The Monster Hunter Tales sequence has come a good distance. Beginning as a multimedia undertaking with the primary 3DS recreation and a tie-in anime, the sequence doubled down on delivering a high-quality monster-taming RPG expertise with 2021’s Wings of Spoil, increasing the scope of the sport whereas sustaining the approachable mechanics and kid-friendly storytelling. Monster Hunter Tales 3: Twisted Reflection seeks to up the ante even additional, launching day-and-date throughout all current-generation platforms. The sequence’ ambition is increasing accordingly with these new platforms, and Twisted Reflection goes past the promise of a Monster Hunter-themed Pokémon competitor for teenagers. Moderately, the extra mature storytelling, heightened manufacturing values, and expanded fight mechanics search to fill the void left behind by Breath of Hearth and attraction to the devoted RPG viewers that calls for extra than simply cute Monsties to befriend.
Probably the most noticeable change between earlier entries and Twisted Reflection lies in its narrative. Previous titles targeted on younger protagonists making their method on the earth with a lighthearted tone akin to Pokémon or Dragon Quest Monsters. Twisted Reflection, against this, wastes little time thrusting you into battle and calamity. You inhabit the sneakers of the prince (or princess) of the Kingdom of Azuria, already an skilled Ranger and Rider. The Rangers are a non-military group of Riders who defend the ecological stability of Azuria, and are laborious at work investigating the Crystal Encroachment threatening the native setting. Crystallization has ravaged sure elements of the panorama and even affected the monsters, with crystals on their hides inflicting them to change into feral & aggressive, and granting them harmful new skills.
In the meantime, the neighboring Kingdom of Vermeil amasses its navy on Azuria’s border and petitions the King of Azuria for peace negotiations. The Vermeil negotiators reveal that Vermeil lies ravaged by the Crystal Encroachment; shards of crystal rain down from the skies, killing crops and endangering the lives of the citizenry. Dealing with hunger and spoil, Vermeil is left with two choices: invade Azuria for its arable and comparatively untouched land, or associate with Azuria to cross the Meridian to achieve the fabled Sacrosanctum, the place the Vermeilians imagine they will discover the important thing to stopping the Encroachment. The King of Azuria refuses, reminding the Vermeilians of the covenant each nations made with the Wyverians, an historic race that guards the Meridian and prevents entry to the Sacrosanctum. With the negotiations at a standstill, the Princess of Vermeil, Eleanor, volunteers to stay in Azuria, providing herself up as a hostage to stave off Vermeil’s invasion. The protagonist turns into her escort, welcoming her into the Rangers and exhibiting her the Azurian lifestyle. As soon as warfare turns into imminent, the 2 comply with violate the Covenant and cross the Meridian to save lots of their kingdoms from destruction, each from ecological collapse and warfare.
These themes of environmental destruction and useful resource shortage resulting in battle are a lot darker and extra complicated than the good-versus-evil storylines of the earlier video games, and character motivations are coloured by shades of gray. Vermeil doesn’t need warfare, however is left with no selection within the face of extinction as a result of encroachment. Azuria shouldn’t be blind to the plight of their neighbors, however the relationship between nations is difficult by the betrayal of Queen Amara, the protagonist’s mom, who hailed from Vermeil. The Traitor Queen stole a Rathalos and fled throughout the Meridian, abandoning the prince and the Rathalos’s twin, his associate Ratha. All discuss of the Meridian reminds the King of this betrayal, leaving his coronary heart hardened to any cooperation between the 2 nations. The protagonist, then again, desperately desires to know why his mom left, and his option to defy his father and cross the Meridian is as a lot about discovering his mom as it’s about saving the warring kingdoms.
I loved the extra mature strategy to storytelling. Nevertheless, there are juvenile components carried over from prior video games (akin to referring to monsters as “Monsties” or the comic-relief Felyne mascot Rudy) that conflict with the story’s darker, extra critical tone. At instances, the sport feels caught between its expanded narrative ambitions for an older viewers and makes an attempt to keep away from alienating these searching for a light-hearted, Pokémon-style expertise. Regardless of these reservations, the preliminary hours gripped me, and I’m fairly fascinated about seeing the place the plot goes subsequent.
A rock-paper-scissors fight system (Energy beats Technical, Technical beats Pace, Pace beats Energy) that many criticized for being overly easy has been a defining function of the sequence up so far. The builders at Capcom have taken these criticisms to coronary heart. The core system stays, however new techniques exist on high of the fight to make encounters considerably extra strategic and satisfying than previous entries. For starters, one other Rider and their Monstie at all times be a part of you in fight. Because you at all times have 4 contributors in battle, encounters really feel just like a standard JRPG party-based system. Whereas I wasn’t at all times pleased that the opposite Rider is AI-controlled, I’ve to confess it conveys an identical feeling to cooperative play in the primary sequence, the place it’s essential to take note of your teammate’s actions to combo successfully in opposition to a powerful monster.
Monsters really feel suitably threatening and in step with the primary sequence, regardless of most fights being four-on-one. Enemy monsters hit very laborious (typically taking you or your Monstie out in a single hit) and have a lot bigger well being swimming pools than you or your allies. Monsters have a Wyvernsoul gauge beneath their well being bar; when this gauge is depleted, the enemy is Toppled, and the occasion can carry out a Synchro Rush (assume All Out Assaults from Persona) the place everybody will get a free hit on the monster. Fights are a cautious stability between dealing injury, guarding in opposition to enemy assaults, and whittling down the Wyvernsoul gauge to stage the enjoying subject. You may also strike at particular elements of the monster (very similar to the primary sequence) to disrupt sure assaults or skills. Moreover, you may swap between three geared up weapons (one for every injury kind) or the six monsters in reserve throughout your flip. Fight in Twisted Reflection strikes a stability between strategic turn-based fight and the sensation of combating a big monster from the primary sequence, and is the primary time that the spin-off sequence fulfills the mechanical potential of the “Monster Hunter as a turn-based RPG” premise.
The monster-raising mechanics obtained some current polish and coexist properly with the narrative’s themes of ecological stewardship. You collect monsters by looking out monster dens dotted across the map for eggs, with some eggs being stronger than others. As soon as hatched, monsters reveal their specific traits, together with stats, skills, and a Bingo Bonus that determines their potential. Night time offers you an opportunity to come across Highly effective Invasive Monsters, and as soon as defeated, you may rescue endangered species’ eggs from their dens. As soon as hatched, these endangered monsters return to the setting to flourish, with grownup specimens now roaming across the space and their eggs showing in common dens as they repopulate.
Most monster-raising video games find yourself feeling extra like eugenicist simulators, continually breeding and discarding dozens of creatures like a mad scientist till you arrive at one with optimum genetics. Twisted Reflection bucks this development by requiring you to be a real conservationist, rewarding you with higher-quality monsters solely after you’ve revitalized endangered species and stabilized their pure habitat by eradicating feral monsters. I respect this shift in focus, and it cements the Tales sequence’ cohesion between mechanics and message higher than the primary sequence has ever managed.
The obvious method Monster Hunter Tales 3: Twisted Reflection illustrates expanded scale and scope is in its presentation. Sadly, that is additionally the place the sport has flown somewhat too near the solar, a minimum of on Swap 2. Make no mistake, Twisted Reflection is an exquisite recreation: the world is huge and vibrant, lighting and shadows are way more practical, human characters and monsters alike have extra practical sizes and proportions. Animations are chief among the many visible enhancements, with characters showcasing heft and weight as they gear as much as run or decelerate, monsters’ wingflaps rippling as they glide by the air, and every Monstie possessing its personal attribute gait because it traipses by the luxurious environments. There are some actually spectacular visible results in battle, particularly throughout the kinship assaults the place monster and rider strike collectively.
What brings this heightened presentation down is the efficiency, a minimum of on Swap 2. The framerate suffers in closely populated areas just like the fort city, and stutters abound whenever you take flight in your Rathalos and soar above the setting. Efficiency is significantly better on the bottom and rock-solid throughout battles, however draw distances within the fields are marred by blurriness for far-off places or uneven animations for monsters rendered at a distance. There have been instances once I felt Twisted Reflection was one of many best-looking Swap 2 titles as a result of spectacular artwork fashion and animation high quality, however these moments had been inevitably dashed by shaky efficiency in each handheld and docked modes, the place the sport struggles in its most bold moments to take care of its 30 FPS goal. It’s actually not unplayable, particularly for a turn-based RPG, however performance-conscious gamers might need to persist with the PS5, Xbox, or PC variations.
Capcom is actually swinging for the fences with Monster Hunter Tales 3: Twisted Reflection. They’ve expanded the storytelling ambitions, the complexity of the fight mechanics, and the presentation is really AAA high quality, a lot in order that it’s a bit greater than the Swap 2 can deal with. Should you’ve dismissed prior entries for being too juvenile or an excessive amount of of a departure from the primary sequence, I feel it’s value giving the sport a re-examination. Fortunately, Capcom has made a free demo obtainable on all platforms, so there’s no cause to not obtain it and take a look at it for your self. Monster Hunter Tales 3: Twisted Reflection launches on March thirteenth, 2026, for Nintendo Swap 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Sequence, and PC, and you may try the sport’s official website for extra particulars.
