Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection Review
I’ve been playing Monster Hunter Stories 3 for about a week now, and while a final review isn’t quite in the cards yet as I have more to explore, this is about as close to my opinions as I can get at the moment. And if all things remain equal, my thoughts on Monster Hunter Stories 3 won’t change drastically from this. Call it a review. Call it first impressions. Either way, this title is phenomenal.
We are playing on the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game, but it is also playable on other platforms. Capcom provided a copy of this game for this review, so thanks to them for that!
Familiarity isn’t a bad thing, even in video games. Tears of the Kingdom felt familiar because I played Breath of the Wild. It introduced new things, but I felt at home the second the game began. That’s how I feel about Monster Hunter Stories 3. It shares so much with Monster Hunter Stories 2 that getting into the experience and learning a few new mechanics got me going faster, and I really did appreciate that.
For Monster Hunter Stories 2 players, there is a lot that will feel familiar. The Rock-Paper-Scissors combat mechanic is still here, with monsters preferring one attack type, but switching when enraged. You’ll still be breaking monster parts of big baddies, with specific weapons doing more damage on specific body parts. You’ll still use those parts to craft better gear, still take into account statuses and elemental potential, and more.
While so much is familiar, Capcom added in new mechanics as well. You can now release monsters back into the wild to improve their rank in regions. Higher rank means finding better eggs with better traits. You can also rid areas of invasive monsters who aren’t suppose to be there, making the world a healthier, more alive place. You can now farm traits and release monsters at will, and even move traits multiple times, allowing you to have what I like to call Trait Holding Monsters, who’s sole purpose is to hold good traits you want for later.
What makes a Monster Hunter Story game work, though, is, well, the story. And what I have experienced so far has been phenomenal, full of twists and turns, great voice acting, and more. While I haven’t found out how it ends yet, and while there is potential for end-game disappointment as the story wraps up, it has done more than enough to keep me engaged for the dozens of hours I have played.
Not all those hours are spent exploring story elements, obviously. The grind of Monster Hunter Stories does still exist here, as you attempt to level up your monsters to tackle tougher and tougher problems. This is my one criticism of the experiences: as you progress the story, the difficulty balance seems way off. You might be easily handling monsters in a region as you move through a specific story chapter, only to get absolutely wrecked by a monster at the end. Logically, you shouldn’t rip through an area without a scratch, only to lose in two hits. It is the wild difficulty spikes that might make someone put down the controller and walk away, which is a real shame. Because every time these difficult spikes happen, there is generally only one solution: grind your way to success.
Obviously, positive elemental matchups, loaded weapons and upgraded armour can go a long way as well, and there is excitement when I have the right combination of gear that lets me take down a monster a dozen or more levels higher than myself. But those wins are often overshadowed by a ton of luck. Early on I took down a monster with a red triangle above its head – highlights a monster many levels above yourself – but realized after the fight that while I did have a good combination of weapons and armour and elemental advantages, the monster also “Missed” two attacks in a row that probably would have whipped me out. Skill and planning? Maybe. Luck? Definitely.
That doesn’t take away from the thrill of the win, though, but if I attempted to replicate that success on another overleveled monster, I usually got squashed right away.
Monster fights are exhilarating, though, and there is something incredibly pleasing about taking down a big monster. You will do that a lot. And ultimately that, along with a story that I was invested in, is what kept me going in Monster Hunter Stories 3. If you enjoy managing multiple systems – monster traits, elemental advantages, and armour and weapon upgrade – Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is an easy recommendation!
Article By Adam
