I have always regretted not having experienced Monster Hunter Stories when it was originally launched on the Nintendo 3DS. I mentioned in my Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin review that I had played a demo of it very briefly, but this was months after the Switch released, and I had mostly forgotten about the 3DS—having moved on to the technologically superior handheld. But recently, I have been revisiting games on the 3DS, and I’m consistently amazed at how good they were.
Monster Hunter Stories definitely would’ve captivated me when it was released in 2017. It was one of those incredible kinds of 3DS games that combined interesting gameplay with an incredible aesthetic to build incredible worlds—standing alongside games like Ever Oasis, Yokai Watch and Fantasy Life. I genuinely wasn’t expecting Capcom to resurrect the 3DS game on the Switch—and the PS4 for some reason—but I’m glad it gave me a chance to experience the original in a new and updated way.
Well…semi-updated since, for the most part, Monster Hunter Stories is effectively the same game it was back in 2017, only now with an HD coat of paint and full voice acting for all the dialogue. In some ways, reviewing this game is a bit of a challenge because I could easily take big chunks of my Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruins review and place them here—part of the problem of playing the sequel first.
But since a lot of gamers or newer Monster Hunter fans are probably in the position of having played Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin first, it’s worth looking at Monster Hunter Stories for what it is. And that is an exceptional RPG based in the Monster Hunter universe. To put it simply, if you liked Wings of Ruin, a lot of what you liked came straight from the source—or…its predecessor.
“…Monster Hunter Stories is effectively the same game it was back in 2017, only now with an HD coat of paint and full voice acting for all the dialogue”
Monster Hunter Stories begins when the player and their two friends are out looking for Monster eggs in the hopes of becoming Riders. By chance, they happen to find an egg and hatch a baby Rathalos without properly performing the ritual Riders do to form bonds with their Monster—which they call Monsties. The three take the Rathalos, who they name Ratha, back to their village, unaware that the terrible Black Blight is spreading all around them.
Once back at the village, a Blighted Nargacuga attacks, destroying much of the village and killing the mother of the player’s friend Cheval. This sets the three along different but parallel paths, each hoping to stop the blight in their own way. It’s a genuinely engaging story that balances a lighthearted tone with the darker themes of loss and revenge. The playful tone is assisted by the debut of Navirou—the bombastic and knowledgable Palico who joins the player on their adventure.
Naturally, the gameplay is similar to Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, but a bit more simplistic. Players travel across a vast land, solving monster-related problems and gathering eggs to hatch and ride new Monsties—engaging Monsters and even other Riders in turn-based battles that combine elements from Monster Hunter with a rock-paper-scissors-style strategy.
If you played Wings of Ruin first, this is definitely going to feel like a bit of a step back, since, like I mentioned in my previous review, there is a certain degree of randomness to the way both Monsters and Monsties attack that can make strategizing during fights a bit unpredictable. Furthermore, the fights themselves lack a lot of the added nuance that the sequel introduced. But considering what it is, and its origins on the 3DS it works really well as a small-scale, experimental RPG.
However, one of the benefits of Monster Hunter Stories’ design comes from its intended origins on the 3DS. It’s much more directed and digestible than its sequel, which feels much better tailored for easy pick-up-and-play. Fights, though methodical, are a bit faster and less grindy, and the world itself has that excellent form of being somewhat small in size but feeling large.
“…one of the benefits of Monster Hunter Stories’ design comes from its intended origins on the 3DS.”
Although being a fairly faithful remake of a 3DS game does mean it can be a bit visually underwhelming. Areas themselves feel somewhat flat and lack a high degree of foliage and details. However, Monster Hunter Stories makes up for this with an incredible cel-shaded style that brings the whole game to life with an incredible amount of colour and charm.
Furthermore, it actually runs a bit better than Wings of Ruin, which is attributed to the fact that it’s an HD remake of a 3DS. There’s much less load time, and it doesn’t have nearly as much frame stuttering as its sequel.
This is similar for the game’s audio. which, while good, can’t escape sounding like flattened 3DS audio—with certain sound effects being noticeably repeated or somewhat stilted. However, I can’t deny hearing the familiar Monster Hunter sound effects didn’t ignite a spark of nostalgia in my heart and there’s a great deal of charm to the music and the newly added fully-voiced characters.
Monster Hunter Stories might not be a functionally better game than its Switch sequel, but it’s definitely an excellent game that deserves a second life on the very system that pushed the original into relative obscurity. It’s got a ton of charm and heart, and it is perfectly designed for handheld play. If you’re a fan of Monster Hunter or if you enjoyed Wings of Ruin, then there’s definitely something to enjoy here.
