As a complete noob in "Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection": overwhelmed but thrilled

Kevin Hofer

12.2.2026

Translation: machine translated

Support: Domagoj Belancic

I have already had the chance to play the new "Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection" in detail. The third instalment of the 'Monster Hunter' spin-off promises great, turn-based action packed into an epic story.

Almost five years after the second part, the new «Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection» will be released on 13 March. The eponymous monsters can also be found here. There is also a story paired with turn-based battles. Publisher and developer Capcom let me play the game a month earlier for a preview - as a complete noob.

Colleague editor and JRPG aficionado Domi asks me the most burning questions after my first steps in the game.

Domagoj: You haven't played any «Monster Hunter Stories» spin-offs yet and have jumped in at the deep end - do you feel well prepared?Kevin: When I watched the announcement trailer in preparation, I was extremely confused. How would I ever get into it? But I didn't let myself be put off and simply started the adventure. The game does a good job of introducing me to the story and the systems. But there's a hell of a lot to get through in the first few hours of play.Many JRPGs suffer from a slow introduction that you have to fight your way through until you get to the exciting part. How do you find the introduction to «Monster Hunter Stories 3»?The start is anything but slow. After creating my character, I witness a long but beautiful intro sequence. As the childlike Princess Leia of Azuria - I could also play as a prince - I bond with a süssen terrifying Rathalos. A dragon-like monster. The noble child obviously has a knack for the creatures. The intro is followed by a time jump - I can fight for the first time as a young adult and fly through the air on my Rathalos, which has grown up in the meantime. [[image:77452668 "Flying on the monsters is incredibly fun."]]This is followed by several hours of tutorials, skilfully packed into the story. That's why they don't seem lame. Leia is now an important part of the Rangers - a troop that deals with the monsters in the world. Firstly, I introduce the new member Thea to the customs of the Rangers and combat. I'm initially overwhelmed by the battles. I'm bombarded with so many buzzwords and options that I no longer know which way is up. New things are constantly being added and continue to overwhelm me. The key here is to persevere and learn. After a few hours, I have the combat system more or less under control - at least until the next tutorial comes along. How do you like the turn-based battles - and do they offer any special twists?The battles are exciting and challenging. As I'm not familiar with the previous «Stories» instalments, I don't know whether certain elements were already present in the predecessors. I knew in advance that I would fight alongside my monsters and only control them and my character. My companion and their monster fight automatically.[[image:77452667 "The combat system seems highly complex to me as a noob."]]New for me: I can attack different body parts of all enemies. I only know this from other turn-based role-playing games as a gimmick for individual battles. The parts have their own energy bar with specific weaknesses for weapon types. If I bring the bar to zero, «staggere» I kill the monsters. They land on the mat for a short time and all my characters can hit the creatures outside of their moves. This is called «Synchro Rush».That sounds like a complex combat system.This is just the beginning. Already familiar from earlier parts, but new to me: I perform attacks either as «Power», «Technical» or «Speed». This results in a kind of rock-paper-scissors principle. Under certain conditions, there is a «Head-to-Head» - depending on which type I have chosen, I win or lose the duel with a corresponding effect on my energy bar. A draw is also possible, with the opponent and I taking a similar amount of damage.[[image:77452665 "The «Head-to-Head» are announced with a cool animation."]]I find the «Kinship» system particularly cool. I fill a corresponding bar with attacks. Once filled, I can sit on my monster - we attack at the same time for more damage. This also allows me to use devastating attacks - so-called «Kinship Skills». If my computer-controlled partner is also sitting on her monster, we can even attack together for even more damage. These attacks are then accompanied by a long but cool sequence. Fortunately, I can also skip this. As you can see, the combat system offers multi-layered mechanics. I am convinced that there will be more to come later. It certainly provides variety and challenges.A game that has «Stories» in its title must have a good story, right?At least it starts promisingly. As you can imagine, the life of Princess Leia - so far I haven't found the corresponding topknots of the namesake from «Star Wars» in the character editor - is anything but quiet. As a ranger, she ultimately takes care of the monster world in her kingdom. The kingdom slips into conflict with the neighbouring country of Vermeil quite early on. I don't want to reveal any more about the story. I have to play through the game first. That should take quite a long time: I would have been allowed to play the first two chapters for this preview, but after over six hours I'm only at the start of chapter two.[[image:77452664 "The cutscenes are incredibly beautiful."]]What do you do in «Monster Hunter Stories» apart from the story?In addition to the main story, I love the side stories. In these, I learn more about the other members of the Rangers. This gives them depth - the relationship between the characters comes into focus. They also offer variety in terms of gameplay. In Thea's side story, for example, I have to defeat crazed pigs in a race on the back of my monster. The side quests are less exciting: classic «get me the»- or «kill this monster» tasks.[[image:77452669 "Somehow I feel bad about stealing the critters' eggs."]]If I'm not on a quest, I can steal the eggs from the creatures in monster caves. I then hatch them in my stable. I take particularly strong monsters into my team and train them. I can release the others into the wild and control their population. I even introduce new species to a habitat in this way. I customise the world to my taste to a certain extent. I love «Pokémon», but have been repeatedly disappointed by the mainline games in recent years. Could «Monster Hunter Stories 3» be something for me?Of course, just like in «Pokémon», you end up tearing creatures out of their natural environment, imprisoning them and abusing them for your own purposes.No, joking aside: If you like JRPGs with monster collecting, the game should definitely be for you. But you have to be able to live with the fact that you're dealing with «real» monsters and not cute creatures that fit the childish mould. The game has a chic anime style that looks great in the trailers. How do you like the visuals so far?The cutscenes and characters look phenomenal. From a distance, the world looks fine too - apart from the occasional pop-in. Up close, I notice that the textures look less complex than in other open-world games and sometimes look washed out. However, due to the cel-shaded look, I find this bearable; I pay more attention to the characters anyway. I really like the style, it fits the world perfectly.[[image:77452670 "The dishes make you hungry."]]Apropos anime style: Food and the depiction of dishes often play an important role in the medium. This is also the case in the game. I use various dishes to get buffs for fights. The developers have really gone all out with the presentation of the menus. I get «Final Fantasy XV» vibes. And hungry.Is there anything that still worries you?I find the system for weapons and equipment annoying. I have to have them made in the forge. In contrast to other JRPGs, I not only need money for this, but also specific items per weapon or armour. This is annoying and forces me to farm stupidly. My review will show how much this bothers me over the entire duration of the game.«Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection» will be released on 13 March 2026 for PS5, Switch 2, Xbox Series, PC. The game was provided to me by the publisher for testing purposes.

Kevin Hofer

Senior Editor

kevin.hofer@digitecgalaxus.ch

From big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.

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