Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection

I had high hopes for Monster Hunter Stories 3 already, but I never expected it to be this good. Between the improvements from past games and new mechanics introduced here, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is cementing this series as the premier RPG in the monster-taming genre. I still can't believe how good it is.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection evolves the spin-off with a more mature story focused on the war between two kingdoms, strategic combat based on pattern reading, and more varied and vertical exploration. The game delivers a solid, addictive RPG and is a strong contender for one of the best of the year.

With a story that really goes places, a massive roster of monsters, and a stack of interlaced systems that combine to give the player a huge amount of choice and agency, Monster Hunter Stories: Twisted Reflection is the best in a trilogy of superb titles.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is a masterpiece. It brings real heart, delivers immersive combat, and nails one of the most satisfying exploration loops in a vast universe—where rediscovering your Monsties is just the beginning.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection demonstrates that the series has really come into its own in recent years. With its engaging story, strong visuals, and excellent soundtrack, it immerses you in a wonderful world filled with unique creatures. The Monsterpedia offers a great mix of classic monsters and newer additions from more recent titles. Combat can feel a bit random at first during clashes, but once you unlock the Rite of Channeling, you can customize your Monsties to your heart’s content. If you’re looking to dive into this vibrant world and push back against the encroaching threat, this is an easy Recommendation.

I think Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is a great introduction to this spin-off series, especially to those with a fondness for detail and strategy-heavy monster collecting and explorable fantasy adventures. Given how fantastic Monster Hunter Stories 3 is, if the next game in the series can provide an even stronger outing, I’ll be paws-itively impressed.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is an impressively challenging RPG with an engaging story and enjoyable adventuring mechanics that will make you want to keep exploring its gorgeous world which is filled with memorable environments, creatures, and characters.

Only the mildest inconveniences dampen the experience. Make no elder dragon bones about it, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is the best in the sub-franchise, and one of the best JRPGs on the market at present.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflections proves that Capcom is still doing an impressive job with its iconic franchises. With a fun combat system and an outstanding monster-raising system, it’s a game well worth playing.

One of the most complete and polished JRPGs in recent years arrives as the third entry in the Monster Hunter spin-off series. Twisted Reflection is massive and complex, yet extremely fun from start to finish – it’s not only recommended for fans of the series, but for anyone looking to try something new and interesting, different from the usual RPG titles.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 is a monstrously huge JRPG packed with epic scenes and powerful emotional moments. There's so much to explore and experience in a stunning world set to inspiring music. Missing multiplayer is definitely a blow, and for some, a potential dealbreaker, but what’s here is an outstanding, incredibly fun experience that feels like the start of a lasting legacy. Capcom should take note of what this team has pulled off; the future looks bright, and Twisted Reflection sends a clear message: this spin-off could potentially supplant the main series.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection reaches the pinnacle of the franchise with a mature narrative, stunning visuals, and innovative ecosystem mechanics that deepen the Rider's role. Turn-based combat is more challenging, although the experience suffers from the absence of online mode and a lack of a wider variety of weapons.

The character voice acting—especially in Japanese—adds further personality to the story and helps make the cast even more memorable.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection more than proves its worth in quality and depth. It masterfully translates the core of Monster Hunter into a single-player RPG that encourages deep engagement with systems and the world itself. This is far more than just another monster-catching RPG; it's an intelligent, layered and moreish adventure that delivers an impactful, mature story that has sat with me for a long time. Consider me well surprised with this one.

As Capcom continues its winning streak at full throttle, Monster Hunter has raised the bar back to its former glory after the bittersweet Wilds.

At the end of the day, Monster Hunter Stories 3 is a game that wants you to spend a LOT of time playing it – but it respects that time also. Much like the mainline Monster Hunter series, Stories wants you to spend time thinking about and preparing your loadout before each big fight, fighting and crafting and hatching your way to the right configuration. Battles themselves also take strategy and forethought, making sure you memorise a monster’s patterns and weaknesses to come out victorious. But, once you’ve proved you can do that? It’s all about making life easy for you, rewarding that time you invested. With so many different systems at play, it’s almost a relief to be able to Quick Finish a battle, or easily search for a gene I want my favourite beast to have; I’m keento see what’s in store next, and Stories 3 is excited to show it to me.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 Twisted Reflection is indeed a unique experience in the world of Monster Hunter. Offering a tactical turn-based combat system, a lovely world to explore, a great story and interesting characters. An all-around fun JRPG; this might just be one of the best spin-offs in the series thus far.

Twisted Reflection is one-of-a-kind. I found myself enjoying the world-building of a Monster Hunter game for the first time, thanks to a strong cast of characters backed up by an interesting premise and stellar visuals. The combat is fun, and the world mechanics all work together to keep you busy, whether it’s completing quests or taking on challenges with your best Monsties. I wholly recommend Monster Hunter Stories 3 to anyone who loves the idea of an animated-like adventure, complete with a modest amount of mechanics that do not burden the player.

Quotation forthcoming.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 proves that with care and a willingness to experiment, even the most modest subseries can grow to truly deserve its reputation. The result is a JRPG that's both fresh and layered, with an identity built on the convergence of strategic combat, ecological conservation, and political narrative—three pillars that would risk clashing in another game, but here feed off each other with disarming ease. The most interesting question Twisted Reflection leaves open isn't about the present, but about the future. If the first Stories was an experiment, the second an evolution, and the third a maturation, where does the series go from here? The journey it's taken in ten years is that of an intellectual property that has found its identity almost by accident, achieving a creative outcome that no one, likely not even Capcom, had foreseen. Now that its identity is defined, the real challenge becomes not settling: proving that this formula can still surprise, that the next iteration won't be a consolidation but a new leap. If Capcom can keep up this courage, Stories has all the credentials to not only stand alongside the main Monster Hunter series, but to establish itself as one of the most relevant entries in the entire JRPG landscape.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is, without a doubt, the most ambitious chapter of Capcom’s RPG spin-off and marks a significant evolution for the series. While maintaining the classic structure built around exploration, egg gathering, and Monstie training, this installment introduces new mechanics that enrich the formula, making the experience deeper and more strategic.

Simply one of the best monster collectors ever made: Capcom's title features an excellent and challenging combat system, and an addictive Monstie capture system.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 is an excellent installment by all metrics. It sets a new narrative standard for the series and franchise as a whole while providing several enhanced signature elements. As such, it’s a game that can easily be recommended to both new and returning players.

A colourful, accessible spin-off that distils the heart of Monster Hunter into a breezy JRPG. Beneath the anime charm lies surprising depth, even if repetition and grind occasionally dull the hunt.

I’ve always thought of the Stories subseries as a commendable yet modest spinoff series, but Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is anything but modest. It takes Monster Hunter's core loop and successfully translates it into turn-based combat, evolves the monster-taming genre thanks to Habitat Restoration, and does all this while telling a thrilling story with a great presentation. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection easily stands shoulder to shoulder with some of the best Monster Hunter games.

I loved every step of my obsessive, Monstie-collecting journey in Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection. It smooths over the mild frustrations and complaints I had with its already great predecessors, leaving only a finely-tuned loop of hunting, hatching, restoring, and upgrading that perfectly feeds into itself every step of the way. The joy of finding a new cool monster, figuring out how to build its stats and skills to best fit it into my team, and finally riding off into the sunset with it is unmatched. Twisted Reflection shines as another excellent spin off of one of my favorite series, but it also just stands as a fantastic monster-collecting RPG all on its own.

From the engaging storyline to the gorgeous aesthetics, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is a wonderful experience from beginning to end.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is by far the strongest entry in the spin-off series thanks to its gorgeous presentation, full voice acting, and plenty of welcome additions. The classic rock-paper-scissors combat still works, though it starts to become repetitive over time. That said; JRPG- and Monster Hunter lovers will find a colorful, content-packed adventure with the potential to sink dozens of hours into.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection stands as the evolution the sub-series truly needed. Its larger world, far more demanding strategic combat, and epic storyline prove that the series can grow well beyond its original concept. While some bosses may feel punishing for newcomers, the end result is a solid and ambitious JRPG full of identity that significantly elevates the Stories line.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 finally lives up to its name, delivering a deeply moving experience through a compelling narrative and beautiful presentation. Its signature turn-based combat system has evolved with added strategic depth, while the streamlined farming balance maximizes the joy of raising monsters. Packed with enough engaging endgame content to easily devour hundreds of hours, it is a fantastic title highly recommended for all Monster Hunter fans.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection takes the spin-off series to the next level and proves it deserves the same respect as the mainline entries. Its gameplay loop is extremely addictive, with tens of hours of egg hunting, deep monster customization and a full-fledged story with strong narrative beats and memorable secondary characters. Visually, the game is stunning, boasting a vibrant anime aesthetic reminiscent of Studio Ghibli. Overall, it’s a great new entry in the Monster Hunter franchise.

With a much more serious and ominous narrative this time around, Monster Hunter Stories 3 manages to balancing the joy of hugging your Poogie with the challenge of besting an Elder Dragon in manual combat.

Monster Stories 3: Twisted Reflection doesn't reinvent the wheel, but with improved gameplay, early access to large monsters, and numerous other detailed enhancements, it still surpasses its neat predecessor. Anyone who enjoys cool monsters and remarkably dynamic turn-based combat will find plenty to like here.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is the third installment in the spin-off series, but the first to truly stand on equal footing with the main series. In scope and ambition, Twisted Reflection is as big as Monster Hunter Wilds, even with some inconsistent moments in combat and side activities. With Stories 3, Monster Hunter remains sovereign as Capcom's most consistent product.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection feels like the definitive version of this spin off, thanks to its enhanced exploration, increased combat complexity, and more robust side quests. It stands as a highly entertaining RPG that showcases the potential of the Stories series, although certain design choices feel outdated and slightly hold the experience back.

For those willing to overlook the lackluster narrative, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflections is an amazing adventure. The visuals, monsters, and companions made the world feel incredibly alive. The battle system is dramatically improved over its predecessors, and is leaps and bounds better than its initial outing on the Nintendo 3DS. I’m hoping Capcom stays the course with a future Monster Hunter Stories 4, as they are absolutely on the right track with this franchise.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection shows us that the spin-off series has truly come into its own, as the adventure proves remarkably solid, fully embracing the strategic identity of the spin-off series. Behind an initial approach that can be a little disorienting, its combat system and the management of Monsties reveal a thrilling depth, driven by an optimization logic faithful to the Monster Hunter DNA. It's not all perfect—some areas lack balance, the side quests remain quite conventional, and the plot sometimes struggles to maintain momentum—but the essential element lies elsewhere. With this third installment, the Stories formula matures and offers a dense, demanding, and surprisingly engaging adventure, provided you're willing to play by its rules.

Monster Hunter Stories 3, a game for those tired of hunting monsters and wanting to tame them, is definitely the best game in the trilogy. All Monster Hunter and JRPG fans should give it a try.

Twisted Reflections is a game that represents a true 'more and better' approach, as it expands on what made previous entries great across several key areas. Its narrative, cast of characters, and beautiful world will definitely earn the fans' approval. The gameplay is more challenging, featuring new systems that are more complex and satisfying. It is a highly recommended game.

Maintaining the structure that made the series famous and without abandoning its roots, while also evolving within what it used to become different as a spin-off, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is an excellent game and the high point of the trilogy. Although it lacks a slight refinement in parts of its gameplay, it's a worthwhile title for any Monster Hunter fan.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 is the biggest step forward this sub-series has taken. We are looking at a grand and ambitious adventure in terms of its visuals, which significantly improves on the approach established by previous instalments. While it may not be an essential purchase, if you enjoy hunting, collecting and breeding, this is a great game to add to your collection.

A deeper, more meaningful story makes this game the most emotional in the series. Numerous systems and mechanics, living and breathing biomes and loads of content sure are welcome, but may prove to be too overwhelming for a casual player. It feels like an overclock of the franchise, while it would benefit more from a true upgrade.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 allow the series to grow up and it’s truly a refreshing experience. It’s still very much on par with the past two games – it doesn’t do all that much outside of them, but you can definitely tell that the series is now on more powerful systems. I feel that this game will please both longtime fans of the Stories series and newcomers. If you didn’t like the past games, you may want to give this one a try and it might change your opinion on the franchise. It doesn’t change the gameplay that much at all, but visually, it all looks so much better this time around.

Gameplay-wise, there's not much here to win over those who aren't already fans of this Monster Hunter spin-off series, but thanks to numerous gameplay enhancements, a more mature story and full voice acting, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is undoubtedly a cut above its predecessors.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection refines the formula established by its predecessors with a deeper turn-based combat system, a charming cast of characters, and a striking anime-inspired presentation. The game successfully adapts the spirit of Monster Hunter into a strategic RPG experience where planning, equipment, and Monstie management play a central role. While its world is larger and more ambitious than before, exploration can feel somewhat empty, making the adventure feel less dynamic than it initially promises. Even so, Twisted Reflection stands as a polished and engaging evolution of the spin-off series.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is a huge step in the right direction for the franchise. The story is easily the best in the franchise, and while the gameplay still has problems (like the insistence on using AI-controlled party members), it's much better than its predecessor, and made me far more engaged with the combat and Monstie growth mechanics. ​​​​​​​Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is way better than Monster Hunter Wilds, and hopefully reflects a brighter future for the series.​​​

As a fan of the first two games, Monster Hunter Stories 3 immediately grabbed me. This isn't just a small, "nice to have" spin-off, but a lavish and richly complex RPG that doesn't need to hide behind the beloved main series. On the contrary: Twisted Reflection once again successfully translates the strengths of Monster Hunter into the turn-based RPG genre, surpassing its predecessors in both presentation and game design. The latter, however, requires a willingness to persevere through an overloaded tutorial and a whole host of question marks until everything clicks and the pieces fall into place. Then there's not much standing in the way of a great RPG experience.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection continues the spin-off series' success with a ton of style, brutal battles, and tons of monster hunts.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection delivers the most refined gameplay in the series with a challenging combat system, rewarding exploration, and deep customization that rewards experimentation. However, its underwhelming narrative pacing and forgettable supporting cast prevent the story from matching the strength of its mechanics. For players willing to invest time into learning its layered systems, it stands as the most mechanically rewarding entry yet, even if its storytelling struggles to leave a lasting impact.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 breaks free from the constraints of a simple spin-off to finally create its own mythology. Fans will say they didn't need this third installment to appreciate the series, but the fact remains that this is the most successful, generous, and mature entry of them all. A true entry point for both fans and newcomers, it's interesting in many ways, from its skillful and polished gameplay to its blend of exploration and monster collecting. Even its deeply ecological message becomes a reason to offer incredibly addictive gameplay mechanics. It's hard not to enjoy it, even if you wince at certain difficulty spikes, a technical aspect that doesn't always do justice to the art direction, and some entirely unnecessary side quests. Nevertheless, Monster Hunter Stories 3 remains utterly monstrous.

I dig how Monster Hunter Stories’ monster collecting spinoff has evolved over the years. Twisted Reflection has enough juice to be a good RPG for most players between its charming story, interesting characters, and engaging combat. And then when you get to the monster management, it opens up like never before with a wide variety of improvements, discoveries, and stat swapping to make your party as cracked as you want them to be. This game’s hairiest encounters put your party management and pattern recognition to the test in big ways. I wish more of the weapon classes had made it over, and that monster collection didn’t feel so tedious once you’re deep in it, but Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is a fine benchmark for how far these spinoffs have come, and whether you’re returning from previous games or cracking a Stories game for the first time, there’s a lot to love here for stat-loving RPG fans.

With gorgeous graphics, solid performance, and an enjoyable story to follow, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is a treat for fans of the franchise. Many mysteries enrich the series' lore, and fun never stops being the priority during gameplay. Despite having many repetitive moments, the new Monster Hunter is a feast for the eyes, once again showing a lot of love for its world.

Do we recommend Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection? Yes. The truth is that, despite the flaws we already mentioned—chief among them the lack of a truly fresh proposal from the development team—Capcom is delivering a very solid turn-based RPG that I’m sure fans of this beloved IP will find especially charming, and that will likely serve as a great gateway for anyone who hasn’t yet given the series a chance. We would have liked more, there’s no doubt about that, but perhaps we’re asking for something that was never intended to be delivered.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 is the pinnacle of the series in so many ways — especially from a storytelling perspective. At its core, it's a ridiculously addictive monster taming RPG, boasting in-depth progression systems and satisfying combat mechanics — but it does take quite a long time for everything to truly click.

Striking out as a Rider with your favorite Monstie buddies is more satisfying than ever before. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection holds the main series traditions close to its heart while building on top of the already solid base of its predecessors. Egg Hunting, quelling unnatural events, monster raising, and roaming vast maps are still here, while being enhanced by some fresh, new ingredients, which fit snugly between the Environmentalist themes and Monster rearing gameplay.Through and through, Monster Hunter Stories 3 is a richly detailed and gorgeous experience that any fan of Monster-Raising RPGs is sure to enjoy.

While its battle system is going to divide some players, the monster hatching and raising is some of the best in the business. Monster Hunter Stories 3 might be the best turn-based Monster Hunter yet, and shouldn’t be ignored by fans of Capcom’s larger-than-life series.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection expands the series’ horizons in some ways while remaining stubbornly traditional in others. Soaring across the sky on the back of my Rathalos felt amazing, and I’d love for Capcom to utilise more of the open world exploration elements in the main Monster Hunter series. While the more dramatic narrative and engaging cast of characters were appreciated, if you didn’t enjoy the largely luck-based combat in previous entries, then the fact that those elements have not been altered much won’t impress you. Capcom has delivered a compelling world to explore in Monster Hunter Stories 3, and if you can look past some of the combat system’s drawbacks, you’ll likely have a good time with it.