Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection [REVIEW] – A Masterclass in Turn-Based Monster Taming 

Spin-off games have a reputation for being a bit of a mixed bag, but I’ve always enjoyed the Monster Hunter Stories titles, with each offering a fresh take on the famed series. And now, with the release of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, Capcom hasn’t just delivered a great sequel – they’ve crafted a fantastic and massively ambitious adventure that stands out as a turn-based RPG smash in its own right. 

Check out some screenshots down below: 

One thing that’s worth noting immediately is that Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection delivers a genuinely gripping and surprisingly dark narrative that tackles themes of political tension, environmental collapse, and personal sacrifice. You step into the boots of the crown heir to the kingdom of Azuria, who also happens to lead the local Ranger squad. Your royal mother is branded a traitor after fleeing with one of a pair of twin Rathalos eggs – a major bad omen in this world – leaving you to deal with the fallout. And to make matters worse? Azuria is on the brink of an all-out war with the neighbouring nation of Vermeil.  

Yeah, there’s a LOT going on, and with the narrative holding some morally grey areas between the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ guys, it’s easy to find yourself wholly invested from start to end. With some top-tier voice acting and the impressively cinematic cutscenes complementing the storytelling, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection really does shine. 

Whilst I’ve enjoyed previous entries in the series, they have been guilty of being on the easier side. Well, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection throws that out the window, because the combat here is challenging, tactical, and incredibly rewarding. The core rock-paper-scissors mechanic returns – where Power beats Technical, Technical beats Speed, and Speed beats Power – but you can no longer just coast by on basic attacks. Instead, you have to carefully manage your stamina, target specific body parts with the correct weapon types, and constantly adapt to the ever-changing enemy threat. It’s intuitive and deep, and with different foes demanding different approaches, each battle manages to feel engaging – especially since a wrong move can make things go wayward fast. 

“You’ll quickly see that Capcom has delivered a turn-based masterclass in the monster-taming genre that feels like more than just a Monster Hunter spin-off.” 

The challenge really spikes with Feral Monsters, with these corrupted beasts absolutely punishing you if you don’t take advantage of every trick at your disposal. Thankfully, the new Wyvern Soul Gauge gives you a fighting chance: deplete this meter and you can unleash a ‘Synchro Rush’, a massive team attack that doesn’t only pack a punch but is also incredibly satisfying to pull off. There are just a lot of cool things going on in combat that help make Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection feel deeper and more challenging than its predecessors, and, most importantly, all the more enjoyable too. It has some of the best combat I’ve seen in a turn-based RPG for a while, which just goes to show that Monster Hunter Stories really is more than just a spin-off. 

Whilst combat makes up the bulk of the experience, you’ll also spend time exploring the world, clearing areas of enemies, and diving into monster dens to steal eggs. The exploration has been streamlined nicely – dens are now quick, bite-sized caves rather than long, drawn-out dungeons, making their navigation all the more enjoyable. Navigating the world to do all this is real treat too, with players equipped with a quick-select wheel of Monsties to help traverse the environment – whether you need to swim, climb walls, or smash boulders, there’s a Monstie for the job. 

And once you hatch the new companions from those eggs that you gather? You can dive into the game’s deep and intricate DNA channelling system. By splicing genes on a nine-slot grid, you can create incredibly powerful hybrid monsters, passing down elemental resistances and devastating attacks from unwanted creatures to your favourites. It’s a massively addictive loop that gives you total freedom over your team’s build, and whilst the UI isn’t always the best when navigating the system (if anything, it could do with more instruction to help players figure everything out), the process is so engaging and fun that it’s easy to forgive. 

Check out some screenshots down below: 

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection also introduces a brilliant new mechanic called Habitat Restoration. By hatching eggs and releasing monsters back into specific regions, you actively improve that area’s Ecosystem Rank, and a healthier ecosystem means a higher chance of finding rare eggs, mutated variants, and dual-element Monsties. You can even track down endangered species through puzzle-like encounters and repopulate them, adding even more sophistication to the system. Again, it’s something to invest in outside of the main story, and with the world being such a joy to explore, it’s easy to find yourself losing hours helping bring it back to life through its creatures. 

Visually, the game is an absolute stunner, with the anime-inspired art direction bringing every scale, feather, and fireball (of which there are MANY) to life. I just really love the vibe of the aesthetic, and whilst it’s a shift from the mainline entries, it helps Monster Hunter Stories establish its own tone that makes it feel unique. It runs flawlessly on the PlayStation 5 too, with zero performance issues and a consistent frame rate during my time playing (there are both fidelity and performance modes to suit what you prefer).

Developer: Capcom 
Publisher: Capcom 
Platform(s): PlayStation 5 (Reviewed), Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC 
Website: https://www.monsterhunter.com/stories3/en-us/