Monster Hunter Stories
Baby steps for the RPG spinoff
With Capcom releasing both Monster Hunter Stories games at the same time, it’s tempting to get the full collection (incidentally the only physical option), but is the first entry in this RPG spinoff series worth your time? It’s certainly the one that gave the long-running main series a twist, putting you in the situation where you’re no longer hunting monsters but peacefully co-existing with them as their rider.
Despite the HD treatment, Stories’ portable origins are still identifiable, be it in the constrictive map layouts and bland textures or the minimal animation of characters’ mouths (as this is a story-focused game, at least it has a proper voiceover rather than the original’s gibberish Monster Hunter language). A weirder quirk, very much of its the time, is the way its CG cinematics (which are nicely produced) feel at odds with the rather childish-looking anime aesthetic that even carries over to some of the monsters. For the sequel the devs at least opted for a more elegant cel-shaded look, which is also used consistently in-engine for cutscenes.
MONSTIE FORMULA
Stories contains many familiar staples from the mainline series (from the pre-World games, at any rate) to make fans feel at home, from itemcombining recipes to the quest and forging loops. However, it’s got something all of its own: this is the game where player-monstie interactions were first formulated. These include the need to pinch an egg from a monster den so that you can form a bond with the hatchling, and the way you use their useful traversal abilities, such as jumping, swimming, or breaking route-blocking rocks, when you’re exploring.
The most important interactions are, of course, the turn-based battles using an attack triangle, where advantageous attacks build your kinship gauge – mechanics that essentially all reused in the sequel, where they’re refined further. This first game lacks the way particular weapons are more or less effective against particular monsters, meaning it can feel a little like your rider is effectively taking the role of a palico compared to the damage your monsties can dish out.
We shouldn’t make light of the endgame content, which can be just as challenging as in any game in the Monster
Despite the HD treatment, Monster Hunter Stories’ portable origins are still identifiable.
Hunter canon, though here it’s more dependent on grinding stats than skill compared to the action-oriented mainline titles. But unless you really yearn to know about the adventures of big-headed, bushy-tailed felyne Navirou (the only character from this game to return in the sequel), you can safely skip straight to the superior Monster
Hunter Stories 2: Wings Of Ruin, which we reviewed last issue.