Journey on, Rangers: Monster Hunter Tales 3: Twisted Reflection, the third entry within the monster-collecting JRPG spin-off collection, is right here! Can people and monsters unite to avoid wasting the world? Bonds of kinship prevail in a fantastical story revealing how previous sins echo by means of time. Heartwarming and poignant, Monster Hunter Tales 3 builds on an already spectacular method and reaches even better heights.
The story begins in a kingdom known as Azuria with the beginning of exceedingly uncommon twin Skyscale Rathalos (suppose big dragons). This beginning portends an excellent calamity, inflicting the king to make a tragic resolution in an try to stop future hardships. Flash ahead years later, and far has modified in Azuria. You play because the prince or princess of the dominion who occurs to be the newly minted captain of Azuria’s Rangers: a specialised unit of Monster Riders with a mission to guard the delicate environmental stability between people, monsters, and nature.
Collectively along with your staunchly loyal Palico attendant Rudy and “Monstie” Ratha, you and the opposite Rangers face the inexplicable menace of crystallization that’s laying waste to monster and human territories alike. To not point out the elevated tensions with the neighboring kingdom of Vermeil, which has been hit even more durable by the catastrophe and is rising ever extra determined. With conflict on the horizon, can the Rangers, their Monsties, and Eleanor, the second princess of Vermeil, work out the reality behind the disastrous crystallization and save everybody?
I gained’t delve too deeply into the story, because it accommodates emotional twists and turns. There’s one predictable twist, but it surely nonetheless works narratively. Whereas I’m not as conversant in the mainline Monster Hunter motion RPGs, I respect Monster Hunter Tales’ deal with people aiming for harmonious coexistence with monsters. The Monsties aren’t handled as innocent, and Monster Hunters nonetheless play a pivotal position in society; nevertheless, the monsters are proven with stunning depth and sentience, making their bonds with people plausible.
Monster Hunter Tales 3 is the perfect within the trilogy at creating celebration members past the protagonist and Rudy. The opposite Rangers and Eleanor every have their very own backstories and motivations. Supporting characters achieve depth, and I even wished extra scenes with standouts like Corbin and PK. The sport tells a surprisingly epic story, veering into mature, bittersweet territory.
This leads me into my first “gripe”: the primary two MHS video games leaned extra towards family-friendly, healthful territory. Monster Hunter Tales 3 makes an attempt to tread that very same water whereas additionally telling a extra grown-up story of acceptance and coming-of-age. Often, it comes throughout as not understanding which viewers it’s attempting to cater to. There are some scenes that could possibly be troubling for youthful players, but the narrative then pulls again by nonetheless retaining “infantile/cutesy” components. As an illustration, it’s onerous to take a scene describing the horrors of conflict as significantly as was little doubt supposed when phrases like “Monstie” are utilized in the identical breath.
The cat-like Felynes that populate the world are far too cute, even when in severe narrative roles, given the cat puns they throw round (not that I don’t suppose they aren’t “purr-fectly” charming and intelligent myself). Throw in a aspect quest that entails discovering lacking Poogies (basically little piglets), who are sometimes dressed up in colourful apparel for some motive, alongside truly racing a number of the little guys in mushroom-dotted race tracks, and also you’ve bought an RPG that appears deceptively kiddy on the floor. However breaking by means of the egg quartz to seek out the hidden bounty inside reveals a plot with some fairly darkish and mature undertones.
In a method, Monster Hunter Tales 3: Twisted Reflection symbolizes the “awkward teen” part of this spinoff collection because it finds its footing alongside its extra daring cousin. Nonetheless extra mature and evolving than its predecessors, but solely taking these forays with tentative, regressive steps at sure factors. That isn’t a slight towards the plot in any respect, although! There’s an outstanding environmental message at its core. I additionally respect how the principle character (whom I’ll confer with as “the princess” from right here on out since that’s who I picked) is a lot greater than only a clean slate participant insert on this story, as they’ve a pivotal position and persona that’s entrance and heart all through.
Gameplay-wise, Monster Hunter Tales 3: Twisted Reflection replaces the principle MH video games’ motion RPG mechanics with a extra conventional turn-based method. The princess equips three weapon sorts, every with distinctive strengths, weaknesses, and expertise. You turn weapons to fit your present enemies and select the simplest aspect or kind. I most popular heavy blades, hammers, and bows, however all weapon sorts are versatile. After choosing a weapon, fight entails selecting an assault and getting into a rock-paper-scissors trade: technical beats velocity; velocity overcomes energy; energy trumps technical. Profitable Head-to-Head permits you to deal extra harm, or the reverse when you lose.
As a Rider or Ranger, you’re by no means preventing alone. The princess groups up with a Monstie companion, and each share a “coronary heart” meter to observe and keep away from a recreation over. In battle, you should use as much as six monsters, every with distinctive behaviors, talents, and elemental properties. Holding a combined roster to match foes is important.
By default, Monsties decide their strikes, however you’ll be able to override this whenever you want a sure assault kind. For those who and a celebration member goal the identical enemy half with the identical assault kind and win a Head-to-Head, your kinship gauge will increase quicker. This allows you to trip your Monstie, combining your well being and unlocking a strong Kinship transfer. Your AI-controlled Ranger companion and their Monstie perform identically, and syncing the trip part allows a extra devastating Double Kinship assault.
Fight requires technique. When first preventing a brand new enemy, you’re left to initially guess at their penchant for assault sorts and counter accordingly. After that preliminary part, you need to bear in mind which assault sorts enemies desire if you wish to do probably the most harm. There are additionally standing results and a restricted variety of stock gadgets to contemplate, so plan fastidiously. Many enemy monsters have a number of physique elements to focus on, usually with completely different weapon weaknesses that’ll have you ever switching out between completely different ones as wanted. Breaking physique elements can stagger monsters or weaken their assaults, however it might probably make the fights drag on.
It doesn’t assist that, apart from selecting your individual Monsties’ assaults, you don’t have any management over what your Ranger ally and their Monstie do throughout fights. Each celebration member and their monsters have completely different talents and tools, however merely serviceable AI. However they may desire energy assaults even when an enemy targets them with a velocity one, or they may not heal you or themselves, even whenever you’re out of your restorative gadgets and desperately want the assist. The flexibility to direct their actions would velocity extended battles alongside.
I usually relied on the useful Fast End choice to immediately KO lower-level enemies or attacked and destroyed monsters on the sector earlier than a combat even started, however that solely works when you’re sufficiently leveled.
Exterior fight, exploration is central to Monster Hunter Tales 3. Monsties have distinctive talents for navigating areas. For instance, Royal Ludroths’ Swim permits you to cross lakes rapidly, whereas Barroths’ Floor Dive grants entry to in any other case unreachable areas. Having a celebration with diverse expertise opens up extra of the terrain, and you may change Monsties at any time. Exploring reveals dens with monster eggs to bolster your ranks, or you should use a just lately hatched monster in reclaimed areas after defeating a Feral Monster and establishing a campground to extend a particular monster’s inhabitants.
Habitat restoration allows you to not solely strengthen the monster populations of an space, but in addition “restore” endangered species. First, you will need to fight invasive monsters. These souped-up monster battles take extra technique to beat as they require clue gathering and particular techniques to not a lot “defeat” the enemy as to make it retreat, at which level you’ll be able to retrieve an endangered species egg and hatch it.
Returning the newly hatched monster to the ecosystem then begins populating the grounds with extra eggs for that species. Persevering with to take action may even trigger mutations, leading to highly effective monster variations. The fearsome Tigrex, for instance, has two such mutant subspecies you purchase by enjoying together with habitat restoration.
Past merely gathering eggs and hatching them, you can even add expertise and talents to your Monsties by means of the Ceremony of Channeling. This lets you switch particular genes between monsters. There are bonuses to statistical data do you have to line genes up a sure method, and the sheer variety of talents you may give a monster is astounding. Genes let monsters entry assaults they usually wouldn’t have, like a technical or velocity assault talent on a monster largely identified for energy, which helps additional diversify the roles they absorb fight. Narga, my Inexperienced Nargacuga variant, turned an MVP as a result of the entire completely different expertise and defensive/resistance bonuses I gave him.
Monster Hunter Tales 3‘s non-compulsory aspect content material often opens up, typically of the essential fetch selection, with you having to trace down particular monsters or supplies. They’re positively good for useful resource gathering functions for crafting or for degree grinding, however they aren’t memorable.
The character aspect tales for the Ranger companions and Eleanor are way more attention-grabbing. Not solely are you able to strengthen your comrades’ and their Monsties’ talents and kit by enterprise them, which in flip improves their fight power, however you additionally study extra about their particular person backstories and causes for tagging together with the princess. The aspect tales additional strengthening your companions’ narrative ties and reactions to the principle plot. I simply want the remainder of the aspect content material had been as detailed!
Monster Hunter Tales 3: Twisted Reflection is a beautiful and vibrantly colourful recreation. The environments are energetic and memorable with a ton to uncover, and I like the expressive characters. The monsters all have attention-grabbing designs, although I do want there have been extra selection. For the entire completely different shade variations, you do run into monsters that look fairly just like each other, even when their behaviors are completely different. I additionally love the completely different seems to be the armor getups have, despite the fact that a few of them have equipment that would show distracting throughout cutscenes, like shoulder horns that block one other character’s face throughout dialogue.
I performed the sport on a PS5 and didn’t encounter any of the graphical hiccups Ben Love reported in his superior Swap 2 model preview, so I feel the graphics interpretation additionally is dependent upon the console.
The sound results and voice work for the English language model are properly accomplished. Monsters sound completely wild and intimidating when vital, and the voice actors actually give it their all of their performances. The soundtrack can be wonderful. The vocal ending theme is beautiful and suits the narrative theme properly, and I beloved the catchy depth of the battle and monster themes corresponding to this one. The script localization is fairly effectively accomplished, with easy-to-read subtitles all through all cutscenes.
General, I respect that Monster Hunter Tales 3 is essentially a standalone journey that RPGFans can decide up and play even when their information of the principle Monster Hunter collection or the earlier two MHS video games is nonexistent (although there are some pleasant callbacks for followers). The inspiration for Monster Hunter Tales was already strong, and this third recreation largely builds upon this. Most of my points with the sport are comparatively minor and nitpicky in hindsight, particularly given how a lot I loved enjoying it even after fifty hours.
I feel Monster Hunter Tales 3: Twisted Reflection is a good introduction to this spin-off collection, particularly to these with a passion for element and strategy-heavy monster gathering and explorable fantasy adventures. Given how improbable Monster Hunter Tales 3 is, if the following recreation within the collection can present a good stronger outing, I’ll be paws-itively impressed!
