If you haven’t been keeping up, this is another turn-based addition to the Stories sub-series under the Monster Hunter franchise. However, it has proven to be quite an improvement over its predecessors, bringing meaningful changes that we found quite impressive in our own review of the game on the Switch 2, despite a few annoying technical issues.

Well, it seems like a lot of other players agree with us, and the new accolades trailer shows off some awesome gameplay clips interspersed with good things that critics have said about the title. It’s quite tempting to pick up a copy for yourself, especially given the more mature storytelling and new features like Habitat Restoration.

If you’re still on the fence, there’s a playable demo of the game to try out across platforms (with progress carrying over to the game). There’s also the allure of some new Royal monsters coming along this Summer. Capcom is also working on new story DLC focusing on Rudy that could launch sooner than expected since development is going well.

As outlined by producer Ryozo Tsujimoto in a new Developer Message video, these are “extremely powerful versions of monsters” that will appear in the field, providing “even more challenging battles.” You should only tackle them at Rider level 90 or higher and bring the “strongest Monsties and strategies to defeat them. We hope this will push your skills to the limit! This free update is planned for release this Summer.”

Those hungering for even more content can also look forward to a “potential earlier release date” for the Additional Side Story: Rudy DLC. Development is “progressing well”, and Capcom plans to “share additional info” in the future.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. It focuses on a new protagonist in a world where a condition known as the Crystal Encroachment threatens to destroy Azuria and Vermeil, two kingdoms at odds. Alongside new monsters like Ibushi, Narwa, Ajaraka, Malzeno, and Arkveld, it features a new system where players can restore habitats and raise mutant variations of monsters.

While sales figures haven’t been shared yet, the role-playing game has resonated well with critics as the PlayStation 5 version has an 86 Metascore based on 57 reviews. You can check out our opinions here – we gave it an eight out of ten, praising the narrative, world design and exploration.

It’s hardly a surprise, that Monster Hunter Stories, is back for another outing. Now on its third installment (as the name gives away), Monster Hunter Stories 3 is the most ambitious, highest budget entry in the sub-series yet, and arguably the clearest realization of the gameplay loop and stylings these games are clearly going for. Boasting a stronger emphasis on narrative, and a raft of improvements across the board, those who are fans of the MH Stories games will find this one to be the best, most compelling title yet.

"Almost equally as immediate of an improvement is to the game’s storytelling."

On the other hand, however, if you weren’t already sold on Monster Hunter Stories, then this game may not necessarily convince you. In fact, depending on WHY you weren’t on board with the previous games, this one may put you off even more.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 is a mixed bag of good and bad. To be clear, this isn’t an AMAZING looking game, at least on Switch 2 — there are some issues that undermine the game’s graphical prowess that are hard to ignore, and which we’ll get to shortly — but it still looks good, much better, denser, lusher, and overall more vibrant than not just past MH Stories games, but arguably also most, if not all, other games in this specific sub genre of RPG.

Almost equally as immediate of an improvement is to the game’s storytelling. The Monster Hunter games have never been particularly concerned with anything beyond the vaguest suggestion of narrative framing, and the Stories games, while ostensibly more story focused than the mainline ones, have still been very sparse.

The stories in past Stories games have largely been simplistic coming of age affairs, following the main character on a journey across the land as they search far and wide and get stronger over time. There have always been some major narrative hooks that come into play – but to say they take the backseat would still be overstating their prominence to the overall proceedings.

Stories 3 is a far more narrative focused game. It eschews the simplistic framing of past games, and instead goes for a far richer and more textured setup, involving warring kingdoms, the machinations of royalty and their ministers and staff, ecological disaster, the weight of history, and the fate of destiny. It’s not particularly breaking any new ground, especially for a RPG, but it doesn’t have to. What is here is very good, and, in particular because of the increased and stellar artistic values, is conveyed convincingly enough that, for the first time in probably any Monster Hunter game ever, the story can legitimately be your primary compulsion for continuing to play the game.

While it eventually recedes into the background, it’s always a strong hook and frame for your adventure, and it NEVER gives up on strong writing for the many characters you befriend along the way, and several of whom will engage you in elaborate quest lines of their own, which may have you learn more not just about them, but also the larger world.

"Actually engaging with this world is also a lot more pleasant and a lot less tedious than it has been in past games."

That larger world is another strong point of this game. The RE Engine has struggled with open world games in the past, and MH Stories 3 smartly keeps that in mind as it delivers to players vast, open areas that are nonetheless instanced and separated by loads, to keep things manageable. From the various, lush, and often striking biomes you find yourself in (along with all their flora and fauna) to the varied and dense cities, MH Stories 3 makes its world itself a central part of its appeal in a way that I can’t remember a monster catching RPG having done this side of Pokemon Sun and Moon — and that was ten were ago now.

Actually engaging with this world is also a lot more pleasant and a lot less tedious than it has been in past games. And this brings me to what has been one of my primary complaints with Monster Hunter Stories games in the past, which is the core tedium inherent to them. Some of it is intrinsic to the design choices the developers make, and we’ll get back to that shortly. But a lot was seemingly more a matter of execution than concept, since it appears to have been addressed and mitigated greatly this time around.

Traversal, for instance, is one of the easiest and most obvious ways this is apparent — this game still has you use the various abilities of your Monsters (er, Monsties. This may be a more “mature” story than before, but apparently we’re still calling them Monsties) to traverse obstacles an hazards in the environment, but it feels a lot slicker and more seamless this time around, thanks to improvements like a radial UI which lets you quickly change monsters on the fly without delay. All of which results in me, as the player, feeling a lot less disincentivized to explore, since it doesn’t feel as annoyingly start-stop as it has in the past.

Generally, there have been similar attempts to mitigate the tedium across the board — but to varying degrees of success, which brings us to discussing what this game doesn’t necessarily do as well. Take the equivalent of “catching” a new monster.

If you’ve played any of the past games, you know that the process in the Stories games involves beating a monster, that then may spawn a den that it retreats into, following it into that den, and retrieving its egg from it. This process is inherently repetitive and tiring — these dens can be fairly elaborate mini dungeons, that reuse their aesthetic and layouts, and it can feel like too much effort just to get a new monster to add to your roster.

Stories 3 simplifies this greatly — you’re still raiding monster dens to nab yourself their eggs, but the dens themselves are a lot smaller and more compact now, and they’re a lot more forgiving with the RNG in you picking out the egg you want.

The process is greatly sped up here — I’m not saying it’s sped up enough to completely address the issue (it did eventually start to wear on me, especially once the repetition in layouts became apparent, and it happened a lot quicker than I would have wanted it to), but it’s at the very least the best take we’ve had on the concept yet.

Unfortunately this isn’t the only part of the game where the tedium hasn’t been fully addressed — there’s also the combat system.

"Like I said at the outset of this review, depending on what you thought of previous MH Stories games, this one could be your favorite."

The combat system in MH Stories has always been controversial. It is the way it is because of the developers’ (understandable and admirable) insistence on trying to keep the Stories games based in the mechanics and systems of the mainline games. In this case, the developers faced the notion of translating the rather unique and iconic combat of the mainline games to a turn based style.

The results have varied over the course of the series — the original game was praised for its charm, but the battle system got quickly tedious and dragged the package down. The second game attempted to address those complaints by trying to make battles more dynamic, which was good, but simultaneously also served to make the battles feel even more protracted.

And Stories 3… well, first let’s talk about how battles work before we talk about how I feel about them. Much like either previous game in the series, battles are designed around the concept of playing out like turn based interpretations of the fights with monsters in mainline Monster Hunter. At their core, you, your monsters deployed in battle, and your companions all select a TYPE of attack (technical, power, or speed) that you think will top the type of attack the opponent will make (it’s a basic rock paper scissors style triangle).

You’re encouraged this way to learn more about your own monsters, but also the monsters you’re fighting, so you know their behavior, patterns, and tells, and know how to react accordingly. That’s the basic setup – you also want to keep elemental advantages, special attacks you and your monsters can perform in junction when you’re all synched up, Ultimate all out attacks, targeting specific parts to break them off, which monster and character is targeting whom, and mini head to head confrontations all on top.

Does that sound like a lot to keep track of? It is. It’s a lot, and even a standard “trash mob” fight can take MINUTES to get through. Now consider how many fights the average RPG has you engage in, and the problem starts to become clear. It’s just a lot of cognitive load, with even the parts that should traditionally be downtime asking a lot out of the player. That’s to say nothing about how slow each fight feels.

There’s a built in speed up option,  but even with that, I got to a point where I was actively dreading fights. That should never be the case in a game about fighting monsters – but it was here. And unfortunately, the concessions made to streamlining here only served to infuriate me further, with, for example, your current ally acting on their own, which can lead to moments of frustration when they do the opposite of what you were counting on.

The other big fumble with the game I want to talk about is also rather central, and in this case directly ties into what should otherwise be a strength — the graphics. On the Switch 2, specifically, this is not a particularly well optimized game.

The resolution seems to be generally low, leading to a soft image quality, the framerate is unlocked and varies anywhere from 30-50fps, only going up to 60FPS in very small and contained interiors, monsters, people, and objects just a few feet away have severely noticeable decimated framerate animations, and the pop in is immense, with things fading into existence just a few feet ahead of the player. All of this is fairly unfortunate, since it has the side effect of the game seeming unpolished and janky (which it is not), and also undermines the story and storytelling.

It’s confusing why this game is as unoptimized on the Switch 2 as it is — pretty much every other game on the system, from Street Fighter 6 to Resident Evil Requiem, has been exquisite in its technical implementation. Presumably the poor optimization here comes from the game’s semi open nature, which RE Engine has historically struggled with. Equally presumably, it looks and runs a lot better on more capable hardware. But to be perfectly honest, it should look and run a lot better on Switch 2, and it’s a real bummer that the developer hasn’t seen it fit to address these issues that must have very obviously come up in QA and testing yet.

Like I said at the outset of this review, depending on what you thought of previous MH Stories games, this one could be your favorite. If you liked what you had before and wanted a more refined and polished take on it, you’ll love this. If you were intrigued by the past games, but wanted something more narratively or technically ambitious, this is the game that’ll finally get through to you. But if the tedium and repetition of the past few games gave you pause, well, things could go either way with Stories 3.

While it does make several attempts to mitigate the repetition, the jury is out on whether or not they’re enough; certainly this is something that will vary person to person, and where I still found many aspects of the game tiresome, you don’t necessarily have to. The game has a free demo on all platforms, so I do encourage you to see for yourself what you think if the tediousness has been a sticking point for you in the past, and you’re not convinced Stories 3 has done enough to address it.

This game was reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2.

While a more detailed strategy will be revealed when Capcom publishes its yearly earnings report, when it comes to its overarching strategy when it comes to games, the company has noted that it was to focus on new games alongside relying on its extensive catalog of older titles.

“We will provide details of our strategy for the next fiscal year at the time of our full-year earnings announcement,” said the company. “Within the Digital Contents business, our ongoing focus remains on both new and catalog title sales. In addition to Pragmata, new titles will be announced at a future date, and we will continue related initiatives to expanding catalog sales.”

Unfortunately, however, the company didn’t go into more details about the new titles that will be announced. As for “expanding catalog sales,” it is likely that Capcom is taking a harder look at some of its older games that still haven’t been released on modern platforms, such as the Breath of Fire series of RPGs, and PS2-era cult classics like Shadow of Rome. With the Onimusha franchise also getting a new lease on life thanks to a pair of remasters and an upcoming sequel, Capcom might also be looking at bringing Onimusha 3: Demon Siege to a modern audience.

When asked to comment on its upcoming line-up of games, the company responded: “Beyond Pragmata and Onimusha: Way of the Sword, which have already been disclosed, we ask that you wait for future announcements.”

As for its upcoming releases, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection will be the first one out, with a March 13th release date across PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2. Following it will be Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch on March 27th. And finally, Pragmata will be coming to PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2 on April 24th.

As for Onimusha: Way of the Sword, while Capcom has revealed quite a few details about the game, it hasn’t yet confirmed a release date. Back in January, director Satoru Nihei spoke about how the action-packed gameplay is an important aspect of the franchise.

“Action is absolutely essential when discussing what makes an Onimusha game,” he said. “Iconic elements like soul absorption and Issen counters are very much present in this game, and we’ve taken a lot of care in crafting them.”

He also noted that, while Onimusha: Way of the Sword will include “elements that pay homage to earlier titles,” it won’t see any returning characters from the older games, since it also doesn’t have any direct story connection with them.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S later this year. While Capcom hasn’t quite confirmed it yet, it is also likely to get a Nintendo Switch 2 release.

She’s got her own reasons for joining you on your quest, with an interest in Lady Amara’s whereabouts, but that doesn’t stop her altruistic worldview from being a ray of sunshine in her character intro. She’s particularly interested in leading a younger generation toward a better future, something we hope is a crucial part of her character arc.

For those of you who aren’t aware of this upcoming RPG from Capcom, it’s part of the Stories subseries of the franchise, with turn-based mechanics and a plot that has you trying to deal with the Crystal Encroachment, a natural phenomenon with unexplained origins. Those are for you to find out as you navigate political tension between your kingdom of Azuria and its rival Vermeil. Oh, there are also twin Rathalos to deal with and the potential resurgence of a very formidable threat.

That’s quite a lot for one protagonist to deal with, but Kora seems to be more than capable of sharing our burdens on what’s looking like a long road. You can see for yourself in the trailer below. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection launches on March 13th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Available on March 13th for Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, and PS5, the sequel focuses on two kingdoms that have been at odds for a long time. Tensions are especially high when the Crystal Encroachment threatens to swallow the world whole, but suddenly, twin Rathalos are born.

If you know anything about the franchise and how pivotal Rathalos can be, the appearance of two might as well be a sign of the end times. Regardless, players venture forth with one while trying to save the world, and collect other notable monsters along the way. These include Arkveld, Chatacabra and Rey Dau from Monster Hunter Wilds; Magnamalo, Ibushi, Malzeno and Narwa from Monster Hunter Rise; and many more.

You can capture mutated monsters courtesy of Habitat Restoration, which imbues them with unique stats and elements (and is a good way to obtain species like Dreadqueen Rathian). Try out the free demo today, especially since progress carries over to the full game. If you have save data for the previous titles, you can equip the outfits of their protagonists. Alternatively, transferring save data from Monster Hunter Rise and Monster Hunter Wilds will net the Kamura Garb and Hope Armor set respectively.

The Capcom Spotlight will focus on upcoming titles like Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, Pragmata, and Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection. The teaser has also confirmed that the company will reveal its future plans for Street Fighter 6, with Alex joining the roster on March 17th. You can also look forward to the reveal of the Excellence Awards winners for the Robot Master Design Contest in Mega Man: Dual Override.

Of its current slate of upcoming releases, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection will be the first one out, slated for March 13th on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2. It will be followed by Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection on March 27th on PC PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch. Finally, Pragmata is set for an April 24th launch across PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2.

While Capcom hasn’t outright confirmed it, we might also get to see more details about games that haven’t been mentioned in the teaser. This could include expansion plans for Monster Hunter Wilds, and potentially even a future update for Resident Evil Requiem.

Speaking of which, the horror title was released on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2 to quite a bit of success. While Capcom had already confirmed back in January that pre-orders had been performing better than internal expectations, launch day saw over 300,000 PC concurrent players jumping into the game. This success has since continued, with current SteamDB charts revealing over 100,000 concurrent players in the game at the time of publishing. You can check out more details about Resident Evil Requiem in our review, where we gave it a score of 9 out of 10.

As for Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, Capcom had recently released a new trailer showcasing how the concept art created for its locations were translated into in-game zones. The trailer gave us a look at three main locations – Azuria, Sheparden, and Galyad – with each area’s culture, fashion and architecture on full display. For those curious about the upcoming turn-based RPG, there is a free demo available that allows you to carry over your save data into the full game.

Pragmata has similarly gotten a free demo across all platforms that provides players with a taste of its third-person action combat that melds gunplay with puzzle solving. It even got a trailer back in February showcasing a new location that seems to be a holographic recreation of New York City. For more details, check out how Capcom struggled with properly portraying Diana as an android thanks to the game’s focus on photo-realistic visuals.

Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection was announced back in December, and is slated to feature every title in the Star Force series, from Mega Man Star Force Leo, Dragon, and Pegasus to Mega Man Star Force 2 Zerker x Ninja and Zerker x Saurian, and Mega Man Star Force 3 Black Ace and Red Joker.

Crimson Desert

The big one, with arguably the most hype, is Crimson Desert. It’s been a long journey towards release, and no matter how many interviews or videos we see, it has something new to reveal every time. Can it meet all the hype? Maybe. Maybe not. One thing that’s for sure is we’re looking forward to scouring Pywel for secrets, learning the ins and outs of each character’s fighting style, and wreaking havoc with our favorite mech/dragon/bear mount when it launches on March 19th.

Pokémon Pokopia

A Ditto imitating a human deciding to open a farm and bring on other Pokémon to help from the team behind Dynasty Warriors – sounds about right. Far be it from Pokémon Pokopia, out on March 5th, to just be Nintendo’s take on “Palworld” but with a 20 to 40 hour story, post-game content and even four-player co-op, there should be just enough to hold you over until the next generation arrives.

Marathon

Even as a Destiny player who’s been disappointed by many Bungie decisions over the years, I have to admit – Marathon doesn’t look half-bad. Maybe it’s because the six Runner Shells actually have compelling kits, or due to the quality of life features, or the killer presentation – from that sick match loading screen to the extraction. Either way, Marathon should have some impact when it launches on March 5th – whether Bungie can keep that going is another issue.

Planet of Lana 2: Children of the Leaf

Following up on the original’s gorgeous hand-painted aesthetic and environmental storytelling, Children of the Leaf promises to be even bigger and more mysterious. Which is all well and good, but it’s also packing plenty of new mechanics, including expanded traversal options. If it can mirror the original’s cinematic excellence, Planet of Lana 2 could very well be a dark horse when it arrives on March 5th.

Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake

If Fatal Frame proves anything, it’s that the camera is sometimes mightier than the gun and also sometimes just as ineffective against angry spirits if you can’t aim right. Fortunately, Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake has a lot more going for it – including a new over-the-shoulder perspective, gorgeous overhauled visuals, and new features like holding hands – perfect for trying to survive the night. It’s out on March 12th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2, and even includes a new ending over the original.

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando

There’s something about the cheesy, 80s action movie-esque mayhem that Saber brings to the table in John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando. Maybe it’s also about seeing the Swarm Engine applied to zombies, ensuring plenty of massive hordes that you don’t know whether to shoot or gawk at (the former. Always the former). After the surprisingly fun demo, we’re keen to go commando even more when the full game launches on March 12th.

Docked

Of course, Saber Interactive doesn’t just want to cater to your urge for co-op chaos. No, it also knows there’s an audience for operating big machinery and solving real-world problems, like in Docked. As the lead operator of a dock wrecked by a hurricane, it’s your job to keep the cargo moving, managing and operating heavy equipment, bringing in contracts, and building it back up. It’s out on March 5th for just $29.99 on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection

Maybe you’re interested in the antics of Azuria and Vermeil, two kingdoms at odds while the Crystal Encroachment wreaks havoc. But if you’re just here for the monsters, Monster Hunter Stories 3, launching on March 13th, has plenty to throw at you. From old-school classics like Yama Tsukami to the contemporary, Malzeno, Narwa, Ibushi and Arkveld, there is a lot to choose from. And best of all, you can obtain variants with Habitat Restoration, including a fiery Zinogre.

Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War!

Speaking of surprisingly fun demos, Starship Troopers may very well be back courtesy of Auroch Digital’s raucous new first-person shooter, which launches on March 16th. No building or resource collection here – it’s a straight-up, Boltgun-style retro shooter where you slay many, many bugs. Does it feel a little Helldivers-esque at times, especially with the drop pods? Well, sure, but full circle and whatnot, and how can you possibly say no to Johnny Rico himself?

GreedFall: The Dying World

The other game to drop the “2”, that too before Overwatch, is GreedFall: The Dying World. Furthermore, it’s out on March 12th, finally exiting early access after an…ambitious entry on September 24th. But there’s new content, improved combat, more companions, additional quests, and even more to come, including a PS5 and Xbox Series X/S release. Maybe it can finally redeem the GreedFall name, such as it is.

Screamer

I’ll admit to some consternation, especially after JDM: Japanese Drift Master tried to fuse manga and street racing, but Screamer is clearly on another level. Boasting anime cutscenes, multiple playable characters, and the ECHO for power-ups like Strikes and Boosts, it’s a surprisingly intriguing mix. The futuristic setting and team racing modes, where your crew can take on others, are just the icing on top when Screamer launches on March 26th.

WWE 2K26

WWE Creative being dull and CM Punk headlining a new video game – name a more iconic duo. Thankfully, the latter means a new 2K Showcase focused on his best matches and some fantasy warfare against Legends that could have been. Other notable features include the return of Inferno, I Quit and 3 Stages of Hell matches, the ability to stack tables, and over 400 characters, perhaps the largest in history (and that’s not including DLC following the post-March 13th release).

Scott Pilgrim EX

Toronto’s time-space has been messed up, with fantastical threats like Robots and Vegans laying claim to the city. Who better to fight back, other than literally anyone else, than Scott Pilgrim and friends? Following up on Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, this is a new beat ’em up from Tribute Games with seven playable fighters, four-player local and online co-op (with drop-in/drop-out supported) and a progression system centered around Badges. If you enjoyed Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game, then EX may be up your alley when it launches on March 3rd.

Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection

Following up on the well-received Battle Network Legacy Collection, Mega Man Star Force gets its own compilation on March 27th with all three titles and their versions. And considering the dozens of hours you can invest in each, complete with a new gallery and online play for battling, it may be just what the Doctor (not Wily) ordered.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (PC)

One of the least surprising announcements of all time – thanks ESRB and Kojima – Death Stranding 2: On the Beach nevertheless promises to be the most stunning version when it releases on March 19th. It includes Ultrawide support, upscaling and Frame Generation across DLSS 4, FSR 3 and XeSS 2.0, and even lets you enable Decima’s own Pico upscaling tech. Combine this with hardware requirements that are more than achievable – just maybe buy a new SSD – and it may very well warrant another playthrough.

Along with the locations themselves, we also get a thorough look at how the various Monsties live amongst humans, like several Legianna hanging out next to a castle while their riders are likely having a meeting inside. Locales inspired by Monster Hunter Rise and Sunbreak can also be seen, featuring characters hanging out next to Palamutes, and smaller villages that have seemingly eschewed stone-based buildings to focus more on living in harmony with their natural surroundings.

The places showcased in the trailer are Azuria, Sheparden, and Galyad. Along with the variety we get to see in fashion, culture, and architecture, we also get to see how these cities have adapted to living in their own distinct environments. Galyad, for instance, is located in a desert. While Azuria has been seemingly settled on rolling plains. The culture of each of these locations is also further amplified with the changes in music that likely reflects each city.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection had gotten another trailer earlier this week, showing off some of the new monsters that would be joining its roster. There is plenty of Monster Hunter Rise and Sunbreak representation, thanks to the presence of monsters like Ibushi, Narwa, and Malzeno. Monster Hunter Wilds has also gotten a shoutout with Ajarakan’s presence. Along with this, we also get a tease of a classic monster that is seemingly returning—the first-generation Elder Dragon Lao-Shan Lung.

The trailer was accompanied by a developer walkthrough, featuring lead game designer Daisuke Wakahara going into the title’s various gameplay mechanics and story. He also focused on one of the new mechanics being introduced to the series—the Wyvernsoul Gauge—which can be depleted to stagger a monster, before eventually culminating into a Synchro Rush attack.

More details about the various mechanics, as well as the history of Riders, was revealed through a trailer narrated by Hololive English streamer Elizabeth Rose. Among other details, Rose described how a Rathalos has always played a key role in the main narratives for Monster Hunter Stories and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection will see the birth of two Rathalos, which in the story is considered to be a bad omen.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is coming to PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2 on 13th March. If you’re unsure about whether or not you’ll enjoy the RPG, Capcom has released a free demo featuring some of its earlier parts. As an added bonus, if you decide to buy the game, your progress from the demo can also be carried over into the full release. PS5 players new to the Stories sub-series can check out the other two titles through this month’s offerings on PlayStation Plus.

The former showcases even more new monsters, including Ibushi and Narwa (Monster Hunter Rise), Malzeno (Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak), and Ajaraka (Monster Hunter Wilds). However, arguably the most interesting tease is Lao-Shan Lung, who’s alive but crystalized. Surely the massive first-generation Elder Dragon wouldn’t suddenly come back to life and wreak havoc, right?

As for the walkthrough, it sees lead game designer Daisuke Wakahara outlining everything you need to know about the role-playing game, from the story and setting to the combat mechanics. While the traditional rock-paper-scissors approach returns, you also have the Wyvernsoul Gauge. Depleting it will stagger a monster, and once all stocks are gone, players can unleash a Syncho Rush for massive damage.

There’s plenty more to learn about, including Habitat Restoration, so it’s well worth the watch. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection launches on March 13th, with a free trial available for Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, and Xbox Series X/S now.