REVIEW: ‘Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection’ Is The Best Installment Yet

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is Capcom’s latest highly anticipated installment in the series. While not without flaws, the game introduces several new elements, including a great, engaging story, immersive gameplay, and more, making it one of the best games in the series and the franchise at large.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection follows two kingdoms, Vermeil and Azuria, threatened by extinction due to a phenomenon known as the crystal encroachment. The game begins with the queen of Azuria finding a crystallized Rathalos egg and bringing it back to the kingdom.

Monster Hunter Stories 3’s story does a great job of capturing players’ attention from the start.

During the ritual to hatch the eggs, it’s discovered that the egg contains twin Rathalos, which is a bad omen, so Azuria decides one of them must be killed. However, on the night one of the monsters is to be killed, the queen intervenes and flees with one of them, branding her a traitor to the kingdom.

The story then skips forward to the heir of Azuria, who is also the captain of the Rangers, and follows them with one of the Rathalos as their reliable Monstie companion. The heir and the Rangers seek to protect endangered monsters and restore balance to nature. Unfortunately, this mission is threatened by the looming war between Vermeil and Azuria. The heir is forced to juggle the reputation of being the child of a betrayer with the responsibilities of a Ranger while preventing their Rathalos from being used as a weapon in the coming war.

Monster Hunter Stories 3‘s story does a great job of capturing players’ attention from the start, thanks to its incredibly engaging cutscenes, storytelling style, and interesting characters. The main story, divided into several engaging chapters that see the characters move from location to location, is incredibly cinematic, more so than even many games in the main line series, with many twists and turns, wins and losses.

Monster Hunter Stories 3’s narrative is much darker and more mature.

Compared to the previous installments, the game’s narrative is much darker and more mature, with high stakes, especially in the war between the nations and how their respective heirs are affected as they try to do whatever they can to maintain peace. The narrative tackles themes of war and sacrifice, and has genuinely endearing and interesting characters.

The story is perhaps the best and most engrossing in the series, as it feels like a lot of thought went into it, and it isn’t overly innocent or reserved, or just serving as an excuse for players to interact with monsters. It offers an emotionally gripping narrative, with most scenes highlighting its impeccable cast of characters, all endearing in their own ways.

So much so that it’s hard not to fall in love with them and to want to see their goals fulfilled by the end of the game. They wear their passion and emotions on their sleeves, and they are portrayed excellently through immaculate voice acting in both English and Japanese.

New elements level up Monster Hunter Stories 3’s gameplay over its predecessors.

Gameplay-wise, Monster Hunter Stories 3 succeeds at being even more interesting than previous titles thanks to its new elements. The game incorporates the series’ signature rock-paper-scissors combat mechanic with Power, Technical, and Speed attacks and skills.

Each attack type is strong against and weak against another. Understanding enemy patterns and choosing the right attack type gives players the upper hand in combat. However, it’s worth noting that the signs for when some monsters switch their fighting style are too vague and inconsistent, making it hard to tell when to switch your selected style to counter theirs.

It’s also worth noting that your Monstie naturally fights alongside you. However, while they can’t switch attack types, players can give them direct instructions and swap Monsties when the opposing monster swaps their strategy, as each Monstie is locked to a specific attack type. This makes combat more strategic and is an excellent way to force players to keep finding more Monsties.

The Synchro Rush adds an amazingly animated, massive, coordinated team attack.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 keeps things fresh with a new UI and more responsive controls. Swapping weapons and Monsties and using items and skills is incredibly fast and responsive. The game also includes a variety of new mechanics, including several feral monsters players will encounter. These monsters are driven mad by the crystal encroachment and have crystals attached to them that grant them new, chaotic abilities.

To defeat them, players must break the crystals and stagger them through several coordinated attacks by targeting limbs and weak spots. The new inclusion adds a bit of challenge to gameplay and a new level of strategy, making it more engaging as players have time to coordinate their attacks.

Another inclusion is the Wyvern Soul Gauge. This is a new gauge under a monster’s HP that players must keep an eye on, as depleting it causes the monster to stagger, while emptying it enables a “Synchro Rush,” an amazingly animated, massive, coordinated team attack.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 introduces new monsters and weapons, like the Long Sword.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 also introduces new monsters and weapons, such as the Long Sword weapon type seen in the mainline games. These new inclusions make the game incredibly enjoyable and feel different from previous titles.

When not fighting monsters, players can explore the game’s map freely to gather items and Monstie eggs, fight monsters, farm for parts, and take on side quests. Some side quests are great character-focused missions, while others are unfortunately just fetch quests.

Swapping Monsties during exploration is fast and responsive, and each Monstie suits the landscape and terrain. Some Monsties are quick, able to run on walls, some can break walls in a single strike, and some, like your Rathalos, can fly. However, unlike the previous game, flying on your Monstie feels less satisfying, more like gliding.

Habitat Restoration lets the wild repopulate and increases your Ecosystem Rank.

Another new inclusion to the series is Habitat Restoration. With this new mechanic, players can release hatched monsters, especially endangered ones, into the wild to repopulate and restore ecosystems, thereby increasing the area’s Ecosystem Rank.

This makes it easier to find rare eggs and unlock Dual-Element monsters, which have new traits and are stronger than their ordinary counterparts. The new system, while not as naturally engaging as the other gameplay elements, is a great way to earn rewards and access new types of monsters.

Visually, Monster Hunter Stories 3 looks immaculate. The game features amazing art direction, smooth animations, crisp, colourful compositions, and character designs. It features countless scenes showcasing excellent composition and visual effects, enhancing the viewing experience. The game also runs excellently on PlayStation 5, with no glitches or bugs.

All in all, Monster Hunter Stories 3 is an excellent installment by all metrics. It sets a new narrative standard for the series and franchise as a whole while providing several enhanced signature elements. As such, it’s a game that can easily be recommended to both new and returning players.