Sooner or later, any person at Capcom should have checked out Monster Hunter and mentioned, out loud, “You already know, the monsters on this dangerous boy are literally fairly cute. And there’s these speaking cats, and they’re fairly cute, too. We’re kinda leaving cash on the desk by not making this a turn-based monster-capturing RPG.” And the executives did grin, and the sky opened, and the cash rained down. They usually noticed that that any person was proper, and they mentioned, “We gotta make extra of those.”
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is the third considered one of these, actually, if the quantity didn’t give it away, in order that any person’s thought had some endurance, nevertheless it’s this author’s first. Not my first Monster Hunter; like most people within the West, mine was Monster Hunter World. Nevertheless it’s the primary considered one of these infants. And after spending a number of hours with it, I’m fairly impressed. There’s quite a bit to get used to, however I loved my time on this world and with these characters, and I’m itching to go again and do some monster huntin’.
Twisted Reflection begins with a fairly incredible character creator that does quite a bit to introduce you to its attractive artwork fashion. I made a lady with lengthy pink hair and mismatched eyes, and not figuring out that I used to be making a princess, saved Leia as her default title. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection 1, Will 0.
Our story begins with a lady discovering a monster egg preserved in crystal. Naturally, I assumed this was Leia. Extraordinarily loud incorrect buzzer. It was truly her mamma, who’s the queen of Azuria. She hacks the egg out of the crystal and brings it house, the place it hatches into the Monster Hunter poster youngster, a Rathalos. The Rathalos is extinct in Azuria, so everybody’s fairly stoked about this, particularly little Leia, who says she hears two sounds coming from the egg. Seems she’s proper, and a second Rathalos has hit the throne room. As Leia, enamored, reaches out for her new mates, a vaguely vizier-shaped dude informs the king that whereas one monster is all high-quality and dandy, two monsters, particularly two Skyscale Rathalos (Rathaloses? Rathalosi?) is Unhealthy Information, Chief ™ and just one could also be allowed to stay. Reduce to black. Absolutely this won’t irrevocably traumatize my woman Leia for the remainder of her days and develop into an important a part of her backstory. Absolutely.
A number of years later, Leia, now a younger lady, is following in her mom’s footsteps and finding out a monster preserved in egg quartz when her buddy Simon seems and summons her again to the citadel. As soon as there, we study that Leia is the Captain of the Rangers and that she’s finding out one thing referred to as the Encroachment. Correct nouns are typically dangerous, and Leia has actually made progress on the Encroachment, however that’s perhaps not probably the most urgent concern. Relations with the neighboring kingdom of Vermeil are fraying, and her father warns Leia that the Rangers may see fight. Leia protests, as that’s not what Rangers exist for (they’re right here for the monsters), however she rides Azuria’s solely Rathalos (uh oh), and they might want her. My woman can also be knowledgeable that she is going to attend talks with Vermeilian envoys, and that her conspicuously absent mom was Vermeilian. In a later dialog with Simon, Leia reveals that her mom is named “The Turncoat Queen.” The plot thickens.
However Leia can’t spend an excessive amount of time eager about that. She’s the captain of the Rangers, and she has a job to do. Meaning coaching new recruits, and you’re acquired a contemporary one in Thea, who’s stoked to be right here and study from Azuria’s solely Rathalos rider and Rudy, my Felyne. That is the place my time with Twisted Reflection actually takes off. In coaching Thea, Twisted Reflection is coaching me.
I learn to trip my Rathalos (your monsters are referred to as Monsties), however issues actually kick into gear as soon as we enter fight for the primary time. Like I mentioned on the leap, fight is turn-based. Assaults are available in three sorts; Energy, Technical, and Pace. Energy beats Technical and Technical beats Pace, which loops round and beats Energy. Usually, these assaults work, nicely… usually. But when a monster is focusing on you and you assault it, you’ll enter a Head-to-Head the place the rock, paper, scissors of all of it will play out. And if and your Monstie are attacking the identical foe and a Head-to-head occurs, you’ll get a Double Assault. Monsters have their very own assault preferences. Velociprey, as an illustration, will prioritize Pace, so that you gotta go Technical if you wish to win. In case you’re available in the market for one thing slightly fancier, you’ve additionally acquired talents, although these take Stamina, so you’ll be able to’t simply spam them.
In fact, you’ve additionally acquired your Monstie. You don’t management them straight a lot as give them standing instructions that they perform when it is their flip, whether or not which means going for a daily assault or a capability, a few of which carry elemental properties like fireplace, lightning, or water. Since Leia’s the primary character, she’s additionally acquired extra Monsties she will change to if the one she wants isn’t proper for what you’re up towards. Thea and her Monstie, Kaguchi, are additionally in my celebration, however I don’t management them. They do their very own factor, for higher and worse.
Due to this, fight goes rapidly, and like your extra conventional Monster Hunters, there’s technique with regards to which a part of the monster you’re preventing that you simply goal. Break the best physique half, and you’ll be able to weaken an assault or open it as much as extra injury. Stagger a monster, and you’ll be able to unleash a Synchro Assault the place everybody in your celebration lays on the harm. The largest spectacle, although, comes within the type of kinship assaults. Pull off the best strikes in fight, and you’ll construct kinship along with your Monstie. Max out that meter, and you’ll be able to mount your Monstie and unleash a superbly animated, cinematic smackdown. I dig it.
As soon as Thea and I are damaged in, we get to discover a bit. We decide up vegetation and bugs and different gadgets on the bottom, get into some fights, and I give Ratha a break so I can use my Tobi-Kadachi to scale a lookout level and meet an Explorer Felyne who items me a map. We proceed on, studying the way to use melee and breath assaults to work together with the setting and begin fights early for a bonus, or roar and get monsters out of the best way. We additionally handle to rescue a Poogie, an cute, pig-like creature who someway acquired up someplace my Rathalos wanted wings to succeed in, and even get Thea a style of the Encroachment, which appears to be what causes these egg quartzes we noticed earlier.
Yeah, issues are wanting fairly good for the house staff, till we come throughout a nest and make a Paolumu mad. As soon as we whack him sufficient, he transforms, altering his assaults and weaknesses. Since he’s inflated an air pouch, it’s bow time. It’s a enjoyable combat that places every little thing I’ve realized thus far to the check, nevertheless it’s nothing in comparison with what comes subsequent.
Right here, we run into our first feral monster, which has been altered by the Encroachment. Crystals sprout from its again, and it’s extraordinarily highly effective. Hitting the crystals provokes a backlash assault, so now we have to be sensible. It assessments our smarts and our endurance, however finally he wears down, and we destroy the crystals. Then it’s recreation on. Ultimately, he falls, and we take the eggs we’ve gathered house and add some new Monsties to our ranks.
Earlier than we begin feeling too good about ourselves, Leia is named into that assembly with the Vermeilian envoys. Issues are going badly – Vermeil is getting hit exhausting by the Encroachment, and they’re satisfied salvation lies within the Sacrosanctum, which might imply breaching an historic pact. They’ve come to ask Azuria for assist getting there – and warfare appears inevitable till Vermeil’s Princess Eleanor affords herself as a hostage till Azuria relents. Unwilling to deal with her like a prisoner, Leia affords to indicate her round, and she finally ends up palling round with the Rangers.
If bringing Thea alongside was about studying the sport, Eleanor’s arrival is admittedly the place issues open up. Earlier than setting out, we purchase new expertise and forge new armor and weapons. It’s an excellent factor, too, as a result of whereas we’re exhibiting Eleanor round, we run into a brand new feral monster. Eleanor, her Anjanath (which I’m fairly jealous of, truthfully), my Monstie cohort, and I take it down, however not earlier than we’re knocked down just a few instances ourselves. Dropping all of your HP isn’t deadly. You may get again up a restricted variety of instances, nevertheless it lets us know that the problem is ramping up.
Quickly after, we arrange a camp, and Eleanor reveals off her cooking expertise. It is a Monster Hunter recreation, so consuming meals naturally boosts your stats and the cooking cutscene is immaculately rendered. I am going for some experience-boosting bread, as a result of who doesn’t love bread? Leia and Eleanor additionally bond over their shared realization that their nations don’t actually perceive one another. The state of affairs in Vermeil is worse than Leia realized, and Azuria isn’t in any respect like Eleanor thought. Neither is as dangerous as they’ve been led to imagine.
Our aim now could be to analyze invasive monsters and observe them to their dens so we will save eggs from the species they’re crowding out. From right here, the world is actually our oyster. We now have to function at night time to trace these invasive species, however in any other case we will kinda do what we wish, whether or not which means preventing monsters within the area, or finishing facet quests the place we reunite a Felyne along with his misplaced grasp or assist one other Felyne eliminate some bug monsters.
Ultimately, we discover an invasive Yian Garuga. We steer clear lengthy sufficient to research its tracks and get a really feel for the way it works, however finally, the combat is on. The Yan Garuga is extremely robust; in a stand-up combat, we in all probability wouldn’t stand an opportunity, and we’ve acquired to select ourselves up and mud ourselves off just a few instances earlier than it’s over. However our aim isn’t to kill it, it’s to make it retreat to its lair. Meaning determining its weak point – on this case, its legs – and piling on the harm quick sufficient that it stumbles when making an attempt to hit us with a strong cost assault and retreats. As soon as it does, we observe it to its lair and steal a Rathian egg, however we’re not trying to make it a Monstie. By releasing it into the wild, we will restore the pure ecosystem. Meaning new and higher monsters for us to catch. Restoring a habitat has advantages for us, too. You may get monsters with elemental expertise distinctive to that habitat, or unlock mutations that imbue monsters with parts outdoors of the norm. It’s unhappy to see our Rathian go, nevertheless it’s for the better good.
Our activity full, the Rangers return to the citadel. The king’s nonetheless targeted on what may occur if the Rangers have to enter battle, and we study why Leia’s so against it. Keep in mind that different Rathalos that got here out of that egg? She saved it because it was about to be executed and fled. Everybody assumes she headed to her native Vermeil. The entire Traitor Queen factor makes much more sense now, and it explains why Leia’s so keen on her personal Rathalos – he acquired her by way of her mother leaving – and why she’s so dedicated to the Rangers. She needs to search out out what occurred to her mother.
As if impressed by this revelation, Twisted Reflection decides to open up Aspect Stories – escapades you’ll be able to head on with different Rangers to get to know them higher. I determine to pal round with Eleanor, who, impressed with Azuria’s magnificence and abundance, duties us with monitoring down some gadgets which are native to Vermeil: a Sucklebug, Witherweed, and a Molted Gumshell. After getting the lay of the land from a close-by lookout tower – and just a few facet excursions the place we grabbed some eggs from monster dens – we headed out. The primary couple had been straightforward sufficient. Hitting a Paolumu with a breath assault snags us our Gumshell, and we discover Witherweed in a shady space.
The actual bugaboo seems to be the Sucklebug, which likes to cover behind rocks. I looked for it behind rocks for some time earlier than realizing that “behind the rock” means “break the rock, Will, you doofus.” As soon as we’ve acquired all of the elements – sure, elements – Eleanor turns them into Vermeil Dumplings. Leia and Rudy are grossed out, nevertheless it’s a pleasant second that helps them perceive simply how dire issues are in Vermeil – and how fortunate Azuria is by comparability. Plus, it unlocks a brand new recipe for our camps, and Eleanor is worked up to share her native delicacies with everybody else.
My time with Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection ends shortly thereafter. I may have saved going – we had entry to a beneficiant quantity of the sport – however my subsequent story mission noticed me getting completely rocked by a pair of Feral Velocidomes. I clearly wanted to get some new Monsties with totally different parts and improve tools to proceed, nevertheless it felt like a pure finish. I’d spent half a dozen hours with Twisted Reflection by that time, and gotten a really feel for what it was shaping as much as be: a beautiful RPG that mixes the normal parts of Monster Hunter with a turn-based RPG and a surprisingly compelling forged and narrative that invited me to befriend and practice monsters, not simply hunt them. Don’t get me unsuitable, these Velicidomes are happening the following time I fireplace Twisted Reflection up, however for now, I’ve a really feel for this world, these characters, and the sport they inhabit. And it was greater than sufficient to persuade me to show this snack right into a meal. I would simply keep on with the bread, although, you understand? Vermilian Dumplings don’t actually seem to be my bag.