Game Information
Game Title: Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
Platforms:
- PlayStation 5 (Mar 13, 2026)
- Xbox Series X/S (Mar 13, 2026)
- PC (Mar 13, 2026)
- Nintendo Switch 2 (Mar 13, 2026)
Publisher: Capcom
Review Aggregator:
OpenCritic - 85 average - 92% recommended - 49 reviews
Critic Reviews
8Bit/Digi - Stan Rezaee - 10 / 10
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection takes players on a mystical journey through a world they may find familiar, but from a different perspective.
CGMagazine - Jordan Biordi - 8 / 10
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is the best the series has been so far, balancing a playfulness that is approachable for newcomers with a maturity that is perfect for longtime fans.
Cat with Monocle - Seth Hay - 5 / 5
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection delivers a visually stunning RPG with deep strategic combat, an engaging story, and exploration that rewards players for their efforts. While its complex mechanics may be challenging for newcomers, its beautiful presentation and gameplay systems make it a standout and a contender for the best RPG of the year. It’s pawesome!
ComingSoon.net - Tyler Treese - 9 / 10
Its combat cycle has never felt better, and with more to see and do, this is undeniably the best of the trilogy of Monster Hunter RPGs.
Console Creatures - Bobby Pashalidis - 8 / 10
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection continues the spin-off series’ success with style, brutal battles, and tons of monster hunts.
DayOne - Genghis Husameddin - 9 / 10
Twisted Reflection is one-of-a-kind. I found myself enjoying the world-building of a Monster Hunter game for the first time, thanks to a strong cast of characters backed up by an interesting premise and stellar visuals. The combat is fun, and the world mechanics all work together to keep you busy, whether it’s completing quests or taking on challenges with your best Monsties. I wholly recommend Monster Hunter Stories 3 to anyone who loves the idea of an animated-like adventure, complete with a modest amount of mechanics that do not burden the player. ∎
DualShockers - Scott Baird - 8 / 10
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is a huge step in the right direction for the franchise. The story is easily the best in the franchise, and while the gameplay still has problems (like the insistence on using AI-controlled party members), it’s much better than its predecessor, and made me far more engaged with the combat and Monstie growth mechanics. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is way better than Monster Hunter Wilds, and hopefully reflects a brighter future for the series.
EvelonGames - Joel Isern Rodríguez - Kaym - Spanish - 7.5 / 10
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is a mechanical masterpiece struggling within a hollow narrative. While its deep genetic breeding and the innovative Habitat Restoration system offer an unparalleled level of monster customization, the story fails to capitalize on its own high-stakes premise of wartime diplomacy and ecological ruin.
The turn-based combat remains a brilliant translation of the series’ signature rhythm, but the experience is occasionally marred by punishing late-game difficulty spikes and static, underdeveloped companions. It is a dream come true for theory-crafters and “Monstie” enthusiasts, but those seeking a compelling RPG narrative may find themselves chasing a ghost.
GameSpot - Jake Dekker - 9 / 10
I’ve always thought of the Stories subseries as a commendable yet modest spinoff series, but Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is anything but modest. It takes Monster Hunter’s core loop and successfully translates it into turn-based combat, evolves the monster-taming genre thanks to Habitat Restoration, and does all this while telling a thrilling story with a great presentation. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection easily stands shoulder to shoulder with some of the best Monster Hunter games.
Gameliner - Rudy Wijnberg - Dutch - 4.5 / 5
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is by far the best installment in the spin-off series.
Gamer Guides - Echo Apsey - 80 / 100
Despite not shaking off all of the series’ gameplay issues, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection benefits from a huge graphical boost and a more mature story.
Gfinity - Andrés Aquino - 8 / 10
My experience with Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is an odd one. I love the vast majority of the gameplay it offers, but having played a clearly inferior version on Nintendo Switch 2 really soured me on its otherwise incredible visual presentation. The story and its characters are better than you’d expect if you’ve played or even glanced at previous Stories games, but it’s not the sort of tale you’ll be reminiscing about once you put the game down.
IGN - Casey DeFreitas - 9 / 10
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is an incredible evolution of an already great series, featuring a finely-tuned loop of hunting, hatching, restoring, and upgrading that perfectly, joyfully feeds into itself every step of the way.
IGN Italy - Silvio Mazzitelli - Italian - 9 / 10
Simply one of the best monster collectors ever made: Capcom’s title features an excellent and challenging combat system, and an addictive Monstie capture system.
Just Play it - Merouane OULED SI BOUZIANE - Arabic - 8.5 / 10
We embarked on an enjoyable JRPG adventure in the vast world of Monster Hunter Stories 3, featuring stunning visuals that deliver a beautiful visual experience. The game offers a massive amount of content within an explorable world filled with exciting events, alongside a deep gameplay system that may initially feel complex for newcomers, but becomes easier to grasp over time. All of this makes MHS3 a clear evolution compared to the previous entries in the series, making it an excellent choice for players looking for a world they can immerse themselves in for long hours full of challenges.
Loot Level Chill - Mick Fraser - 9.5 / 10
With a story that really goes places, a massive roster of monsters, and a stack of interlaced systems that combine to give the player a huge amount of choice and agency, Monster Hunter Stories: Twisted Reflection is the best in a trilogy of superb titles.
Nindie Spotlight - Justin Nation - 9.8 / 10
Absolutely stunning visually, packed with cool ways to upgrade your monster game, and stands again as a more friendly inroad to overall franchise
Nintendo Life - Thomas Whitehead - 8 / 10
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is another strong entry in this series, and deserving of a place at the top table alongside a number of other excellent RPGs on Switch 2.A well-told story, an intriguing world and some excellent mechanics ultimately overshadow the usual (for this series) balancing issues and performance wobbles. If you want to collect 'em all within a charming Monster Hunter setting, this game will keep you busy for a long time.
NintendoWorldReport - Neal Ronaghan - 6.5 / 10
The story wound up being a highlight, but even the streamlining of monster dens couldn’t solve the heavy-handedness of monster collection and enhancement. If you want to painstakingly tweak the dials on habitats and splice monster genes while dealing with an acquired taste of a combat system, you’ll find a better time than I did in this game. Maybe at the end of the day, the twisted reflection was a metaphor for the entire game.
One More Game - Chris Garcia - 8.5 / 10
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is another standout title from Capcom, which has been on a tear with a string of outstanding releases. This is not an exception and shows how a spin-off can proceed to evolve and become successful in its own right. The habitat restoration system is superb, encouraging players to interact with the world in many ways and get rewarded for it.
The game performs splendidly, looking and playing well at the same time, making for an enjoyable experience that even newcomers to the Monster Hunter series will appreciate. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is an essential experience and the best installment in the series.
PC Gamer - Lincoln Carpenter - 71 / 100
Monster Hunter Stories 3 delivers deep build crafting and battle systems, but they’re wasted on a war story that’s barely there.
Press Start - Harry Kalogirou - 9.5 / 10
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is the crown jewel of this spin-off series. It builds on the best elements of Stories that make all of its core systems even more appealing, creating more depth and complexity that’ll keep you coming back till the credits roll, and perhaps even beyond.
Push Square - Robert Ramsey - 8 / 10
Monster Hunter Stories 3 is the pinnacle of the series in so many ways - especially from a storytelling perspective. At its core, it’s a ridiculously addictive monster taming RPG, boasting in-depth progression systems and satisfying combat mechanics - but it does take quite a long time for everything to truly click.
Capcom’s latest in the Monster Hunter spinoff series is easily the best yet.
ReGame It - Taha Omar - Arabic - 10 / 10
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection represents the evolution that the spin-off series needed to stand on the same level as the main Monster Hunter titles and in many aspects, it even surpasses them. With its perfect combination of a compelling story, a gorgeous art style, and addictive, highly refreshing gameplay, the game delivers an exceptional JRPG experience. It sets a new standard for creature-collecting games within the genre, and many titles that focus on gathering and raising creatures should look to it as a reference and learn from its design.
Region Free - Joonatan Itkonen - 5 / 5
Intricate, immense, and incredible. Twisted Reflection is the biggest and most immersive expansion of the iconic franchise so far.
Reno Gazette-Journal - Jason Hidalgo - 9 / 10
Despite living in the shadow of the far more successful Monster Hunter mainline games, Monster Hunter Stories continues to grow into its own as an excellent role-playing game franchise. In fact, it has the better story as far as Monster Hunter franchises go. While Monster Hunter Stories 3 improves on its predecessors in many ways such as visuals, Twisted Reflection also takes a step back with a less cohesive endgame and the removal of multiplayer. Most everything else is better, however, and the characters and monsters remain a bright spot. If you’re a Monster Hunter fan who also loves JRPGs, give this one a shot for sure.
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is a lovingly intrepid take on the series’ conventions. There’s a palpable whimsy to its character-driven moments and punchy, elephantine vigor to its action that rivals the greats. All series fans need to give this a go, even if you were repulsed from the spinoffs before.
Spaziogames - Italian - 9 / 10
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is, without a doubt, the most ambitious chapter of Capcom’s RPG spin-off and marks a significant evolution for the series. While maintaining the classic structure built around exploration, egg gathering, and Monstie training, this installment introduces new mechanics that enrich the formula, making the experience deeper and more strategic.
TechRaptor - Brittany Alva - 9 / 10
Monster Hunter Stories 3 delivers on every level, creating a thrilling story with beautiful visuals and satisfying and fun gameplay.
The Nerd Stash - Julio La Pine - 9.5 / 10
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection isn’t just the evolution of the series, but of the genre. It’s in-depth systems, memorable story, and plethora of Monsties to hatch will draw in Riders and Hunters alike.
The Switch Effect - Richard Heaton - 5 / 5
It’s pricy at $70, but it’s as good as many of the other turn-based RPG’s and monster catching games that came out recently.
TheGamer - Meg Pelliccio - 4.5 / 5
You’ll be perfecting your monstie team long after you’ve rolled the credits, and I’m hoping it will have the same amount of post-launch content as the last title for us to throw our monstie teams at, because the game is so good that I just want even more of it.
TheSixthAxis - Dominic Leighton - 9 / 10
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is the best entry in the spin-off series yet, with gorgeous artwork, impeccable world-building, and an excellent Monster Hunter tale to tell. I can’t imagine a better gateway to the world of Monster Hunter than this.
VGC - Dave Aubrey - 4 / 5
While its battle system is going to divide some players, the monster hatching and raising is some of the best in the business. Monster Hunter Stories 3 might be the best turn-based Monster Hunter yet, and shouldn’t be ignored by fans of Capcom’s larger-than-life series.
Worth Playing - Chris “Atom” DeAngelus - 9 / 10
Overall, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is best described as a refined and improved Monster Hunter Stories 2. It doesn’t really change the core concept, but pretty much every change in the game is for the better. The new story is easier to engage with, the combat system is more fun than ever, and in general, it’s a great leap forward without losing anything that made the previous games fun. Only some minor frame rate issues drag down the Switch 2 experience, and they’re not enough to sour an otherwise fantastic game.
Xbox Achievements - Richard Walker - 85%
Not all spin-offs are a success. See Mortal Kombat: Special Forces or Umbrella Corps for proof. The Monster Hunter Stories series, the first two in…
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I’m actually curious if any of the reviews talked about the kind of atrocious pop-in this game has - at least in the main castle town you start out in in the demo.
I’m not a “graphics above everything” kinda guy, but when walking through that town you see all kinds of characters pop in at such a short distance it’s jarring - as if it was a 3D Pokemon game (not you, Pokopia, you are perfect).
I tried the demo first on my Switch 2 and saw this behavior. I assumed maybe they had to scale the game back some for the console. But then tried it on PS5 and it was the same.
$96 Cad for the base game, that’s no from me dawg.
Insane! I just picked up MH stories 1, MH stories 2, MH Rise, and Sunbreak all for less than half that price hahaha. I won’t even play rise again, I played it to death on the switch, but it was only a couple bucks more to add it to my collection!
What does this series actually play like? I don’t think Monster Hunter is for me (though games inspired by it frequently are), and the story in World was pretty atrocious, so putting “Stories” in the title didn’t give me much confidence that I’d find a story with any value to it.
There is a demo if you are unaware to get a feel for how it plays.
Thanks. I usually don’t even think to check for demos these days.
You’re welcome.
And I agree: demos are so few and far between it’s hard to even think about them.
I played the second one and I couldn’t finish it because it was boring. Think really basic turn-based rpg like Dragonquest with some half-baked Pokemon elements thrown in. Full disclosure - I really don’t like Dragonquest. It was cool in the day, but now it just feels basic and archaic, which some people are into.
