Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection gets a release date — we’re also getting a new Monstie that I’ve been longing to ride since the first game, but everyone else will hate

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The Nintendo Direct event held in September 2025 has passed, unveiling a vast array of fresh games and additional details about previously announced titles that will be released for both Xbox and PC platforms.

One piece of news that recently gained fresh information is titled “Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection,” which is the newest addition to the Monster Hunter Stories spin-off series.

At the Nintendo Direct event, we were treated to a fresh trailer for Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, offering additional insights into its narrative, playable monsters, strategic turn-based battles, but above all, its anticipated launch date.

The release of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection has been scheduled for March 13, 2026, and it will be available on various platforms including Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2, and PC through Steam.

Here is the information gathered from the Nintendo Direct presentation and an additional trailer by Capcom about Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection:

1. Release Date: The game will be available for purchase on July 9th, 2021.
2. Setting: Monster Hunter Stories 3 takes place in a world that has been affected by an event known as the Rift Disturbance. This catastrophe caused monsters to appear in various realms and wreak havoc among humans.
3. Gameplay: The game is a spin-off from the Monster Hunter series, focusing on RPG mechanics. Players will collect, train, and ride monsters called “Monsties,” and utilize them in battles against other monsters and foes.
4. Characters: There are several playable characters in Monster Hunter Stories 3, each with unique abilities and stories. One of the main characters is Red, a young hunter who seeks to save his home from the Rift Disturbance.
5. Multiplayer Mode: The game features multiplayer mode, allowing players to team up with friends online or locally to complete quests together.
6. New Monsters and Features: The latest installment in the series introduces new monsters, such as the mysterious Zinogre and the fearsome Almudron. Additionally, there will be updated gameplay mechanics and improved graphics compared to previous games in the series.

In the start, the trailer revisits the core concept of the game, Monster Hunter Stories 3. This story unfolds in a realm where the fearsome Rathalos species has become extinct.

On a certain day, yet contrary to the norm, an egg hatched two Rathalos, each bearing the ominous insignia of the world-devouring Skyscale Rathalos. In an effort to safeguard their realm from this foreboding prophecy, the kingdom of Azuria chose to sacrifice one of the newly born Rathalos.

In time, a terrifying epidemic broke out across the land, transforming everything into crystal formations and causing the native beasts to become wild and aggressive.

In this game, you assume the role of Azuria’s heir, teaming up with the surviving twin, Rathalos, on a mission assigned by the kingdom. Your objective is to explore, discover a cause, and find a remedy for a mysterious affliction known as the crystal plague that threatens their realm.

The situation seems to be escalating further, as it appears that war is imminent, suggested by the trailer’s depiction of Azuria being embroiled in conflict with Vermeil. Interestingly, Vermeil’s armies are under the command of a warrior riding one of the presumed-dead twin Rathalos monsters.

The new trailer presents an array of gameplay scenes from Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, appearing to represent a significant advancement and evolution over the previous title, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, in terms of its game structure.

Initially, as you traverse the game’s expansive landscape on your Monsties (creatures that the player can capture and command), you have the option to effortlessly switch between different mounts without having to get off first.

For instance, you can leap off a cliff while on the back of a Tobi-Kadachi, maintaining flight, and then transition seamlessly to riding a Rathalos in midair, without having to dismount from Tobi-Kadachi or touch the ground to summon a Rathalos beforehand.

Undoubtedly, this will significantly speed up your global adventures, offering an opportunity to perform exciting acrobatics by leaping between several monsters as you navigate challenging terrains.

Afterward, the trailer offers short peeks into the turn-based combat system of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, a system that appears to be consistent with those found in earlier games.

In this game, players alternately engage enemies using various weapons or direct their pet creatures to attack. The battles are carried out by launching assaults labeled as Power, Technical, or Speed, mimicking the Rock-Paper-Scissors concept where each type defeats a specific one in a cyclic manner.

One fresh aspect of the combat system is introducing a novel weapon option for the main character in battles, which is the Longsword.

Furthermore, in the new version, a unique meter, placed beneath the health bar of adversarial creatures, starts depleting with each inflicted hit. This feature was not present in earlier games.

Is it possible that this could be similar to a damage reduction barrier like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, or a ‘Rage’ gauge that makes an enemy monster unleash a powerful attack when the gauge is depleted? To determine for certain, we’ll need additional information from Capcom.

At long last, I can finally ride Plesioth and make everyone’s lives miserable in Monster Hunter Stories

The trailer hints at an exhilarating revelation: multiple new beasts to pursue and potentially, new creatures to train as companions might be introduced.

So far, it’s been confirmed that familiar Monsties like Paolumu, Rathalos, Velocidrome, Tobi-Kadachi, Nerscylla, Yian Kut-Ku, and Anjaneth will make a comeback from past titles.

In the game, both Glavenus and Legiana might make a comeback as playable monsters, hinted by their appearances in cinematic scenes, although they haven’t been encountered during gameplay so far.

In the trailer’s conclusion, there appears a wild Chimera-like creature known as the Chatacabra, and a hint about a new monster, Rey Dau, in Monster Hunter Wilds is given.

One thing I’m particularly thrilled about is that, after serving as an adversary in earlier games for quite some time, Plesioth will now become a Monstie for us to tame and ally with – a long-awaited development for me!

For those unfamiliar, Plesioth is one of the most disliked and detested creatures in the entire Monster Hunter series. It’s massive, packs a punch like a heavy truck, can fire beams of steel-shredding water, and has a venomous bite that causes players to fall asleep.

The most problematic aspect of Plesioth is that it often employs a powerful move called the ‘Hyperspace Tackle’, as described in Monster Hunter Stories 2. This attack can reach players from a distance of millions of miles, making it seem as though it missed them even when it didn’t, due to its vast, invisible range.

Ever since Monster Hunter Stories 1, I’ve longed for a Monstie form of the Plesioth. It would be thrilling to dish out some payback against enemy Plesioths and add a touch of mischief to my online PvP multiplayer matches.

I am absolutely thrilled that Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection has arrived, allowing me to witness my long-awaited dreams become a reality! Plus, it’s filled with brand-new, exhilarating monsters and gameplay elements that promise an incredible experience.

It caught me off guard to encounter creatures from the Monster Hunter Wilds’ collection of monsters so early on.

Let’s cross our fingers that Arkveld, Rey Dau, and Nu Udra will be available for taming as Monsties when Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is released across Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC on March 13, 2025.

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2025-09-13 15:10