Capcom maintained the traditional Monster Hunter gameplay across various consoles, but took a distinct approach on the Nintendo 3DS by introducing a narrative-focused duology: Monster Hunter Stories and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. This strategic shift was influenced by the popularity of the 3DS and the need to adapt the Monster Hunter experience to new hardware. While these entries differed from the flagship series and were sometimes seen as “Monster Hunter for Kids,” they prioritised story and appealed to a broader audience, proving enjoyable for adults as well. Capcom have since released both these titles on modern hardware through ports, and as of the middle of this month, will be releasing a third straight-to-modern-hardware instalment titled Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection. While our review is coming in the next few weeks, we would like to take you through what the first hours look like – as you set forth in a new monster-filled world!
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection leaves nary a moment before asking you to do arguably the most important thing of any game – crafting your own character. This is where you get your first proper peeks at how the series handles its art and design style from the 3DS to modern-day platforms – offering the same bright, anime-inflected style the subseries is known for, but with sharper detail and more confident cinematography than the older handheld roots could ever really support. Character creation is broad without being overwhelming, letting you dial in the obvious staples like hair (framing from different parts of the head rather than just full-head presets), face shape, markings, and colours, but also offering enough smaller tweaks that your Ranger doesn’t feel like they’ve stepped out of a template. Is it the most comprehensive offering of its type? Probably not. But everything feels on point, and you can easily spend 10-15 minutes crafting your character… as you will not just be looking at the back of their head for the next few tens of hours, but in cutscenes and even as a child.
Once your Rider is set, the opening hours lean hard into story, sketching out a world that’s immediately bigger than the usual “small village, big monster” setup. Twisted Reflection positions you within the kingdom of Azuria, and by position, I mean the prince or princess of the nation. In this land, Rangers aren’t simply hunting for trophies – they’re meant to keep the balance, study what’s changing, and protect what can be protected. The looming problem is the Crystal Encroachment: an unsettling phenomenon that’s turning up in the landscape, combined with uneasy relations with the neighbouring kingdom of Vermeil, giving the early chapters a political edge that feels more direct than Stories has traditionally gone for – and less about exploring an uncharted new land. Without spoiling too much for you at this early stage, you will find yourself left needing to read and watch a lot more in the early hours – and hopefully that continues on past the few hours I have playtested so far. That said, perhaps prepare some snacks… as the exposition does get quite heavy early on.
The core loop is instantly familiar if you’ve played Stories 2: roam a wide-open area dotted with gathering points, monsters wandering on patrol routes, and dens that tempt you off the beaten path. You’re picking up herbs, ores, bugs, and bones with the same breezy rhythm Monster Hunter has trained us for, but the goal here is less about prepping for a hunt and more about building your team of Monsties to help you tackle any situation. Dens remain the quickest way to expand your options; slipping inside to grab an egg still feels mischievous in the best way, especially when you’re weighing whether to push your luck for a better haul or bail before a bigger problem arrives. Even early on, traversal gives exploration its own identity, too: swapping your active Monstie to access a climb point or a vantage perch makes the world feel more like a playground than a corridor, and it encourages you to treat your stable as a toolkit rather than just a battle roster.
Combat, meanwhile, is the point where Stories 3 starts signalling that it’s aiming for a slightly older, more system-heavy crowd. The foundation is the classic RPG using a triangle system (a la rock, paper, scissors) – Power, Speed, Technical – and head-to-head clashes are still the heartbeat of every encounter, rewarding you for reading a monster’s intent and picking the right counter. From there, it layers on the Monster Hunter seasoning: weapon choices matter, skills draw from stamina, and targeting specific body parts isn’t just flavour text but a practical way to control a fight’s pace. The early battles do a good job of teaching you the system’s language without turning every encounter into a lecture. You’ll win some turns cleanly by calling the right attack type, then get nudged into thinking one step further about whether you should swap weapons for reach, angle for part breaks, or commit to a skill that burns stamina now to prevent a bigger hit later. It’s still turn-based and readable, but it rarely feels static – especially once monsters begin shifting behaviour, forcing you to adjust rather than simply settle into a single pattern.
Outside of battle, the Monster Hunter staples anchor everything – you’re still crafting weapons and armour from gathered materials and monster parts, still returning to camp to reset, cook, and tinker. However, with the narrative backing it up, hunting feels a little bit different from past Stories chapters, a little more meaningful, as you seek to restore balance, learn more about the colourful characters that bring the world to life, and steadily expand your options so you can respond to whatever the Encroachment throws at you next. It’s an opening that’s more about establishing rhythms than delivering verdicts, but after just a few hours, the shape of the adventure is clear: a bigger Stories game, with a heavier story spine, and a loop that keeps nudging you to explore, experiment, and build a team that can tackle anything ahead of you. Here’s hoping that it continues past the few-hour mark.
Check back soon for our full review of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection! The game will launch on 13 March 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.
