Monster Hunter Stories 2 Is Yet Another Great Game in the Series

First things first: if you’re already a fan of the Monster Hunter series, and you don’t despise turn-based games, you should check this out.

If you’re new to this wonderful series, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is the second game in Capcom’s spinoff of its popular Monster Hunter series. While the main games are all action, the Stories games are closer to Pokémon or a classic JPRG, than anything else; you’ll build a party for turn-based battles while traveling the world and meeting colorful characters. It’s a style that’s not super common anymore, but Monster Hunter Stories 2 shows how, with a few gameplay innovations, the genre has plenty to offer.

Capcom

The main draw of the of the game, and what you’ll spend most of your time doing, is catching monsters and fighting with them. This process is complex and engaging, especially when compared to other monster-raising franchises, like Pokémon or Monster Rancher. Monsters have skills, elemental weaknesses and advantages, and attack tendencies, while you have multiple weapons, skills, and armor sets to create—and this is all just at the beginning! There’s a lot to think about here, but Stories 2 does a great job of gradually introducing each element and is immediately approachable. The crucial ingredient in turn-based games is a variety of choices to make. If what you should do every single turn is the same, you’ll get bored very quickly. This is where the game shines: there are so many different elements to what you bring into fights that the options are endless.

While the gameplay is rock solid, the writing in Stories 2 is a mixed bag. You play as a member of a tribe of “riders,” people who train, cooperate with, and love monsters. After a mysterious event threatens your island, its up to you and your monsters to travel the world and get to the bottom of it. However, while you recognize monsters as loving companions, the rest of the world sees them as dangerous animals. This tension of characters literally trying to hunt your pets is a powerful way to get the player to connect with these virtual creatures. At its core, this is a game about a kid and their pets against the world, and the things they would do for each other. It is a powerful emotional center that anchors the plot and helps keep the player invested.

One of many super-moves you can pull off in battle. Capcom

And this is frankly necessary because the rest of the writing—like the dialogue and the characters—can be most charitably described as exactly what you expect from a game aimed at children. The player needs a strong tolerance for cat puns, broad stock characters, and saccharine moments. It’s not all bad, but it’s rarely great, and enduring these kooks is what I would consider to be the largest roadblock in loving Monster Hunter Stories 2. I think players will be especially divided on Navirou, the goofball talking cat companion who returns from the first game. As someone who really liked the first game, I enjoyed his antics, but I might just be worn down at this point.

If this really is a dealbreaker, don’t worry: the game lets you skip cut scenes and will catch you up with succinct plot summaries and a robust quest system. In general, there’s a focus on playability throughout the game that I appreciate. If the animations in the battle are too long, you can speed them up. You can fast-travel anywhere you’ve been from your map. You never have to fiddle with topping up your party’s health because there’s an auto-heal button. But crucially, you aren’t guzzling your expensive consumables because the game provides cheap, craftable healing items. You never have to grind levels to progress. I wish every game had features like this—it makes gameplay more accessible for everyone.

You can ride and explore the world with any of your monsters. Capcom

The whole Monster Hunter series has a certain excellence to it that’s hard to capture. You can see it in the animations, the music, the design of the monsters. The developers clearly love this series, and that passion resonates throughout. Monster Hunter Stories 2 continues that standard of excellence and offers a deep and enjoyable experience for anyone.

Monster Hunter Stories 2 is available on Nintendo Switch and Windows PC.