Monster Hunter Stories (Nintendo Switch) Review

Returning fans will be delighted to experience a much beloved tale on a modern console, with the portable screen bigger than the original and if played on a TV then it will be significantly larger. For many, including this reviewer, Monster Hunster Stories is the first ever experience of the title. A few years may have passed between the experience of the sequel, but there is no denying how similar the story line is to the second game. From the order of the areas explored to the identity of characters encountered, it all feels extremely familiar, and it's surprising that more wasn't changed in the sequel. Some may be put off by the constant déjà vu sentiment, but overall the story is engaging enough that the familiarity is less a negative aspect and more an enhancement to the game.

The story follows the life of a village of riders, who rather than hunting the numerous monsters that live around them they form bonds with kinship stones and ride them. A trio of young friends are out playing and discover a rathian, who the protagonist initially bonds with until a string of events separate them and bring disaster to the village. After a year's interval passes in the blink of an eye the young protagonist sets out to complete the ritual to become a rider. It initially feels a bit pointless as riders are forbidden from leaving the sanctuary of the village, but thanks to various story events that restriction is lifted. The big wide world is ready for exploration, all in the name of discovering a solution to the terrible Blight which turns monsties crazy and is a looming threat to all.

Apart from the very initial gameplay where the graphics for moving through grass to commence the story felt a bit dated, the bright cartoon style blends well with superbly executed cut scenes. Whether on foot or on a monstie, traversing the planet constantly feels like an adventure, with late game exploration including literal flying which is fun. Battles involve trying to defeat the dinosaur-based monsters, relying heavily on the three elements power, speed, and technique to turn the tide. Mastering the use of specialist monstie skills for either healing, defence, and specific attack powers in combination with a wide variety of items is vital for success especially in boss battles. It is essential to keep up to date with armour upgrades - a lot can be bought after certain story events, but it is the upgrades themselves which boost the stats the most that help keep the protagonist alive in tough battles. Do not underestimate the use of time-limited charms to tip the balance and ensure victory.

[i]Monster Hunster Stories[i] relies heavily on the monsties themselves, and acquiring them is a case of navigating the monster dens dotted around the map and grabbing an egg from the nest inside. Now there is what can seem a daunting range of genes that boosts a monstie's original skills or given them entirely different ones. Changing the elemental type of a monstie can happen with careful gene collecting from other monsties and then infusing them into the desired monstie. Some genes can be acquired with items, and the best monsties have plenty of gene slots to use. Returning fans will know what to do with the genes, and while the tutorial explains the basics of gene swapping, it can feel daunting to try and fully take on board the finer gene details. It is a knowledge that will improve over time, and thankfully is more fully explained online for those who want to become an expert.

The constant companion Navirou does let the player know how heavy and smelly an egg is, which is an indicator of useful genes and gene slots. There is the usual caveat that in the gold egg dens if a monstie of a higher level is acquired it can't instantly be used if the level is too high compared to the kinship stone. It is annoying having to wait for story progression to add a new monstie to the main team, but once gained the difference in battle power can be significant. At least one monstie who could only be gained through egg fragments collected in online battles in the original 3DS game is available through luck in rare egg dens, like the seven star glavenus happily acquired during review game play. Post-game there are more den colours to explore but they hold significantly stronger monsters compared to the usual dens.

It is interesting to be able to view both concept art and music tracks at any time, that must be quite the dream for long-time fans. Once the base game is complete, a feat that took over forty hours, there are several harder difficulty battle towers to be navigate for high rewards which do need thorough preparation to stand a chance of receiving those coveted prizes. The harder red dens provide enough of a challenge for more casual players, and there are so many side quests to complete which will keep players occupied for many hours. Creating the ideal team with favourite monsties will take time, as collecting specific genes also takes a lot of egg collecting and patience. The mostly upbeat soundtrack is a fine accompaniment to egg-hunting, and some areas will need to be returned to as the main team won't always have a monster who can climb or swim in it to traverse out of reach areas.