"Building relationships with those you are traveling with is an aspect of JRPGs that we wanted to focus on" - the Monster Hunter Stories 3 team on expanding the scope of the RPG franchise

Not only did we have the chance to go hands-on early with the full version of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, RPG Site had the chance to sit down and speak with a number of the team's core staff about some of what has gone into developing the latest entry in the franchise - and how now that the team has reached the third entry in the sub-franchise, they feel even more confident than ever that they've been able to tap into what makes an RPG - particularly a JRPG, by their own words - tick.

"The Monster Hunter series in general has a strong element of action, and the impression that it's an action game - but as a Monster Hunter Stories game we wanted to highlight the JRPG element of it, and expand on that".

Ryozo Tsujimoto, Executive Producer on Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, and a general series producer for the Monster Hunter series as a whole wants players to know that Capcom considers what sets Monster Hunter Stories 3 isn't just the sub-franchise's focus on turn-based RPG systems, but also a consideration of what players and developers might codify as a "JRPG". The term has seen some contention in recent years, ever since Square Enix's own Naoki Yoshida voiced his objection to the terminology and its history, yet Tsujimoto seems eager to adopt it as a means of helping explain some of Stories 3's renewed focus on what some might consider staples of the perceived genre.

One element of this shift comes from a change in storytelling philosophy; the main characters of Monster Hunter Stories 1 and 2 were silent, fledgling Monster Riders - coming into their own in the world alongside the player. Yet, Stories 3 considers a considerably different tact. Not only are the player characters no longer mute, but they're also positioned as Riders that have already come into their own; more than that, there's a nuance of the main character and their compatriots role as Monster Rangers - conservationists aiming to help protect ecosystems on the verge of destruction, in the wake of the Encroachment.

"Because the protagonist of Monster Hunter Stories 3 is already pretty elite, they're already an experienced Rider - it's not about following a protagonist who starts off as a newbie, and we follow in their footsteps and watch their growth alongside them. Instead, we're building on top of that growth. They have a larger role of, like, bringing back the ecology of the endangered species. Within the gameplay, we want to incorporate that, so that's why we introduced the Rangers."

Playing the game, never is this new paradigm more evident than when engaging with the Habitat Restoration system. We go over some of the more minute details of the system in our preview, but the team shared that the idea behind it came from the desire of expanding upon what the team sees as the core element of the Monster Hunter Stories series, both in terms of the narrative as well as the gameplay; raising your monster companions. How do you make the act of gathering your party feel like it has more gravity to it? How can you expand upon it in a way that feels more inclusive of the entire game, its narrative, and even its world design?

"In the past titles, the big element of Monster Hunter Stories was that you collect eggs, you hatch them, and then you raise your own monsters while making your team. In Monster Hunter Stories 3, we wanted to widen that perspective and have the players feel a closer connection with the monsters they've hatched, and expand upon that. So for example, in the previous titles, you could only ever collect eggs in predetermined locations. But in Monster Hunter Stories 3, you can implement changes to the kind of eggs you can get in each area."

While not exclusive to Endangered Monsters, one example that's given is how the very aspect of repopulating the game world with these monsters - and seeing that population represented by what monsters will spawn on the overworld. Any egg you gather from that species of monster should hopefully have a bit more of an emotional connection behind it, knowing that their strength and abundance is a direct result from actions you've taken, and the choices you've made. Rathian is an Endangered Species when you start the game, but thanks to your actions that doesn't have to stay the case.

This desire for companionship between the player and the Monsters finds a nice parallel with the game's other primary new focus - companions. While prior games had a supporting cast, Stories 3 differentiates itself with a true traveling party that sticks by the players's side almost every step of the way, fighting alongside you and offering commentary and conversation alike. Perhaps even moreso than Habitat Restoration, this might be the one defining change that sticks out the most - and comes as a direct result of what the team considers to be Stories 3's defining characteristic as a "JRPG".

"Within JRPGs, we feel that having a traveling party is a big element. While Monster Hunter Stories the monsters are a very important aspect, traveling and journeying with companions is something that we thought was important for the series. Building relationships with those you're traveling with is an aspect of JRPGs we wanted to focus on in [Stories 3]."

Many of your traveling party come with Side Stories, separate game-spawning quest chains that expand upon characters like Ogden, Kora, Eleanor and more - and the team wanted to stress that these stories aren't just bog-standard quests, but rather full arcs helping players learn more about those they're traveling with; their backgrounds, their goals, and of course helping fill out some world building to help center Monster Hunter Stories 3's world. Above all else, it's clear that the goal behind Monster Hunter Stories 3 was to take the franchise to the next level, expanding upon everything the games are, and can be. It's an admirable goal, and one that I feelt confident the team is poised to stick the landing with when the game launches.  Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is out March 13 for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam).