Capcom wanted to focus more on the RPG aspect for Monster Hunter Stories 3, director pulls a Final Fantasy and says it’s set 200 years in the future so don’t worry about playing the first two

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The director of Monster Hunter Stories 3 has stated that this JRPG sequel is set hundreds of years following the events of earlier games.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 was revealed just about two months ago (causing quite a surprise for at least one fan!) during the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase. After being showcased at the Tokyo Game Show, we now have more information about the game, including monsters first seen in Monster Hunter Wilds, and importantly, the game’s setting in time.

In an interview with 4Gamer (translated using machine translation), Monster Hunter Stories 3 director Kenji Oguro stated that the series’ iconic character, Navirou, won’t be featured in the game, and neither will any characters from the earlier titles. He explained that the game is set over 200 years after the events of the previous games. This significant time jump has allowed the role of the Riders-the monster-taming group distinct from the hunters in the main Monster Hunter series-to become more central to the universe, letting the game explore Rider society in greater detail.

It’s evident that Capcom is feeling more assured with the Monster Hunterseries, as producer Ryozo Tsujimoto explains the team decided “to emphasize the RPG elements” in this latest game. Oguro adds that while the previous two games aimed to *transform* Monster Hunter into an RPG, this time around, “we began by asking, ‘What sort of RPG should we create?'” This shift in thinking led to the “more RPG” focus the developers have been discussing.

It’s true that Monster Hunter Stories and its sequel weren’t closely linked – a few characters showed up in both games, and there were references to past events, but generally, each game told its own separate story. While I anticipate some nods to earlier titles, it seems Monster Hunter Stories 3 will be a completely new story, independent of what happened before. So, if you’re interested, you don’t need to play the previous games before its release in March.

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2025-09-30 14:34