As the Monster Hunter series has gotten more popular alongside a more realistic presentation of its headline wildlife, you might not be alone in feeling conflicted about felling these fearsome yet majestic creations as you get sucked into its compelling loop of carving their parts to fashion into cool-looking and powerful gear so that you can continue working your way up the food chain. In contrast, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, as with the rest of this JRPG spin-off series, takes a more concerted effort to address this imbalance, at least compared to the superficial platitudes served up in Monster Hunter Wilds.That's arguably been true since the first Monster Hunter Stories spin-off released for the 3DS in 2017. Taking a leaf from Pokemon, instead of playing as a hunter slaying hostile beasts, you're a rider who forms bonds with them so that they fight alongside you as Monsties (a cringe portmanteau of monster and bestie that reminds you that this spin-off was definitely aimed at kids). Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection goes further, where you play as a ranger who's not just surveying the land and investigating abnormalities in the ecosystem but also a conservationist restoring endangered wildlife.
