Monster Hunter Stories 3 will be released in March 2026. MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes was able to play the first 2 chapters in advance and was thrilled after just a few hours. The RPG has the potential to become one of the best sequels in the genre.
I like monster collecting games. Be it Pokémon, Digimon, or indie games like Coromon. The games are most enjoyable when you have a personal connection to the monsters. That caught my attention in Monster Hunter Stories 1. Using the creatures as partners that made hunting so difficult for me in the main series is a great feeling.
That’s why I started with excitement for Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection to play the first 2 chapters as a preview: Although I had positive expectations, I was still surprised. The game is not just a new installment in the Stories series; it shows right from the first areas that it could become one of the best Monster Hunter games.
A fusion of Pokémon and Monster Hunter
What is Monster Hunter Stories 3 anyway? At its core, the game is a monster collecting RPG. Just like in Pokémon or the Digimon games, you catch monsters (or their eggs from their nests) and build your team. Unlike most of these games, however, you fight yourself. For this, you have armor and weapons that fans of the Monster Hunter series will recognize.
In addition, there is a bit of story, a world divided into larger areas, and plenty of side content. I was able to play the first 2 areas for this preview and spent about 17 hours in the game, going through side quests and smaller grinding sessions.
Even in the relatively short time, Stories 3 has improved everything that was present in its predecessor.
But let’s start with the story. The focus is on the countries of Azuria and Vermeil, which are on the brink of war. As the child of the king of Azuria, you are a Rider. Together with a Rathalos and other monsters, you complete missions, research, and explore.
You are not alone; the Riders consist of a whole group of characters with different designs and personalities.
Compared to its predecessors, the story is more mature. This is not only evident in the character proportions, which no longer resemble chibis, but also in the focus of the story. It is significantly stronger than what you would expect from Monster Hunter, and also much more exciting.
From the very beginning, I was engaged, and the side stories that focus on the other members are a good point for worldbuilding. The world itself already feels larger in the first 2 chapters, and a new feature makes it incredibly fun.
Just 2 areas already show: Exploration will be incredibly fun
You could already ride monsters in the two predecessors, but in Stories 3, it has been made smoother. During a jump or fall, you can call your Rathalos and glide; if you see an item in the water, you can quickly switch to a water monster to swim there.
There are no loading times, making exploration more enjoyable. Monsters have different operational areas, which is why not only combat abilities are important for team building. Thus, monsters that you might not use in combat can still be valuable for the world.
In the world, you can, as usual, encounter monsters or loot eggs from monster lairs, filling your stable with new monsters. This time they are not only useful as team members or for passing on abilities. A new feature allows you to influence the world differently.
With habitat restoration, you can restore endangered species. They will then not only appear more frequently in lairs. If you increase the eco rank
of monsters in an area, they can gain stronger skills.
Moreover, you can ensure that you get new variants. For example, if you increase a Rathian’s rank in the first area, you unlock the opportunity to find a Dreadqueen Rathian. Additionally, the element of the area can also influence the monsters. For instance, it is possible to obtain a Tobi-Kadachi that is normally just electric in addition to a fire element. Its appearance changes as well.
All these mechanics quickly developed into a nice flow during the preview. Nothing felt sluggish and everything integrated well into the world.
Fine-tuning the combat system
How did the combat system perform? At its core, the turn-based combat is based on a rock-paper-scissors principle combined with the elements. If a monster uses a power attack, you can use a speed attack if it comes at you. This negates its attack. But the reverse can also happen, and monsters often use several attacks that are not solely based on the 3 types.
Right from the start, there were challenging battles that, thanks to the ability to increase speed, were not frustrating. As in the main series, you can check your notes to see which elemental weaknesses the monsters have.
Also, there are weapons that you can use to destroy various monster parts. This increases damage and can send monsters reeling to initiate a powerful attack.
But the most important thing: Kinship attacks are back. If you fill your friendship meter in battle, you can perform a powerful monster attack. There’s a little cutscene for it (which can also be skipped). If you enjoy seeing a Rathalos create a gigantic flame explosion, you will be happy here. These animations can even compete with anime.
Monster Hunter stands for a satisfying gameplay loop
The great strength already in the first hours is not the individual elements I have described, it is the loop of all these. Story, grind, side quests, and monsters merged into a strong flow that made hours feel like minutes.
I never felt that anything was dragging on, and even if: You can skip many things if you want, and monster breeding doesn’t have to be ground for hours, at least in the first hours I was able to play.
Only the story could fail. So far, I quite like it, but it remains to be seen if it expands and whether the gameplay flow might be disrupted. However, if you like anime atmosphere, you will probably have nothing to complain about in that regard.
As for the Switch-2 version, it ran quite well for me. Although there were occasionally some textures reloading, I had no issues with the framerate on the TV. Handheld had occasional stutters, but overall, they didn’t bother me.
For my part, I am confident: I will definitely spend 100 hours in the full game of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection.
You can even take a look into the game yourselves. A demo has been released on Steam that allows you to spend quite a bit of time and hides some secrets.
Otherwise, the game will be released on March 13 for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Steam. But before that, another series from Capcom returns: Resident Evil Requiem has achieved something after 3 hours that I thought impossible: I am afraid of zombies again
