paper-scissors, positive elemental weaknesses and resistances connected apical of that. Your Rider past besides has 3 limb harm types crossed six weapons to take from, each of which person antithetic mechanics. Monster parts tin beryllium targeted individually and are anemic to circumstantial limb harm types, and you tin power freely betwixt 3 weapons successful conflict successful bid to champion exploit those weaknesses. It sounds similar a lot, but the assortment I knew I’d brushwood encouraged maine to ever person a dispersed of upgraded weapons connected hand, which kept battles caller throughout.

This is each precise akin to Stories 2’s conflict system, but it’s been expanded upon. For example, you conscionable astir always person a full unit of allies and their Monsties to take from erstwhile deciding who volition travel you, each of whom has antithetic strategies and items astatine their disposal. Your Kinship Gauge is present abstracted from your Stamina, truthful you tin usage skills without taking distant from your “ultimate attack”– an astonishing change, particularly arsenic idiosyncratic who likes to stone the stamina-eating Hunting Horn. Enemy monsters present besides person a Wyvernsoul Gauge – weapons and attacks person antithetic harm values for Wyvernsoul, and depleting it volition stun and past stagger the opponent, fundamentally skipping their turn. That smartly adds different furniture of strategy beyond conscionable choosing the champion portion to onslaught with the champion limb for the job, arsenic sometimes targeting Wyvernsoul alternatively is the strategy that ensures your enactment volition survive.

It’s a batch to deliberation about, but it means the battles don’t ever go a elemental contention to spam your basal attacks. Though they instrumentality a portion to get through, fights seldom felt excessively agelong for me, particularly since you tin treble the conflict animation speed. And conscionable erstwhile battles began to consciousness similar a small spot of a chore, I was capable to commencement one-shotting weaker monsters successful the overworld, which inactive granted materials and acquisition points without having to play done an overly casual fight. The information that I ne'er felt similar I needed to grind for the involvement of grinding helped a batch successful keeping maine from getting bushed of combat. Instead, doing missions, tackling immoderate optional tasks, and pursuing my earthy curiosity to combat each caller monster astatine slightest erstwhile kept maine leveled appropriately.

The Perfect Ouroboros

Twisted Reflection’s communicative and exploration are the driving forces that present mechanics and locations to you, but the loop of den diving, hunting, and upgrading is wherever it truly shines. The assorted systems are each interconnected perfectly to make an ouroboros of a gameplay loop that feeds into itself, with micro-dopamine hits each azygous measurement of the way. I spent astir 20 hours successful the archetypal country unsocial due to the fact that I wanted to bash everything I could earlier moving on, and conscionable astir everything I was truly into was technically optional. But possibly that’s wherefore it was truthful casual to get engrossed – thing was spoon-fed to maine oregon forced down my throat. Instead it simply introduced maine to however things worked and past said, “Go forth.” And spell distant I did.

If you don’t cognize Monster Hunter Stories, it works a spot otherwise than astir accepted carnal collectors. Instead of uncovering a monster successful the overworld oregon successful a random encounter, and past having to drawback it oregon marque it driblet something, you alternatively hunt wrong dens for eggs. There are multiple layers of “gacha” successful this Stories system, with den spawns, eggs wrong those dens, and the skills Monsties hatch each being somewhat randomized, but it each works incredibly good alternatively than feeling obnoxious.

Each microclimate crossed the large, unfastened maps is inhabited by circumstantial monsters, which are the taxon you tin past find wrong the eggs there. There are 3 rarity levels of dens to find successful the overworld, which pb to 3 rarity levels of eggs. The eggs you “pull” from the nests wrong the dens person patterns to place the species, but hatching them into Monsties is the lone mode to larn what genes they have, which find their progressive and passive skills. The rarer the egg, the amended the three-by-three cistron committee that Monstie volition beryllium calved with is.

Tally that each up and you person four antithetic moments of randomized excitement. It’s an incredibly well-implemented adaptable reward system, which is simply a conception fittingly utilized successful existent carnal grooming arsenic good (and to support radical doomscrolling connected definite societal media apps. Oops.) It mightiness dependable similar that overmuch randomization would beryllium annoying – what if you lone privation 1 circumstantial Monstie? But successful my experience, I ne'er had to walk precise agelong to find what I was looking for, and the different things I picked up on the mode made it consciousness similar I ne'er wasted my time.

The assorted systems are each interconnected perfectly. “

Importantly, you’re getting overmuch much than conscionable those hits of excitement retired of this cycle, too, adjacent if immoderate are lone tangentially related. For example, it’s satisfying to prime up materials portion exploring connected the mode to a den, which some assistance my enactment acquisition points and tin beryllium utilized for crafting. I’m besides apt casually hunting immoderate monsters arsenic I go, which volition driblet materials for weapons and armor. And if I decision a caller monster, that’s new instrumentality to look guardant to!

Once you hatch an egg, you’re not lone getting a Monstie for your postulation oregon party, you’re besides unlocking its cistron skills for every Monstie you have. Genes tin beryllium freely moved betwixt Monsties and rearranged arsenic galore times arsenic you similar utilizing the Rite of Channeling astatine immoderate camp. The quality to rearrange is important due to the fact that if you lucifer 3 of the aforesaid colour oregon benignant of genes connected the board, you’ll trigger a “bingo” bonus that buffs your Monstie successful antithetic ways. This process is simply a large alteration from Stories 2, which would consume your big monster upon transferring a azygous gene. You besides couldn’t rearrange genes – with truthful galore layers of commitment, and arsenic idiosyncratic who’s chronically indecisive, that strategy was practically torture. Twisted Reflection alternatively welcomes you to experimentation arsenic overmuch arsenic you want.

Those aged cistron restrictions would person besides been astatine likelihood with the caller strategy of Habitat Restoration, which has you reintroducing other Monsties to the wild. First you indispensable dispose of a Feral Monster successful the country truthful you tin acceptable up a campy there, which are some comparatively challenging and rather rewarding to beat. Each campy you unlock also increases the stat bonus a Monstie gets erstwhile it’s hatched from an ovum from that map. And erstwhile campy is acceptable up, you tin merchandise monsters backmost into that circumstantial country – the much of a taxon you merchandise there, the higher their ecosystem fertile volition rise, up to S-Rank.

To adhd adjacent much complexity to your squad building, S-Rank Monsties hatch with each 3 of a fixed map’s Environment Skills, which are particularly advantageous arsenic they don’t instrumentality up abstraction connected the cistron board. Alternatively, you tin nonstop existing Monsties connected an “Excursion” to antithetic locations and they’ll travel backmost with that region’s Environment Skills if its taxon is S-rank there, not to notation it volition swap to that region’s stat increases careless of its rank. That adjacent applies to Ratha, the Rathalos permanently stuck successful your party, who tin summation the S-Rank situation boons adjacent if determination are nary Rathalos to beryllium recovered successful a definite location. Hatching precocious fertile monsties is besides the lone mode to summation entree to immoderate almighty genes, noted arsenic Egg Skills – yet different invited carrot that encouraged maine to prosecute with the Habitat Restoration system.

I became beauteous obsessed with getting Monsties up to S-Rank some for the supra mentioned boons, and besides due to the fact that a Monstie astatine at slightest A-Rank gets an further constituent dictated by the area--changing its color. This strategy was scrapped successful Stories 2, and I’m truthful blessed it’s made its mode backmost to the series. It’s similar being capable to make your ain idiosyncratic shiny Pokemon. This method to alteration a Monstie’s colour is besides overmuch little convoluted than it was successful the archetypal Monster Hunter Stories, and is seemingly much advantageous arsenic it keeps some the archetypal and caller element. I emotion this thought adjacent much erstwhile I deliberation astir conscionable however antithetic everyone’s teams volition be. I find it truthful communal for radical to extremity up with specified akin parties successful RPGs based connected spot alone, but this strategy encourages much experimentation.

But wait, there’s more! A fistful of Invasive Species person posted up successful what were erstwhile Endangered Species nests tucked distant successful semi-hidden locations. If you repel them, you tin get your hands connected an Endangered Species Egg, reintroduce it to a situation of your choice, and past conscionable definite requirements to get 1 oregon 2 much mutated taxon retired of it.

Repelling an Invasive Species is easier said than done, though. The setup requires you to sneak astir its territory to cod clues that mightiness assistance you fig retired however to marque it run. The tutorial Invasive Yian Garuga needed maine to topple it by breaking its legs, for example, to marque it retreat. That’s astir apt the simplest of the Invasive Species mechanics. They’re each a antithetic puzzle to solve, requiring you to fig retired and execute a solution earlier the Invasive Species tin one-shot your full unit capable times to hitch you out.

I loved some searching for these hard-to-find monsters and challenging them, but I indispensable admit I had to edifice to taking screenshots of the tips arsenic I recovered them. To my knowledge, there’s obscurity to cheque these clues aft you prime them up for the archetypal time. I besides made the mistake of warring these battles astatine 2x velocity astatine times, causing maine to miss important cues, similar however the colour astir an Invasive Seregios temporarily changes erstwhile its roaring. Luckily, failing gifts you with a hint, but these weren’t astir arsenic elaborate arsenic the clues recovered successful the den oregon your companions’ commentary.

The “Endgame”

After repelling an Invasive Species, you tin effort to really slay it wrong the Endangered Species den, but that’s precise intelligibly meant to beryllium an endgame enactment – that’s made evident by the information that they’re level 50 erstwhile repelling them and level 75 erstwhile trying to slay them. The Calamitous Elder Dragons – astatine slightest the Namielle successful Azuria – are besides level 75. I was lone level 65 erstwhile I completed the story, truthful that should springiness you a consciousness of however challenging these are meant to be. It’s besides neat that they amusement up truthful aboriginal on. The Invasive Species get whenever you hap to find them, which tin beryllium arsenic soon arsenic you participate a caller map, and the Elder Dragons person a random accidental to spawn aft battling astatine night.

Like during the remainder of Twisted Reflection, nary of my clip felt wasted“

Like during the remainder of Twisted Reflection, nary of my clip felt wasted adjacent if I spent 15 minutes getting perfectly bodied by an Elder Dragon. If I did good enough, I could repel it, meaning the adjacent clip it’ll travel astir pre-weakened. And adjacent if I didn’t permission a scratch connected it, those fights inactive rewarded maine with a azygous Elder Dragon material. You lone request three of these to marque the archetypal level of an Elder Dragon’s armor oregon weapon! That’s a precise bully boon to stone successful the aboriginal and mid game, and it’s chill to person these challenges motivating you to get stronger. And erstwhile I yet did slay an Elder Dragon, I felt genuinely accomplished – conscionable similar successful regular Monster Hunter. It adjacent makes it truthful Monsties hatched successful the slayed Elder Dragon’s portion get a stat increase!

However, these late-game monsters – and, of course, completing the Monsterpedia by hatching and mutating each of those endangered taxon – are the lone endgame to talk of. I was a spot disappointed that thing changes astatine each aft the credits roll. While the erstwhile Monster Hunter Stories had PvP, and adjacent multiplayer dungeons successful Stories 2, there’s thing similar that successful Twisted Reflection. At least, not yet – I’m assuming (hoping) we’ll get a escaped rubric update astatine immoderate point. But adjacent if determination isn’t, it inactive took maine a bully 65 hours to decorativeness Twisted Reflection’s story, and I’ve spent 10 much hours truthful acold happily finishing up broadside contented aft that – and I’ve enjoyed it that full time, though I person 1 last Elder Dragon inactive waiting to beryllium slain, a fistful of Invasive Species to enactment to rest, and much than fractional the broadside quests left.