Monster Hunter Stories 3 is Ready to Step Out of the Shadow of the Mainline Series

Of all the action-RPG franchises to make you’re employed for an epic second, Monster Hunter is up there amongst the ones that push you hardest, and the Monster Hunter Stories collection is no exception to the rule. You tackle the lowest rank Monsters, you get pummelled into the dust till you learn the way to beat them, and then you definitely excitedly hurry again dwelling to construct a brand new weapon and a cool set of armor from the creature you’ve simply murked, prepared to undergo the whole course of once more with a barely tougher monster. It’s a rewarding battle, however a troublesome one, and Monster Hunter’s best secrets and techniques are sometimes reserved for those who take the time to totally embrace its many programs.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection reveals you proper from the begin that issues are going to be a bit completely different round right here. In the first minute of my hands-on session with the sport, my Rider (not a Hunter, however we’ll get into that later) is sprinting down a cliff at warp velocity earlier than leaping proper off the edge, solely to be caught mid-air by her pet Rathalos and, collectively, they soar throughout a glittering lake, in what could also be the most breath-taking introduction to a Monster Hunter sport I’ve seen but, inviting you, the participant, to instantly take the reigns of this majestic creature – who, for as soon as, at isn’t a foe to be conquered, however a good friend. It’s a stark distinction to the opening of Monster Hunter Stories 2, through which you carry a Rathalos egg round for hours earlier than it hatches. This introduction appears like the fruits of a spin-off that’s prepared to step out of the shadow of its mainline collection, and present us precisely what it could do.

A Model New Story

To set the scene, Monster Hunter Stories ditches the mainline collection’ conventional fast-paced, unforgiving third-person fight for a turn-based system, riffing off the likes of Closing Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Pokémon, and different related monster-packed RPGs. As a substitute of a Hunter, you’re a Rider, ready to befriend and battle alongside monster companions (Monsties).

On this third instalment, set a very long time after the occasions of Stories 1+2, your character is the inheritor of Azuria, the kingdom through which our journey begins. In the first few story missions, we meet and are partnered up with Eleanor, the princess of the adjoining kingdom Vermeil. The 2 are on the brink of warfare, and it’s up to you to work out how to resolve every kingdom’s wants and put a cease to it. In the meantime, a phenomenon referred to as the Crystal Encroachment is threatening to destroy the ecosystem, turning Monsters feral and driving some shut to extinction.

(*3*)

Your character is additionally a member of the Rangers, a group of Riders assembled to analysis Monster ecology and assist defend it. It’s a brilliant compelling setup that sees your created character grappling between their royal obligations and objectives as a Ranger, crafting a darker, stronger narrative than the earlier instalments. You don’t want to be conversant in the earlier tales, both, simply soar proper on in.

The World of Azuria

This setting is additionally new to Monster Hunter Stories 3. Azuria serves as a vibrant, sprawling beginning floor that feels effortlessly inviting – virtually Ghibli-esque in model – and you start the sport geared up with Monsties that allow primary traversal straight away. Ratha (your Rathalos) can’t keep limitless flight, however he can catch updrafts to get a lift of peak for travelling lengthy distances shortly, as can many different Monsties with the flying means. Monsters roam the world freely, and you’ll select to battle them or depart them be.

Stories’ turn-based fight system is easy to grasp in its primary kind – a rock/paper/scissors setup the place one transfer kind beats one other. Stories 3 is far more tutorialized than predecessors; you’ll shortly get to grips with what transfer kind monsters use, in addition to extra in-depth mechanics like elemental assaults, and behavior that reveals the place they’ll change up their technique. Nevertheless, don’t mistake steering for ease – regardless of its turn-based presentation, there are meticulously crafted programs at play that imply you’ll want to come extraordinarily ready for each battle. My hubris shortly bought the higher of me whereas shifting by story missions, pondering I may push by another mission, solely to be flattened by a brand new Feral Monster. It pays to take your time, totally discover the world, stage up your Monsties, and plan out your method.

The world has Monster nests scattered round, which include eggs. This is your main technique of amassing new Monsties, and each is a shock. Some include rarer eggs, some include a number of eggs, and a few can have a Monstie prepared to soar out and defend the eggs you’re making an attempt to run off with. This mechanic comes from the earlier video games, but it surely’s far more merely introduced, at the least in the early sport – you don’t want to run by a winding maze of caves as in earlier video games, simply dip in, seize the eggs you need and dip out earlier than a Monstie comes to get you – one other instance of how Stories 3 is streamlining to construct a smoother expertise for newcomers.

Managing the Ecosystem

The extra eggs you acquire, the extra Monsties you’ll find yourself with in your secure. As with earlier Stories video games, you’ll have the ability to ‘launch’ a Monstie you don’t need to hold, however Stories 3 introduces one other sensible mechanic – Habitat Restoration.

With this, you’ll be able to really change the ecology of completely different areas of the map by deliberately introducing completely different monsters to the ecosystem. For instance, the early sport invitations you to launch a Rathian into the beginning space, and shortly after, you’ll see Rathians seem in that half of the world. As you launch extra Rathians, its rank in the ecosystem will rise, which suggests you’ll discover extra highly effective Rathian eggs hidden in nests surrounding the area the creature lives in. In earlier Stories video games, discovering highly effective eggs relied on pure luck when scrabbling by nests, however this time, you’ll be able to successfully engineer a robust model of the Monstie you need by creating a house for it, which is completely sensible, really rewarding your cautious pondering (or simply letting you buff the monster kind you occur to love).

Monsters even have the alternative to mutate, providing an much more highly effective variant. By releasing Rathians into the wild, I used to be ready to unlock Pink Rathian, construct up their rank, and ultimately main to unlocking a Dreadqueen Rathian – the strongest model of the Monster – in my first few hours of play.

Past that, the ecosystem may have an effect on the ingredient of a Monster, which is an thrilling new first for the collection. Very early on in the sport, I ended up discovering a inexperienced dual-element Anjanath, ready to ship its trademark fireplace assaults alongside much less anticipated lightning skills. It’s such an attention-grabbing evolution for these beloved Monsties, with out altering up their core dynamic, and one other space through which Stories 3 feels prefer it’s rising to meet the complexity of mainline Monster Hunter video games, with out shedding its personal id and allure.

With this entry, Monster Hunter Stories not appears like the franchise’s quirky distant cousin, this is a fully-fledged, magnificently designed journey that may stand proudly by itself. With a putting new world and a mature, promising new narrative that offers your journey goal from the begin, you’re not an unknown Rider making their means by the world or using the coattails of one other legend – you’re a royal inheritor, a famend Rider, and a Ranger that from the off says “I’m right here, and I’m prepared”. Not in contrast to the sport itself.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection launches on Xbox Series X|S March 13.

When you’re ready, Monster Hunter Stories 1+2 are also available on Xbox Series X|S, and you’ll seize them each in the present day.