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The Monster Hunter Stories series often leaned into a more youthful approach, with the original installment even appearing alongside a shonen anime adaptation of the adventure. It worked for it, and the sequel kept that trend going. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection breaks it with a mature story that considers things like effects of war on multiple countries and environments, accountability, and the delicate balance of life between humans and their environment. While it’s quite a change, my early hours spent with Capcom’s latest JRPG seem to suggest the direction is a positive one with a lot of elements that encourage deeper exploration of Rider responsibilities.
Monster Hunter Stories 3 begins with players customizing the prince or princess of the kingdom of Azuria. In addition to being a member of the royal family tied to an endangered Rathalos named Ratha, they are the leader of the Ranger corps of special Riders who dedicate their time to researching monsters and promoting healthy environments. That means investigating the Crystal Encroachment, dealing with invasive species to rescue endangered monster eggs, preserving the environment, and aiding people in the kingdom. When a delegation from Vermeil comes to request they break a Wyvernian pact following the Rift War between the two regions to find a solution to the issue hitting that country harder, Princess Eleanor agrees to stay in Azuria as a political ploy. However, as Eleanor gets closer to the player’s avatar and Rangers and the crew learns more about what’s going on, they find heading on a journey beyond the lands they know might be necessary for everyone’s survival.
From the very outset of Monster Hunter Stories 3, the shift in direction can be felt. The art design is one of them, as this is a more mature cast of largely established Rider Rangers, with the exception being newcomer Thea who’s just joined the ranks and serves as a reason to offer tutorials and insight into the faction’s actions. Everyone is an adult. They have a Monstie partner they connect with, with our avatar having multiple available to cover all three types of damage (power, speed, and technical). The organization is already known for its research and community assistance. While the group is set up as an authority and the design means people and the Azuria and Cataracts areas both look established, it still feels open and easy to understand.
I also noticed this maturity in certain gameplay elements. One is the habitat restoration that features prominently for some story segments. We’ll need to actively deal with a stronger-than-usual invasive monster that wouldn’t normally be in the area. Defeating it isn’t the priority in the first encounter in Azuria. Rather, surviving and driving it back to a nest is. Once that happens, we can go in, recover the endangered species egg, and begin the restoration process. Hatching and releasing it back into the wild makes it appear in dens’ nests again in certain spots in a region. Then, by continuing to invest in that creature’s progress, we can see additional developments like mutations with the Rathian in Azuria.
I also feel like that maturity is felt in the relationships between the Rangers characters in Monster Hunter Stories 3. During portions of the campaign. Side Stories with each member of the group come up, allowing our royal avatar an opportunity to connect with allies. In many cases, it helps us see how they interact with folks they’ve known for longer periods, such as Gaul or Kora. With Eleanor and Thea, it’s a chance to see new relationships grow. These also often involve insight into communities, roles of the Rangers, and the monsters around them. I only had a chance to sample initial ones during my preview session, but the fact that they are multistep situations and do involve extra commentary seem to add an extra level of connection and insight into what these Riders are like.
From what I see in its opening hours, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection feels like a more mature approach in terms of characterizations and storytelling. These are established Riders who are using their unique connections to monsters to help restore and repair environments and assist people around them. They’re a cohesive group that works well together both in the campaign and side stories. And rather than Capcom just telling us these are adults who understand the gravity of their roles and actions and act based on that, we see it in main quests, side quests, and habitat restoration.
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection comes to the Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on March 13, 2026, and a demo is available.
