Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection Review

The Monster Hunter Stories series, itself a spin-off from the wildly popular Monster Hunter franchise, is one I’ve been super into since its first entry on the Nintendo 3DS in 2017. Initially an exclusive for the handheld, developer CAPCOM branched out for the sequel, which was released in 2021 for PC and Nintendo Switch. Eventually, both games were ported to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2024. Now, MONSTER HUNTER STORIES 3: TWISTED REFLECTION is here, foregoing the timed exclusivity and releasing simultaneously on current-gen consoles and PC!

Despite still looking as vibrant and whimsical as its predecessors, Twisted Reflection is set to take a more serious, darker tone. Will this benefit the third entry? Or is it lacking the charm that the first two had?

The game opens as the Queen of Azuria discovers a monster egg trapped inside a crystal. Instead of doing the smart thing and leaving it well alone, she frees the egg from captivity and returns to her kingdom with it. When a Rathalos, a monster species thought extinct, hatches, the palace is overjoyed; that is, until a second one also emerges from the egg. It is said that twin Rathalos, each with mirroring Skyscale markings, are an omen of an impending disaster, much like the one 200 years prior. With Azuria and neighbouring country Vermeil already at odds with one another, it seems like dark times lie ahead for both nations… The potential solution? Why, simply kill one of the Rathalos! But only time will tell what the future holds for the world.

Years later, our protagonist takes centre stage. You play as either the Prince or Princess of Azuria, who also happens to be captain of the Rangers. As a Ranger, your character is mainly focused on studying the spread of the Crystal Encroachment, an unexplainable phenomenon that is twisting and corrupting vast swathes of land, as well as turning some monsters into more powerful, feral versions of their former selves. Well… I wonder if this could be linked to the disasters mentioned earlier?

As if that wasn’t concerning enough, our character, being the heir to the throne, is also expected by King Arken to take their sovereignty duties more seriously, as Azuria and Vermeil are on the brink of war. More potential disasters, you say? Things aren’t looking good! Thankfully, our protagonist is the Rider of the surviving Rathalos (named Ratha), who now acts as their Monstie — basically a monster that shares a bond with their rider — so at least we have some backup in the form of a terrifying winged beast!

Thus starts our tale. It can be a bit trope-heavy at times, although for the most part, it is a more ambitious narrative than the previous two games. The mature tone and healthy dose of political intrigue make it that much more immersive, and it’s definitely my favourite plot of the three Stories titles. Those who preferred the more laid-back, comedic tones of Stories 1 and 2 may be disappointed with this tonal shift, but there are still plenty of lighthearted moments and goofy scenes.

In a word, Twisted Reflection looks phenomenal. The anime-inspired visuals really shine and are a noticeable step up from Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. The vivid environments, coupled with the much-improved draw distances, really make this world come to life. Creature design still retains that Monster Hunter uniqueness, but with an impressive stylised flair.

Animations have seen what feels like a massive upgrade; the subtle movements of your Monsties, flashy, over-the-top attacks in battle, all just add an extra layer of polish. Not only that, but it makes the cutscenes more engaging, with far fewer static people standing motionless whilst chatting to one another.

Accompanying the great visuals is a fantastic soundtrack. A plethora of grand orchestral themes can be heard throughout the adventure, creating this wonderful fantasy atmosphere. The voice acting, whilst mostly limited to cutscenes, isn’t half bad, either. Plus, for the first time in the series, the main character talks! As someone who isn’t a huge fan of the silent protagonist, having someone actually speak adds much more to the story. There aren't any standout performances, but the voice actors do a serviceable job with their roles.

The core gameplay remains largely unchanged from the previous two entries: combat is still turn-based, with your player character, team member, and their Monstie party members pulling off various attacks depending on which type you choose. The Power, Technical, and Speed mechanics are still present, acting as a sort of rock, paper, scissors type affair. It’s not entirely luck-based, though, as subtle clues, such as a monster's change in posture or hints from your comrades, allow you to guess what type the enemy has changed to. That doesn’t mean they’re easy to predict, and I had to pay a lot more attention during combat, ensuring I had the right Monstie active in order to counter my enemie’s strengths.

Attacking a foe that’s also focused on you results in a head-to-head battle, which sees you again selecting from one of the three attack types, with the victor dealing more/taking less damage. Should your Monstie also be targeting the same enemy, and has selected the same type, then a double attack will trigger for even more damage! Plus, if you manage to whittle down an opponent's Wyvernsoul Gauge and successfully topple them, your Kinship Gauge will fill dramatically. Once toppled, you’ll have the option to use Synchro Rush, where all four team members dish out damage. Not only that, but increasing your Kinship then allows you to mount your Monstie and perform special moves to really bring the hurt to your foe!

Although you still only directly input your main character’s attacks, the AI for your teammate and any Monsties’ has seen a significant improvement. That said, I do wish there was an option to control everyone, simply to make the combat more satisfying. Having a companion make the killing blow caused hard-fought battles to feel a little underwhelming.

Environments are now much larger, with plenty of secrets to discover. Thankfully, you’re able to mount your Monsties to get around much quicker, with the ability to seamlessly swap between them for traversal over land, sea, or air, cutting down on time needlessly hopping through menus. It’s not entirely open-world, but several zones are huge and take a fair bit of time to fully explore. And when environments look this good, it’s hard to not want to discover every portion of the map!

Found scattered throughout the land are monster dens, which grant you an egg that will hatch into a new Monstie companion! Dens are much more streamlined this time around; instead of a randomised dungeon to trawl through, you’ll quickly be able to snag the egg, plus any other goodies lying around, and get back to adventuring! Of course, these eggs are guarded by monsters, but cutting down the time spent to grab a new companion makes the later game much less of a grind.

New to the series is the Habitat Restoration side activity. Releasing Monsties into an area means you’ll then find eggs of that particular beast, with the more you set loose resulting in higher quality eggs. With plenty of side quests and this new system, Twisted Reflection is a big adventure packed full of content that will take dozens, if not hundreds, of hours to fully see and do everything.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is a great turn-based RPG that expands on everything that made its predecessors so enjoyable. The more serious nature of the narrative had me gripped from the start, and although the combat hasn’t been improved on all that much, it’s still a very engaging system that rewards careful planning.

Even if you’ve never played a Stories or mainline Monster Hunter game before, I’d highly recommend playing Twisted Reflection. It’s very accessible to newcomers of the franchise, whilst also being something series veterans are sure to love!