Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection

Intricate, immense, and incredible. Twisted Reflection is the biggest and most immersive expansion of the iconic franchise so far.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflections proves that Capcom is still doing an impressive job with its iconic franchises. With a fun combat system and an outstanding monster-raising system, it’s a game well worth playing.

Quotation forthcoming.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 finally lives up to its name, delivering a deeply moving experience through a compelling narrative and beautiful presentation. Its signature turn-based combat system has evolved with added strategic depth, while the streamlined farming balance maximizes the joy of raising monsters. Packed with enough engaging endgame content to easily devour hundreds of hours, it is a fantastic title highly recommended for all Monster Hunter fans.

Twisted Reflections is a game that represents a true 'more and better' approach, as it expands on what made previous entries great across several key areas. Its narrative, cast of characters, and beautiful world will definitely earn the fans' approval. The gameplay is more challenging, featuring new systems that are more complex and satisfying. It is a highly recommended game.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 breaks free from the constraints of a simple spin-off to finally create its own mythology. Fans will say they didn't need this third installment to appreciate the series, but the fact remains that this is the most successful, generous, and mature entry of them all. A true entry point for both fans and newcomers, it's interesting in many ways, from its skillful and polished gameplay to its blend of exploration and monster collecting. Even its deeply ecological message becomes a reason to offer incredibly addictive gameplay mechanics. It's hard not to enjoy it, even if you wince at certain difficulty spikes, a technical aspect that doesn't always do justice to the art direction, and some entirely unnecessary side quests. Nevertheless, Monster Hunter Stories 3 remains utterly monstrous.

I did actually enjoy my time with Monster Hunter Stories 3 despite having a list of issues with it, and I suspect the reason is because it reminded me of those unsung RPGs from the late 90s and early 2000s. It feels like the kind of game you had heard someone talk about glowingly on a message board years ago and when you look it up on eBay it’s inexplicably hundreds of dollars now. The bits of the game that did tickle my brain were tied to its myriad of systems and, while it can be overwhelming, I think the game would be lesser without them. Go ahead and give it a shot if you’re both a fan of Monster Hunter’s designs and world and also want to whittle away time making numbers go up.

Another amazing game made by Capcom. Very good. It took me 95 hours to finish, no rush, just enjoying the main story, some side quests, fighting and capturing monsters, etc. The story is nice, the graphics are great. And the combat is really good. Recommended 100%. Plays and looks amazing on switch 2. Better than the demo, higher resolution too.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 wirkt insgesamt etwas erwachsener und bietet einige Quality-of-Life-Verbesserungen, die den Einstieg erleichtern. Gleichzeitig wurden jedoch mehrere Stärken aus Stories 2 nicht weitergeführt oder konsequent ausgebaut. Ein zentraler Kritikpunkt ist das fehlende Koop-System im Vergleich zu Stories 2. Dort gab es keinen klassischen Story-Koop, sondern gemeinsame Dungeons, Eier-Farming und anspruchsvollere Bosskämpfe, die man zusammen mit Freunden bestreiten konnte. Dieses System hat für viele Spieler, insbesondere für Langzeit-Fans, einen großen Teil des Spielspaßes ausgemacht.Auch im Endgame zeigt sich eine Schwäche. Zum Release ist kaum eigenständiger Endgame-Inhalt vorhanden. Das spätere Update erweitert das Spiel hauptsächlich um „königliche Varianten“ bereits bekannter Monster, die lediglich als schwierigere Versionen dienen. Neue Eier, Waffen oder Rüstungen werden dabei kaum eingeführt, wodurch der langfristige Fortschritt begrenzt bleibt. Die zusätzliche DLC-Story rund um Rudy wird als wenig interessant wahrgenommen. Nergigante wurde zwar hinzugefügt, ist jedoch nicht als Monstie verfügbar, was seinen spielerischen Nutzen einschränkt. Insgesamt entsteht der Eindruck, dass Stories 3 zwar einige Verbesserungen für Einsteiger bietet, aber weder das Koop- noch das Endgame-Erlebnis von Stories 2 erreicht und dessen Potenzial nicht konsequent weiterentwickelt wurde. Daher bleibt für mich Stories 2 weiterhin auf Platz eins, trotz kleinerer Schwächen, die man hätte weiter ausbauen können.

With really really slow start and with stunning visuals, run perfectly on switch 2

Monster Hunter Stories 3 had so much potential but was sabotaged by very questionable design choices and a lack of post launch support. The only good thing about this game is the refinement of the turn-based combat and a good variety in Monsties selection for each element. The bad: No proper High-Rank endgame after defeating the final boss. No Free Flight. No multiplayer co-op. Can't remove the Ratha from party. It doesn't feel like a proper Monster Hunter Stories game. Monster Hunter Stories 3 feels like it was rushed out by the Execs for their Quarterly Earnings. CAPCOM's greed is ruining the Monster Hunter series. The insulting $10 DLC with no new monsties or gear is the last nail in the coffin for me. I recommend getting the base game on a deep discount and avoid the Rudy's Story DLC, it's garbage.

No multiplayer, no endgame. The VERY deep gameplay mechanics are made completely useless by the absolute lack of replayability, you finish the (very easy) main quest and you are done with the game forever. Not worthy of the Monster Hunter name and surely not worth the price. I would have asked for a refund if I knew this was it.