Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection review: when awesome gameplay’s let down by an underwhelming story

Kevin Hofer

11.3.2026

Translation: Natalie McKay

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is a game at odds with itself. Players who slug their way through the uninspired story will be rewarded with one of the best combat systems of recent years.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection’s one of those rare games where gameplay and story are so far apart that I ask myself: is this the work of two completely different teams? The combat system’s lively, variable and completely addictive. The story, on the other hand, has good intentions, but for the most part it’s about as thrilling as a rainy Monday morning.

Capcom delivers a JRPG that captivates me with its mechanics, but at the same time regularly tempts me to look at my phone during the cutscenes.

A story that fizzles out

The world in Twisted Reflection is on the brink of collapse: a mysterious crystal plague’s transforming the land into a glittering disaster and wiping out entire populations of monsters. I can play as either the heir or heiress to the throne of the kingdom of Azuria. I choose to play the female character. Alongside my role as a noblewoman, I work for the rangers and look after wild and captured monsters.

After a clash with the neighbouring kingdom of Vermeil, I team up with this kingdom’s Princess Eleanor, of all people. She distrusts the plans of her sister, the Queen of Vermeil, and fears that the conflict between the two kingdoms will escalate. As if that wasn’t enough, twin Rathalos – dragon-like monsters – hatched years ago. An omen that bodes about as well in this world as a comet in the sky.

Interested? In theory, sure.

But after a promising start, the game falls into a narrative coma, where it remains until much later. The dialogue bumbles along, new areas and their inhabitants flit by so quickly that they barely leave an impression. Many of the companions look as if they were added to the game just before release because someone realised the hero group looked sparse.

The exceptions? Eleanor and Palico’s companion Rudy actually have real personalities and understandable motivations. The rest of the party are given their main character moments in separate bonding episodes. They’re thematically far removed from the main story. At times, I wonder if the authors wrote two completely different games and threw everything together in the end.

On a positive note, a large part of the story is voiced. I like the voice work, particularly Eleanor’s. But it isn’t up to scratch for other characters, such as ranger Thea, who reminds me of a Neo Monsters character.

In short: despite the good intentions, I had to actively force myself not to look at my phone during more than one cutscene.

At first glance, the combat system in Monster Hunter Stories 3 looks like simple rock, paper, scissors with monsters. Might beats Technical, Technical beats Speed, Speed beats Might – simple, right? Not quite. Hidden underneath is a delightfully profound system that challenges me with every new encounter.

I fight with my character, my monster – which I can also swap during battle – and a joint team of humans and monsters. This group acts autonomously, while my decisions have the greatest influence on the battle. If I understand an opponent’s attack patterns and use the weakness system correctly, I can win direct head-to-head confrontations and literally leave my opponent out in the cold with counterattacks.

There are also different weapon types, craftable items, an affinity system for joint attacks with my monster, special attacks with devastating effects and targetable body parts with their own stagger meters. Oof.

When I first saw the interface, I briefly felt like putting the game down and never touching it again. But then it clicks – and suddenly I don’t want to stop.

Twisted Reflection’s a challenging game. I can ignore the systems at first. But I pay for this after a few hours of gaming. The difficulty can’t be adjusted once you start playing, which I love. It forces me to get to grips with the mechanics instead of just switching to Easy and rushing through.

The classic loop of failure, understanding and trying again is enormously satisfying. When I return to old areas later on and trounce wild monsters that used to stomp me into the ground, it feels like real, well-earned progress. I don’t play the mainline Monster Hunter titles, but after Stories 3 I understand why people give up their weekends for them.

A particularly clever feature is that my progression through the world depends directly on my monster line-up. Some creatures can dig, while others can fly or swim, opening up new paths across areas. Party building and exploration are seamlessly integrated, and that’s a good feeling. Fast travel points have to be unlocked first. Monster eggs can be easily collected in nests, and can be hatched to gain new monsters for the team. It all seems well thought out and feels satisfying.

What’s more, the hubs offer cooked meals for temporary buffs, a channelling ritual for transferring genes between monsters, and passive excursions where monsters learn new skills on their own.

When I first encounter all of this, I felt the same as I did with the combat system: completely overwhelmed. But I persevere, and I’m rewarded with a profound and satisfying gameplay loop.

I’m particularly pleased that the game runs extremely smoothly and stably. I tested the PC version, and even on the Steam Deck it’s fun to explore the world.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection will be available from 13 March for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2 and PC. The game was provided to me by Capcom 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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