Now available on the Nintendo 3DS, Monster Hunter Stories offers a new type of game in the line of Monster Hunter games unlike its predecessors. Japan released this game in October of 2016 but waited to make the release in America until September 8th, 2017. Capcom published the game which was developed by Marvelous. This time around the release added multiple additions which have proven to add interest to anyone playing the series of games, or are just experiencing the game for the first time.
In the past, the game has revolved around players being hunters. This time around however, Monster Hunter Stories swapped the roles of the player and now hunters are riders. Battling has changed too and now game play is an RPG turn based system instead. As an added feature, Monster Hunter Stories has a loose adaption of the game as an anime series and the game itself can be used with Amiibo figurines, so bonus for those that like to add to their collection.
Monster Hunter Stories specifically appeals to players even with having previous games due to its unique game play elements and the ability to customize most of the features within the game. The storyline for players is; they are riders who befriend monsters in order to steal their eggs and hatch them. Although this seemed a little strange and somewhat sad to us animal lovers, the story gets better. After hatching these eggs the rider then becomes able to train their monster, customize their abilities and fight alongside them in battle. This has not been seen before in previous games so Marvelous suddenly has my attention.
As the story starts to progress characters start to bond with their dragons and other new creatures. In a way, the story and creatures reminded me of playing Pokémon again. There wasn’t much else to compare the game play to once you start to find out that the addiction is very real when you feel the need to look at every nook and cranny to find more creatures. Luckily the game is nice to look at and provides nice scenery. Of course, with every game, there is a tragedy. What kind of story would it be if there wasn’t? Players need to fight some type of ancient evil after all. With that said, watch out for The Blight. They literally try to destroy your town and that’s where the story really picks up.
Even though I’ve already compared this game to Pokémon, the experience also gives a hint of Final Fantasy. So what that means is that the controls are easy to navigate in battle. Luckily too, there is only one option for which creature to use in battle. With fewer options battle became easier. This only meant that stats were made clearer for me so I could formulate a plot to win. Once I won, in this game at least, I got experience and sometimes a lot of bounty to keep equipping my creature. If there’s any type of advice I can give on this battle options for this game it’s this; learn your moves, learn your strategy and keep to what works. Once a solid strategy is in place, everything starts to move quickly, even the story kept at a pace that was tolerable. I never felt stuck or bored, the story was just right.
Overall this is a good game. The scenery is cute and fun. Bonding with the dragons and other creatures is quite an experience as well. There is just a twinge in your heart as the story goes on because you can’t help but to fall in love with these things. Battle mechanics make it easier for newcomers to play as well as people familiar with the original series too.
Monster Hunter Stories is available on the Nintendo 3DS
