If you’ve ever played a Monster Hunter game and thought to yourself, “Gee, why can’t we all just get along?” there’s a game out there for you, my friend. Two of them, even! Monster Hunter Stories and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, originally released for the 3DS in 2016 and for the Nintendo Switch and PC in 2021, respectively, asks and answers that exact question. The two spin-offs of the mainline series are making the jump to new platforms, with Capcom even preparing a shiny new remaster of the first title for Switch, PS4 and PC. Meanwhile, Wings of Ruin will make its way over to PS4 consoles. Either title will seemingly be purchasable as a stand-alone product or as part of a bundle containing both games – the Monster Hunter Stories Collection.



Without going into too much plot detail, both Stories titles see you travel the wide world investigating strange occurrences, all pointing towards a much larger, overarching evil spreading through the land and its Monsters. Flipping the typical Monster Hunter script on its head, you take on the role of a fully customisable Rider, the complete opposite of the Hunter job typically assumed in the mainline entries of the franchise.



While Hunters are known for slaying (or capturing) beasts of all shapes and sizes, Riders opt for the more peaceful alternative of co-existing alongside their fellow Monsters – even going so far as to refer to tamed creatures as “Monsties”, which is just adorable. Don’t let the friendship factor, bright colours, and spin-off classification fool you into thinking these games are shallow, though. There’s way more nuance and depth at play here than you might expect. This is only a preview, though, so I’ll try to be as brief as possible while detailing these mechanics.

Don’t let the friendship factor, bright colours, and spin-off classification fool you into thinking these games are shallow, though.

The dishing out of tutorial information and core gameplay concept explanations is handled much better in Wings of Ruin, feeding you plenty of details within the first few quests (though not all) as opposed to what feels like a slower, drawn-out drip feeding of mechanic reveals in the first game. The gameplay loop of either title boils down to four major activities: combat encounters, egg hatching, improving gear, and gathering items scattered around the map for crafting. Combat is done in traditional rock-paper-scissors turn-based fashion, with a few Monster Hunter gimmicks, like breaking specific Monster parts for extra drops, thrown in to spice things up.



Most of your turns will be spent gauging which of the three primary attack types the opposing Monster is about to use, and selecting the appropriate counter in response – as well as the most effective weapon type based on the Monster’s “physiology”, which the sequel really emphasises basically right off the bat. This mechanic is known as a “Head-to-Head” moment and, in correctly predicting which attack is headed your way, you’re able to gain the advantage and bypass it entirely, unleashing some damage of your own.

Your beloved active Monstie (switchable in combat) can, of course, provide its own offence of its own free will. If you want it to utilise a particular Skill, though, you’ll have to manually open the Monstie menu and select the desired Skill before making your move to progress the turn. Successful predictions also fill your Kinship meter, allowing you to hop up onto your Monstie once filled and unleash a devastating attack.



Every time you or your Monstie’s HP bar is reduced to zero, one of three heart icons on-screen will disappear. Once all three are gone, it’s a total defeat and you’ll be kicked out of the fight. As long as you pay attention during battles, don’t ignore every single Subquest on offer, regularly update your gear, and avoid sprinting past all wandering enemies between major story beats, you shouldn’t really ever hit a significant difficulty wall. Thankfully, engaging in combat is always a joy due to the sweet combination of satisfying gameplay and wonderful Monster designs. A trip to the Smith or a mild grind here or there won’t set you back much in either the time or patience department, either.

Thankfully, engaging in combat is always a joy due to the sweet combination of satisfying gameplay and wonderful Monster designs.

To expand your Monstie collection, obtaining eggs from Monster Dens that randomly pop up at various spots on the map is crucial. The higher the rarity of the Den, the better the chances of you walking away clutching a shining “premium” egg. The insides of these Dens usually consist of a moderately sized explorable area before reaching the nest at the end of the zone, although the pre-nest areas seem much larger in Wings of Ruin than in the first game – almost unnecessarily so. I quite like the gambling aspect of determining which egg to take or leave behind, swapping out a normal egg on the off chance the next one will be of a greater rarity while praying that the nest’s contents aren’t about to run out.



Purchasing new weapons and armor, or upgrading ones already in your possession, is another important aspect of staying alive out there in the wilderness. The many different types of offensive and defensive gear on offer should seem instantly recognisable to long-time fans of the franchise, each boasting their own lineup of stats (crit rate, for example). Some of these items and improvements can cost a pretty Zenny, especially in the original Monster Hunter Stories, so (once again) don’t neglect your available Subquests – many of which will award you more than just coin upon completion, including Forge Quests that earn you new weaponry and armor.

Wings of Ruin, as the more modern of the two entries, naturally comes out on top with regards to quality-of-life improvements. The ability to fast travel to any unlocked “Catavan” station from pretty much anywhere on the map right from the early moments of the story, the ability to battle with a companion, and the elimination of the tedious Battle Pouch system from the prior title (which essentially acts as a combat inventory that needs to be filled with items prior to entering battle) are very welcome changes.



Gameplay similarities between the two titles aside, the full remaster of the first Monster Hunter Stories is very much worth discussing. Going back to the 3DS visuals and comparing it to what we have now with this new release, it’s remarkable how much vibrance and life has been breathed into almost every single aspect of the world. From the improved textures, resolution and lighting to the newly added English and Japanese audio tracks, it’s hard to not call this version the definitive experience.

Going back to the 3DS visuals and comparing it to what we have now with this new release, it’s remarkable how much vibrance and life has been breathed into almost every single aspect of the world.

Even after all the visual improvements, the game’s art style and charm has still been left fully intact, revelling in its own simplistic beauty. There are definitely some areas featuring slightly fuzzier textures than others, unfortunately, but they very rarely make up large parts of the scenery and I’d still hesitate to call them unappealing or flat-out ugly. All updates and endgame content have also been included in this release, for those curious.



After spending a decent amount of time with both Monster Hunter Stories and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, what I initially thought would be a considerably lighter experience than your average JRPG ended up thoroughly subverting my expectations in almost every conceivable way. I can say with confidence that the two titles are very enjoyable spin-off slices of Monster Hunter - a treat for mainline enthusiasts and an excellent means of hooking a budding Hunter or Rider on all the franchise has to offer, especially if they’ve been a lifelong Sony console owner.

Monster Hunter Stories Collection is out on 14 June 2024 for PS4 and Nintendo Switch.

*Preview conducted using PS4 versions running on a PS5 | Written by Ryan Pretorius