Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection hands-on preview - Gotta hatch 'em all

Comparisons between Monster Hunter Stories and Pokemon are inevitable given the core gameplay loop of finding monsters, collecting them, training them and battling.

But Twisted Reflection, the third entry in the Monster Hunter Stories spin-off series, is a lot more than just a more grown-up Pokemon game and seems to be successfully refining Capcom's series based on the first two main sections or so.

In Twisted Reflection, players take on the role of a ranger which you can create and customise, tasked with finding and protecting monsters and preserving their ecosystem and it's brilliantly fulfilled.

But there's so much more on offer.

To give a bit of story context before diving into gameplay, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is set on the backdrop of quite a political tale.

A Crystal Encroachment, a type of growing blight, threatens the natural order of the world and it causes two different kingdoms on the brink of war to have to decide on what's best to survive, even if it means breaching agreements that have been in place for decades.

This Encroachment also results in more powerful foes known as Feral Monsters with unique characteristics that can prove quite the challenge to battle, one of which encountered in this preview was the Chatacabra from Monster Hunter Wilds.

While your core gameplay is role-playing as a ranger and to stop the Encroachment, you're also the Prince or Princess to one of these kingdoms and become embroiled in some of the political wrangling that happens along the way.

Some of the story telling is quite melodramatic, as you'd probably expect from a Japanese role-playing game (JRPG), but it never crosses the boundary of being too much - so far.

There is quite the cast of characters in Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection / Capcom

The game looks great. Twisted Reflections has an anime style and is more like a cutesy version of a Monster Hunter game.

In terms of performance, playing through the preview build on a base PS5, it was mostly stable with a few exceptions. Some monsters in the game world moved at a noticeably lower frame-rate to the 60fps (frames per second) target I mostly prioritised and there are a lot of pop ins in the game world.

There were also a number of cases of tears too, like monster tails going through the game world and my character's arm moving through my sword. While lighting is strong on the whole, shadows are not the strongest and can appear jagged in some instances.

Hatching and levelling up Monsties is at the core of gameplay / Capcom

In terms of gameplay, the first hour or so gets you to grips with the combat mechanics - it can feel like a lot of information to try and take in all at once but soon after, you're let loose to explore.

You're accompanied by Monsties with their own set of attacks along with your own and an ally with their Monsties who perform their own actions, you can only control your character and Monstie's moves though. You start with preset ally selections but these can be switched in and out at the game's main hub, which is the kingdom you represent.

As you progress, Monstie eggs can be found in Dens which you then have to hatch and you can have a party of up to six different Monsties. There are loads to collect and party composition is important not just for different stats, like strengths and weaknesses, but also traversal too.

Sounds a lot like Pokemon, right? Well, adding on to that, this is also key for preserving species that would otherwise be endangered so you can then eventually release them and nurture them once different ecosystems have been protected and maintained by taking out powerful Invasive Monsters.

You quickly find your feet with what works and doesn't. I found a bit of trial and error in the beginning helped me to understand firsthand how to get the most out of both mechanics and exploration and what you can and can't do. This never felt frustrating though and it was fun experimenting with different party compositions to find a balance that worked for me.

Combat mechanics in Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection are deep and fairly complex / Capcom

Just like in mainline Monster Hunter games, enemies have areas and attack patterns you need to learn and exploit in order to best them. You're walked through them in the beginning but then you have to work out successful approaches as you go on.

Like with previous Monster Hunter Stories games, the main attacks are power, speed and technical and this is like a rock-paper-scissors approach - power beats technical, technical beats speed and speed beats power.

It's very important to get on top of this and understand early in order to progress. Pre-emptive strikes and surprise attacks play a crucial role too in who gains the upper hand at the start of a battle.

In the open world, battles against lower levelled enemies can feel like going through the motions a bit but this is alleviated to a certain extent with the option of a double battle speed mechanic. Battles against much weaker enemies are further streamlined which is welcome. Larger battles are very engaging and force you to think on your feet and it feels satisfying felling fearsome foes.

Exploration is a blast / Capcom

Exploration is key and battles against powerful enemies in open-world sections can unlock new Dens for you to find rarer Monstie eggs in. You can travel on the back of your Monstie to reach new areas, move around the world more quickly and even perform moves to get rid of enemies you don't want to fight or get resources that would otherwise be inaccessible.

Speaking of which, crafting plays a huge role too as you can collect a lot of useful items and loot in the open world and learn crucial recipes the more you progress. This is essential in being self-sufficient out in the field but is introduced gradually to not overwhelm you.

Loads of quests quickly become available once the game opens up, some which are smaller in scope and can be completed quickly and others that act as longer side quests that run alongside the main story. So far, these have felt quite varied and engaging.

With it being a Monster Hunter game, upgrading weapons and further equipment is a key component of this and it's crucial to gather as many resources as possible to take on higher levelled foes.

A quick mention on the phenomenal soundtrack too - it perfectly complements what I've played through so far and I can't wait to hear more of what's in store.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflections is shaping up to be a strong game / Capcom

On the whole, from my time with Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflections so far, the game is shaping up to be a strong one and a lot more than just a grown-up Pokemon game.

The story is surprisingly quite political despite the game being full of goofiness, combat mechanics are deep with new elements consistently introduced and the game looks great.

There are a handful of performance issues that need to be ironed out and some weaker battles can feel a bit like going through the motions at times.

But there are so many engaging layers to this game and I'm looking forward to seeing what the rest of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflections has in store.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection releases on 13 March and will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC. A Free Trial is available to play now.

Elsewhere from indy100:

• Is Monster Hunter Wilds on PC finally fixed? New patch releases and verdict is in
• Monster Hunter Wilds Nintendo Switch 2 port 'leaked' but fans want something else

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