By Alexia Bedassie | Staff Writer
Grab a monstie and bust out your doors Riders! We’ve got a continent to save! Capcom brings a whole new world and a rich story for their Riders to discover.
On March 13, Capcom presented their new addition to the Monster Hunter Stories franchise, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflections. An exciting action-packed RPG adventure between the Rangers and your monsties to help save the world from a continental catastrophe called the Crystal Encroachment.
My excitement for this game’s release had me on the edge of my seat, especially since my adoration for the last 2 installments of the series. So, when able, I got the game and gave it a shot.
A genuine improvement compared to the last two games, seeming to combine the best parts of those games and add a few new parts to freshen up the playstyle as well.
There’s lots to do in this brand new adventure for Riders old and new to the series.
The story is a gut-wrenching tale of a monster whose purpose was to protect the ecosystem, now facing a crystal like plague across the continent due to mysterious ancient events. Heirs of the 2 rider kingdoms are off on a quest to figure out the truth of the land’s past during the Rift War, with the help of the Rangers and our mighty Skyscale Rathalos.
You’ll also form bonds and fight alongside your fellow rangers on the journey. Learning more about them and their pasts. Each having their own lively personality for players to appreciate and adore.
For starters, players have way more monstie options to choose from to have a partner in the game. With some players riding with the gentle-looking Paolumu, to the horrifyingly fleshy Khezu, or a great, formidable Elder dragon like Malzeno.
Monsties are what riders call monsters that are ridden and regular monsters are the ones you fight throughout the game.
A new feature is the Campsite. Providing the players a home away from home base of operations for all your monstie and rider needs. Also, the Rangers Mess, to cook meals to give you temporary passive buffs during your travels, or the Catavan Stand for fast travel points throughout the various maps.
Coming back is the game’s main mechanic, Egg Dens. Though more efficient now, with 3 egg rarities, and a specific pool of monster eggs you can collect from, depending on the area. Which will be aided even further by a newly added feature.
Something I also noticed was that, unlike the last two games, certain monsties could be forgotten or never played due to the lack of good stats. This game completely revamps that system entirely with the help of their new game mechanic to the series that can be performed at campsites, Habitat Restoration and Excursions!
Habitat Restoration allows the players to raise a specific monsties population in different regions of the maps. This allows for dens in those areas to have eggs specific to those monsters. It also allows for monsties to have their ranks increased depending on how many you release into those regions.
Excursions however, really help monsties shine by letting the player use a training talisman to increase a monsties rank by letting it train in regions they belong to. Along with the return of the Rite of Channeling mechanic, you can bring your monsties genes and skills to the next level to make them even stronger.
All these features can let you make any monster previously considered “weak” and bring it to new heights of potential for battle.
The battle system is similar to the previous installments, but way more polished. Along with small differences, like being able to switch out the fighting companions depending on what is needed for the upcoming battle, plus the added bonus of changing the companions’ battle style or unlocking new gear for them to use during their side quests.
The game introduces the new Wyvernsoul gauge, which dictates a monster’s battle state and gives way to new strategic vulnerabilities to exploit when depleted, compared to the last game relying on the kinship meter for only special attacks.
Another challenging new feature for intense battles is the invasive monsters, feral monsters, and elder dragons. As difficult as the battles are, the rewards are immense, so they’re definitely worth trying to beat when one gets to higher levels.
However, the rock-paper-scissors mechanic did tend to get tedious in certain battles. Furthermore, equipment building is a bit harder to gain than in the last two installments, since certain sets require monster parts from higher level monsters, then tend to hit way harder than you think.
I had to do a ton of side grinding just to get through some main or side battles that you don’t expect to be that difficult at your current level, but monsters will have moves that end up wiping out your entire party.
If I had to say what the game could do better, is that it should be given post-game content, so players can have a reason to come back and complete certain challenges or trophies. Especially since, despite the difficulty in some parts, the game is very fun.
Overall, this is the most fun I’ve had in months with a video game. I even cheered when scenes would get exhilarating. I highly recommend going out and getting the game yourself to play it till your heart’s content.
With so much to do and explore, isn’t that just the life for a rider!
Definitely a 10/10 game in my book!
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The opinions presented on this page do not represent the views of the PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect the perspectives of contributing writers and/or university community members.
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