I do love a bit of Monster Hunter; by which I mean a lot of Monster Hunter - I dread to imagine the total number of hours I've spent with the series over the years. I love the pageantry of the hunt, I love stupid big swords and ludicrous outfits made of monster bits, and, above all else, I love the half joyful, half-sultry 'Soooo tasty!' (Thank you for bringing it back, Capcom). What I haven't yet gelled with, despite my best efforts and enthusiasm, is Capcom's colourful turn-based RPG spin-off Monster Hunter Stories. But with the advent of its third outing, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, I think I'm finally in.
Why? Well, I won't deny it probably helps that I've been yearning for something to sate my Monster Hunter cravings after quickly losing interest in last year's Monster Hunter Wilds. That game was enjoyable enough at release despite feeling perpetually in the throes of an identity crisis, but even after a year of post-launch support, I don't think it ever really reached its potential. In contrast, Monster Hunter Stories 3 feels like it knows exactly what it is and wants to be right out of the gate, quickly settling into a comforting rhythm of turn-based battling and creature-collecting that, third time around, has been refined into something marvellous.
Interestingly, the gap between the Stories series and its mainline brethren perhaps feels smaller than ever here, given the latter's increasing focus on narrative, and Monster Hunter Stories 3's more 'grown-up' tone. For this third outing, the lovably carefree childhood adventuring of early Stories games makes way for a tale of young adults and their fully grown "Monstie" companions as they navigate a world of mysterious blight and political instability, the threat of war with the neighbouring kingdom forever looming. It's a little more sophisticated than what's come before, a little more nuanced in its themes, but - crucially - still thoroughly charming. Its world, the kingdom of Azuria, is beautifully imagined - equal parts fantasy and fairy tale - and a pleasure to spend time in. And its characters are good company too (the English voice cast is strong, even if you are lumbered with a Felyne sidekick whose 'cutesy' baby voiced enthusiasm didn't take long to grate). It's just an endearingly wholesome foundation, and it only gets better from there.
If you know the Stories series, you'll know its turn-based take on Monster Hunter's creature battling - a combat system I've admired in previous games, but never entirely clicked with - and it feels just as dynamic here. It all begins with a classic ability triangle, where Power attacks beat Technical attacks, where Technical attacks beat Speed attacks, and Speed beats Power. That's a simple enough starting point, and there's a clear logic to the way it expands from there: during battle, your goal is to prioritise moves most likely to do damage to your opponent based on that triangle, whether from your weapons, your Monstie companions, or your skills.
Basic attacks do basic damage (and you can target specific body parts, in classic Monster Hunter style), but skill attacks are more likely to deplete a monster's Wyvernheart Gauge - which, once empty, causes them to topple, opening up a window for a massive pile-on. But still that's just scratching the surface. On top of that you've got head-to-head attacks; double-attacks when a rider and their monster strike in unison; you've got a steadily building Kinship Gauge leading to mounted Monstie attacks, while weapons have their own intricacies - and sometimes their own Gauges! - expanding the complexity even more. It's a rich combat toolkit, but it's also a lot to take in, which is generally where I've started to come unstuck before.
This time though, for reasons I'm not entirely sure I can explain - perhaps due to a more measured tutorial pace, perhaps due a more accommodating difficulty incline - it's clicked. Sure, there's a bunch of stuff I'm still feeling out, and plenty I'm still trying to wrap my head around. But instead of being slightly alarmed whenever another battle comes around, I've been thoroughly engaged. And while major encounters are rarely what you might call quick (particularly when facing the new feral monsters, whose weak points are only susceptible to attack at certain times), there's a paciness and presentational pizzazz to battling that gives the whole thing an engagingly brisk rhythm befitting of Monster Hunter's action roots.
And now I'm finally gelling with combat, it makes everything else so much easier to appreciate. The fundamental creature-catching loop, which sees you venturing out into the field and stealing eggs from Monster Dens to hatch back at base, remains wonderfully captivating in its cheeky gacha-esque machinations, as you hold your breath in the hope of getting something cool (the second I managed to hatch a baby Anjanath, it was pretty much game-over for everyone else on my team). You really do develop a bond with your Monsties as you fight alongside them and explore with them too. And exploration in particular, the joyful sense of discovery, is strong in Stories 3. Azuria (constructed from large interconnected areas, rather than being wholly open-world) is vast and enticingly designed: distant hilltops and intriguing depths beckon; you'll ponder what might await on that tiny island dwarfed by surrounding waters, or what secrets lie in those strange corners at the edge of the map.
Sometimes it's the main story that'll pull you somewhere new, but often you can explore freely too, whether you're completing tasks for citizens, or poking around for Poogies, or snaffling up more eggs, or simply culling the monster population in search of the materials required for new armour, new weapons, and other upgrades. It's a brilliantly compelling set of interconnected systems, with your Monsties being the glue that binds it all. And while, yes, battling is cool, launching your Rathalos into the air and gliding serenely over the world, or scrambling frantically up sheer cliffsides on your Tobi-Kadachi, or slicing effortlessly through the water on your Plesioth is cooler. And the fact there's plenty of traversal crossover among Monsties, means there's a lot of freedom in how you build your adventuring party.
I realise I'm probably only just starting to scratch the surface of what Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection has to offer some seven or eight hours in, but already it's gripped me in a way none of its predecessors have done. And no, I didn't expect to be living in a topsy turvy world where I'm somehow enjoying a turn-based Monster Hunter spin-off more than its latest mainline entry, but here we are! Capcom's latest is gorgeous, it's compelling, it's thrilling, it's just the right amount of daft, and I'm excited to play on. All I need now is a Khezu to call my own (I'd also settle for a Nargacuga), and I'll be completely sold.
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