What is Monster Hunter Stories? We tell you why Twisted Reflection is one of the most anticipated games

Get ready for a new installment and to learn a charming story, full of monsties and impressive battles.

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The Monster Hunter franchise, with the permission of Resident Evil, has become one of the pillars of Capcom, but its story began in a much more humble way than many imagine. To understand what Monster Hunter Stories is and why fans are so eager for Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, we must first travel back to the origins of the saga.

The first game in the series, Monster Hunter, was released in 2004 in Japan, North America, and other regions. Its main attraction was putting us in the shoes of a hunter who had to face imposing creatures, collect materials, and improve their equipment to survive. Exploration and strategy were key to progressing, as the player had to obtain resources from both combat and the environment to craft more powerful weapons and armor.

As we progressed, we could also improve our hunter rank, which added a progression and challenge component. Although the game did not have immediate success, it did capture the attention of the Japanese public. In this sense, its proposal to hunt monsters did not seek to compete with the Pokémon phenomenon, but rather to offer a completely different experience, focused on combat and survival.

Although its first installment was far from being an immediate global phenomenon, it did manage to have a very loyal community, especially in Japan. This initial success led Capcom to expand the series with new installments and improvements to the formula.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs–pqpitLc

There were important movements in this new franchise, and one of them was the arrival of some installments to portable consoles. For example, Monster Hunter Freedom and later Monster Hunter Freedom Unite on the PlayStation Portable, paved the way for players.

Over time, Monster Hunter evolved with increasingly ambitious installments, culminating in modern titles like Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter Rise on the Nintendo Switch, which brought the series to a massive global audience.

However, amidst so many options for its community, a different idea emerged within the franchise universe: to explore its world from another perspective. This is how Capcom took a risk and went down a completely different path with Monster Hunter Stories.

Unlike the main series, which focuses on hunting, this line of games bets on a classic JRPG experience. Instead of being hunters, we become Riders, people capable of forming bonds with monsters, known as Monsties.

This changes the dynamics of the game we knew, because instead of defeating monsters to obtain materials, we now raise, train, and fight alongside them. In the style of Nintendo’s Pokémon, but with a very different approach.

The first Monster Hunter Stories debuted on the Nintendo 3DS in 2016. Its more colorful artistic style and turn-based combat system clearly differentiated it from the main series, but it maintained the charm of this universe, as we would still see iconic creatures, vibrant ecosystems, and a strong sense of adventure.

And it seems that everything turned out better than expected, which led to a more ambitious sequel: Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, released on Nintendo Switch and PC. This title expanded the world, improved turn-based combat, and offered a much deeper narrative, consolidating Stories as an important branch within the franchise. Let’s look at some of the key points.

• Monstie System: In this case, they will be allies, we will raise and care for them, they will be our companions and one of the pillars of the game.
• Turn-based combat: We no longer go dynamically; in Stories, a strategic turn-based combat system is used based on three types of attacks: Power, Speed, and Technique, creating a system similar to rock, paper, or scissors.
• Bond between Rider and monster: We will form a special bond with our Monstie, which will be fundamental in each battle.
• World exploration: The game maintains the spirit of adventure of the franchise with large maps, towns, caves, and ecosystems where different species of monsters live.
• More narrative story: Compared to the main games, Stories puts a greater emphasis on narrative, with developed characters, clear conflicts, and a plot centered on the relationship between humans and monsters.
• Artistic style: The visual design adopts a more colorful and anime-like style, making it more accessible to new players without losing the iconic creatures of the Monster Hunter universe.
• Classic monsters: Many of the most famous creatures in the series appear as allies or enemies, allowing us to see legendary monsters from a different perspective.
• Monster Hunter universe: Although it is a spin-off, the game shares the same world, ecosystems, and species as the main series, expanding the lore of Capcom’s universe.
• JRPG is its great engine in battles: The focus on team management, statistics, abilities, and creature evolution brings it closer to a classic RPG than the action RPG characteristic of the main series.

Now, with Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, Capcom seems willing to take this formula even further. For fans, the expectation is clear: a larger world, new creatures, more complex breeding systems, and a story capable of connecting even more with the lore of the Monster Hunter universe.

The interesting thing about this saga is that it does not try to replace the classic hunting experience, but rather complement it. While the main games focus on intense action and cooperation to defeat colossal monsters, Stories explores the relationship between humans and creatures from a more emotional and narrative angle.

Now that you know Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, I hope you, like me, are eagerly awaiting the day when you can embark on a new adventure and become a Rider. Additionally, be sure to stay tuned with us at Generación Xbox for all the latest news and updates.