Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection Review

It's easy to forgive a game's shortcomings when it executes a gameplay loop so integral to the core experience that you can feel how integral the conceit was to the game as a whole. Despite its myriad shortcomings, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection feels like the textbook definition of a game that sticks the landing where it counts, even if disparate elements can disappoint at the same time.

If you've already played a previous Monster Hunter Stories title, you already know the name of the game. Track down Monster Dens, raid them for their eggs, then hatch them to use their young for your own benefits. Different eggs can come with different gene modifiers, which impart both passive effects on a monster as well as active skills to be used during combat. Much like previous games, combat revolves around choosing attacks of the right style to counter what a monster is most likely to use, with things remixing whenever a monster goes enraged or otherwise enters a phase change.

All of this remains unchanged from previous entries; though the addition of a stamina system for both monster actions as well as the player's abilities is new. During boss battles you'll want to plan your attacks around when an enemy monster is most vulnerable, not just based off the elemental attribute of your target and its weaknesses, but also the stamina of your selected unit.

If you haven't read my preview, I went over how the game is designed to accommodate the new Habitat Restoration system - take down Feral Monsters in a region to allow you to release Monsters into it, track down Invasive Monsters and figure out how to repel them in order to rescue an Endangered Species that can then be brought back from the brink of extinction. Abilities for the player are tied to gear; either the weapons themselves, or by using Decorations to add additional attacks or additional attributes. Gear, of course, is likewise tied to monsters - so even if you don't want to use a specific monster for your team, replenishing the population also allows you to then hunt them for materials to help craft gear.

This gameplay loop of unlocking Habtat Restoration for an area by seeking out and defeating Feral Monsters, actively searching for Invasive Monsters at night and wearily seeking out clues for how to mitigate their unique abilities, with a new cool monster as your reward to train or eventually hunt for materials is by far one of the single best gameplay loops I've experienced in an RPG, and feels like a cohesive blend of both gameplay and story which makes use of our main character's job of wildlife conservation. What definitely helps is that the game's map design feels excellent both visually and in terms of actual design; exploring each of the game's maps for secrets is a real joy.

This is all tempered by what is perhaps Monster Hunter Stories 3's biggest sin; while the game itself is great, and the larger focus on having an RPG filled with party members who follow you from beginning to end, I can't help but feel that the game yet again doesn't go as far as it could in terms of its story. There's glimpses of something truly special here, where the game's attempts at crafting a political narrative about the two opposing nations of Azuria and Vermeil, and their relationship with each other, is interesting. Yet for most of the game things simply settle into something more akin to the status quo of Monster Hunter Stories 1 and 2, with merely the beginning and ending tackling these topics.

Similarly, sidequests are routinely pretty basic, with arguably the only ones worth engaging with at all being the Side Stories tied to your party members. Even then, each of these character focused quests adheres to the same rigid structure for every region of the game, hardly changing if at all. You do learn more about each character, and gameplay upgrades associated with them - unlocking new recipes to cook at Camp, discovering new caves to explore in each map, and helping make things easier when searching for the game's collectible Poogies - but it's not like the stories themselves are ever that interesting, even at their best.

There are exceptions. Like I said; the story does hit its stride in the beginning and end of the game, and while sidequests are not really worth engaging with and Side Stories aren't exactly exciting - every other form of side activity is well worth it. Exploring regions to find out where Feral Monsters you need to defeat are located, allowing you to start hunkering down to start bio-engineering new monsters for your team. Repeatedly hunting at night even will eventually spawn Elder Dragons for you to hunt, which drop rare materials that can be used for crafting; and once you reach endgame, Invasive Monsters can be fought again for real as optional Super Bosses more difficult than the final boss of the game.

Perhaps these are nitpicks. Admittedly, the story really only disappointed me due to the concept striking a chord early on, and what I felt was a promise of something far more character focused, and similarly the basic sidequests might have disappointed me due to how well thought out the rest of the side content was. At the best of times, rescuing Endangered Species by discovering each unique way to drive back Invasive Monsters that really forces you to engage with the battle system in a specific way and with specific gear or monsters is delightful; figuring out how to unlock various Variant and Deviant monsters was addicting, too.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is my favorite in the series, and yet I can't help but admit that I was a little disappointed that the vaunted extra story focus being a bit squandered in practice stings. For most fans or newcomers, I don't think this will be a dealbreaker - and it certainly wasn't for me - but it's a shame that what was already such a fantastic Monster-Battling RPG in terms of gameplay stumbles just enough to prevent it from reaching its full potential. They've perfected the gameplay loop, so hopefully next go around Monster Hunter Stories can finally live up to that moniker.