Monster Hunter Stories 3 Twisted Reflection The Ultimate Review
The Stories spin off series has become one of the most popular elements of the Monster Hunter franchise because of its continuing development as an intellectual property. Monster Hunter Stories 3 Twisted Reflection demonstrates that the franchise has developed into a complete role playing game with its expansive narrative colorful graphics and advanced turn based combat system. Our complete review of this vast exploration journey begins after we spent over 10 hours playing through the entire game and its world to obtain the ideal Monsties.
Twisted Reflection takes place over 200 years after the events of the second game. The adult character (which represents a better advancement than the child and young teen protagonists of the first two games) serves as the voice acted heir to the Azura crown and performs as a Ranger who protects monsters from harm. The world suffers from a mysterious phenomenon called Crystal Encroachment (known as Egg Quartz) that causes land to develop crystals and pushes monsters into wild behavior.
This disaster creates heavy political tension between your homeland of Azura and the neighboring struggling kingdom of Vermile. You set out with your Palico companion Rudy and Princess Eleanor of Vermile to investigate the mysteries of the encroachment while finding out how Riders lost their connection to the world because of the Wyverian covenant and discovering what happened to your mother Queen Amara who disappeared after discovering the bad omen egg with Twin Rathalos inside it.
The narrative has become darker and more mature because it includes actual risks and political conflicts between different factions. However pacing can be a mixed bag. The beginning starts with strong energy but the story loses its power during the middle chapters. The secondary cast of Rangers except for Eleanor and Rudy can sometimes feel unnecessary to the story. The characters receive special bonding episodes through Koras spelunking Ogdens mystery letters and TAs comical pig racing mini games although they seem to exist separate from the critical main storyline. The cinematic moments and orchestral score achieve S tier status because they match the best elements of the JRPG genre.
The game opens with what is arguably the most aesthetically charming character creator in the franchise. The art direction creates a stunning visual experience through its use of stylized colorful designs. The game provides multiple face and hair and makeup choices that enable you to see your characters appearance as a 10 year old with a bowl cut but it does not include body sliders that allow players to adjust their characters height and weight. The game now prevents your parents to dynamically match your creation because it requires the player to select specific physical features which represents a slight design reduction.
The game has made a significant graphical advancement from its earlier version. The colorful elements create a striking visual display while the game features distinct biomes that vary in size from aquatic fields to vertical mountain ranges. Performance reaches excellent levels because it operates at 60 FPS on PS5 and 30 FPS Quality modes while high end PCs can achieve over 200 FPS. The system maintains 45 FPS stability on Steam Deck devices.
A Note on PC Stability While performance is buttery smooth some PC players have experienced severe crashing issues (potentially tied to the RE Engines handling of specific hardware). The users who face problems can use community mods which include RE Framework that works with Capcom games to stop their crashing problems but this creates a minor inconvenience for users to handle.
Exploration now offers a more expansive experience than any previous game. Players begin the game with complete access to transversal abilities which include Ludroth swimming and Tobi Kadachi climbing and Rathalos burrowing and gliding. Players need to know that it involves gliding through wind currents instead of using actual free flight which may disappoint some people because of the enormous map size.
The new exploration mechanic allows players to restore habitats in the game world. Your team as Rangers must restore the damaged ecological system to its original state. The Feral monsters need to be defeated and players have to make Invasive Monsters escape through tracking puzzles with Rudy to build new camps. Players are able to release the hatched monsters into designated biomes. The ecosystem rank of that monster will rise and it will spread throughout the map while this action unlocks various benefits which include enabling mutations that lead to Pink or Dreadqueen Rathian and S rank eggs and dual element monsties that can breed Lightning/Fire Tobi Kadachi.
The game provides players with plenty of loot options but they must continuously press the A button to collect materials which would have been simplified through an auto loot option that collects basic environmental materials.
The turn based RPG combat system accomplishes two purposes by displaying the complete Monster Hunter experience. The main Rock Paper Scissors mechanics (Power beats Technical Technical beats Speed Speed beats Power) return to the game but players need to discover additional content. You control the protagonist (who can equip three weapons to swap between) while your Monstie and your ally fight alongside you.
Weapons exist as three categories which include Slash weapons (Greatsword Long Sword) and Pierce weapons (Bow Gunlance) and Blunt weapons (Hammer Hunting Horn). The process requires players to target particular monster parts using the appropriate damage type and element which results in knockdowns. The Wyvern Fell Gauge serves as a stamina meter which allows players to perform powerful synchronized attacks after they drain it from monsters.
The game maintains its challenging nature throughout its entire duration. The game forces players to discover enemy patterns while they must use items from their inventory and fight using game mechanics. Feral Monsters possess another dangerous quality because they can display their crystallized body parts through glowing effects which activate during their enraged state. When you attack a glowing part they will respond with a violent counterattack which forces you to maintain your timing for breaking their parts.
The highly valued Quick Finish ability returns for players to use against weaker enemies who exist at lower levels. Players can charge directly at their opponents to defeat them instantly while acquiring parts without entering combat mode.
The addictive gameplay loop consists of players searching for eggs while they combine different genes. The Rite of Channeling returns but with an incredible change it no longer destroys the donor monster You can swap genes and elemental affinities and active skills between your entire roster for as long as you want. You can make Rathalos breathe water. You can create a monster that only has Dragon coloring because you find it visually appealing.
Monsters can participate in Excursions to modify their primary stat distribution between Attack and Defense while they receive environmental skills as passive benefits. The game offers players extensive customization options because they can select bingo bonuses and gene placement while increasing their habitat ranks. The main story can be completely skipped by players who want to spend 40 hours constructing an S Rank genetically perfect creature.
Dynamic NPCs have taken the place of request board systems which existed before in hunter activities. Players can customize their armor and weapons through deep customization options which include active skills and passive skills. Players can upgrade their decorations from S to M and from M to L by discovering duplicate items throughout the game. Eleanor takes on the role of camp chef who prepares meals that provide players with time limited buffs in place of talismans.
The Pros
- Incredible Combat Depth Monster Hunter action mechanics have been successfully transformed into a turn based system that demands both strategic planning and challenging execution.
- Endless Customization The Rite of Channeling which does not destroy monsters combined with new Habitat Restoration features creates an addictive monster breeding experience.
- The game boasts beautiful visuals which combine stylish graphics with exceptional animations especially during Kinship attacks and an S tier orchestral soundtrack.
- The story gains value from its higher stakes and political intrigue which distinguishes it from typical spin off narratives.
- The game offers players three quality of life features which include fast enemy elimination for weak foes and simple egg identification and effective fast travel system.
The Cons
- The game has no multiplayer features because it lacks both PvP and Co op dens which should have been available at the initial launch (the company plans to release these features during future live service Title Updates).
- The story suffers from uneven pacing because its middle section extends beyond acceptable limits while side character story lines fail to connect with the main storyline.
- PC systems experience frequent crashes with the RE Engine on certain configurations which require users to install third party modifications for resolution.
- The absence of an auto loot feature forces players to continuously press the interact button which results in tiring gameplay when they operate in crowded areas.
- The game limits players from experiencing True Flight because it requires them to use wind currents for gliding across large map distances.
The highest point of the Monster Hunter franchise exists within Monster Hunter Stories 3 Twisted Reflection. The game features narrative pacing problems and missing multiplayer features at launch but it delivers an excellent RPG experience through its deep gameplay mechanics and high quality audio visual elements and its engaging monster breeding system. The game provides an adventure experience which merits over 100 hours of gameplay for both mainline fans and Pokemon lovers and turn based JRPG fans.
Pc Version Tested.
