Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is out this week on Friday, March 13 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC, and the reviews have begun rolling in.
While we don’t have a review up for this one (we’re still a new site!), there’s plenty of reason to feel optimistic about this one given how glowing the current crop of opinions is so far.
In fact, critics are largely calling Twisted Reflection the best entry in this turn-based RPG spinoff series, and it’s currently the only example of such sitting in the ranks of the Top 10 Monster Hunter games on Metacritic.
Here’s what we can see as the top 10 Monster Hunter games by their Metacritic review score, including mainline and spin-off games, and expansion:
Top 10 Monster Hunter Games by Metacritic Review Score
- Monster Hunter World [90]
- Monster Hunter World – Iceborne [90]
- Monster Hunter Rise [90]
- Monster Hunter Wilds [88]
- Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection [86]
- Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate [86]
- Monster Hunter Rise – Sunbreak [86]
- Monster Hunter Generations [85]
- Monster Hunter Tri [84]
- Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate [82]
Let’s take a look at some of the high-profile reviews that have come through so far for Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection:
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection Reviews
IGN’s Casey DeFreitas scored the game a huge 9/10, writing, “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.”
PushSquare wasn’t quite as glowing, but still rated the game highly with an 8/10 and said, “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.”
Gamespot slapped a 9/10 on their review, with writer Jake Dekker saying, “Pokémon Pokopia is a combination of the design sensibilities of Animal Crossing and Dragon Quest Builders, but by melding those two structures and fusing them with Pokémon, it compensates for each one’s weaknesses,” adding that it “…gives you a massive amount to do and a story that propels you forward, while also letting you enjoy the simple pleasure of living among your Pokémon friends and building your perfect community. I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface, and I can’t wait to keep exploring.”
RPG Site also went with an 8/10, reviewer James Galizio concluding, ”Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is my favorite in the series, and yet I can’t help but admit that I was a little disappointed that the vaunted extra story focus being a bit squandered in practice stings. For most fans or newcomers, I don’t think this will be a dealbreaker – and it certainly wasn’t for me – but it’s a shame that what was already such a fantastic Monster-Battling RPG in terms of gameplay stumbles just enough to prevent it from reaching its full potential. They’ve perfected the gameplay loop, so hopefully next go around Monster Hunter Stories can finally live up to that moniker.”
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is out on Friday, March 13 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.
Want to see what the fuss is about for yourself? There’s a free demo available with save carry-over to the full game! Find it right here.