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Evan Norris
published 1 hour ago / 259 views
Capcom had a big presence on the New York Comic Con floor this past weekend, showing off demo stations for highly anticipated games like Resident Evil: Requiem, pragmaticAnd Onimusha: Path of the Sword. But what interested me most was the game Monster Hunter Tales 3: Distorted Reflection — partly because the NYCC demo was the first turn-based RPG to be played in the United States, and partly because it's at the top of my personal most wanted list. After coating Monster Hunter Stories and its continuation, Wings of RuinI strongly believe in potential Stories subseries. While he hasn't reached the heights of the main series yet, I don't see any reason why he can't.
In the demo, I controlled the game's protagonist, the prince (or princess, if you prefer) of Azuria and captain of the Rangers (an elite squad of adventurers who protect monster ecosystems). My job was to bring Thea on board, an aspiring ranger with something to prove. The journey also included Rudy, a feline who serves the royal family of Azuria, and Simon, the protagonist's best friend. If these names are foreign to you, you are not alone. Since the game takes place 200 years after the events of Wings of RuinIt's unlikely we'll see any familiar faces in the final product.
This 200-year fast forward isn't the only big change in this sequel. Based on the demo, Capcom developers made several major changes to the game. Monster Hunter Stories a template that shakes things up in terms of storytelling, graphics, world design, and combat. In my short 20 minutes with the game, it already feels like it's presenting a more grounded and less jokey story. The stakes feel higher and more urgent, and the characters bear the burden of responsibility. This feeling of evolution Monster Hunter Stories an adult if you will, this is also reflected in the graphics and art direction of the game. Landscapes, characters and monsters have never looked better and more detailed.
Additionally, there is a realistic sense of scale and proportion, especially between the monsters and the human riders – something the series struggled with at times. When you ride Rathalos around the world Warped Reflectionit doesn't look like a three-quarter scale model; it looks like an honest dragon.
Speaking of this world, it has undergone significant updates not only visually, but also spatially. In the previous Stories In the games, the outside world (or field) was a bit empty and lifeless. It served more as a bridge between cities and settlements than as a living, breathing ecosystem worth exploring. Judging by the demo version, the directors Warped Reflection reconsidered this idea. The field is now wider and higher, with more verticality, more detours and interesting places.
Moreover, your monsters (friendly, domesticated monsters) can manipulate the world in more realistic and direct ways. Midway through the 20-minute session, I used my Rathalos' breath weapon to knock fruit off a tree—a level of interactivity previously unseen in the series, at least outside of turn-based combat. Additionally, and this is a huge quality of life improvement, you can switch your main Monsty on the fly by bringing up the radial menu; you no longer have to go back to options to switch back and forth when you encounter impassable terrain.
The biggest change I noticed in Warped Reflectionhowever, this was due to combat. Since 2017, when for the first time Monster Hunter Stories launched internationally, the series uses a rock-paper-scissors structure in which technical attacks > speed attacks > power attacks. As a hero, you will study your enemy's traits, observe their behavior and choose the right type of attack depending on the situation to win head-to-head fights. However, once you get into the right rhythm, the battle becomes more or less predictable.
Not so in this newest installment. The rock-paper-scissors dynamic is still present, but has been updated with a new feature that adds additional nuance to each fight. It's called the “Wyvern Soul Gauge” and reflects the fighting spirit of the monster. If you reduce the gauge to zero, you will knock the monster over and open it up to Synchro Rush. This allows all active party members to combine their talents to deal massive damage to the enemy, as well as fill the Affinity Gauge, which activates Affinity skills. In the demo's final battle against a wild Chatakabra, I had to decide whether to target its crystallized back and risk a Backlash counterattack, or bypass it by breaking off the armored parts and chipping off its Wyvernsoul Gauge. It's still not the most complex combat system, but it does feel less mechanical than before.
With more strategic options in combat, not to mention other improvements – stronger storytelling, improved graphics and a larger, more interactive world – Warped Reflection is on his way to becoming the best Monster Hunter Stories game yet. It feels like it has finally stepped out of the shadow of the main series and become its own thing. We'll know for sure when it releases on March 13, 2026.
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