Capcom somehow managed to make us pay 60 bucks for rock-paper-scissors.

This is what Pokemon would look like if it were a good game.

If you can get over the use of the word "monstie" it's a 10/10.

This makes pokemon look like trash

It's like Pokemon, but you kidnap their children instead.

MH themed creature collector

full disclosure; i havent finished the game yet

obviously the star of the show are the monsters (or monsties if theyre friendly; and im going to use that term going forwards)

monsties have base stats, as well as some variance dictated when theyre born (IVs if likening to pokemon)

each monstie has a 3x3 gene grid (youll likely have to use consumables to open up the full grid), genes provide passive or active skills (unlike the original; monsties no longer have their own innate movepools; everything they can use is determined completely by genes), they also have an element (or non element) and type (or are typeless; ill get into types when talking about the combat later)... if you match 3 of either element(/non elemental) or type you receive a 'bingo' bonus that provides a damage boost to that respective element or attack type (unlike the previous game you can stack multiple of the same bingo... and unlike the previous game a non elemental bingo increase the damage of non elemental attacks rather than increasing speed)

each monstie is hatched with some base genes, theres guaranteed genes but theres also a pool of non guaranteed genes with various rarities that a specific species can hatch with (so dont go hunting ♥♥♥♥ ya kus for non elemental boost L in the first area because they cant hatch with it)

you can move a gene from one monstie to another (the donor gets eaten or runs away or goes to live on a farm... whatever you want thematically; but functionally it gets deleted) using the 'rite of channeling' (this is a feature unlocked in the second village)... if you played the original then theres two key differences; you can move gene locations (previously if a gene was top left on the donor it would only go in the top left slot of the receiver) and you can level up genes by stacking them (up to 3 times; increasing effectiveness)

you can trigger an aesthetic change by messing around with genes; you can shift a monsties element if you stack enough to overide its base stats; its colour pallette will shift to reflect the element it was shifted to... functionally however i doubt this will be worth doing, in the original it was only worth doing for non elemental monsties... but with the bingo changes (specifically non elemental bingo) its essentially gimping them for aesthetics (but the option is there if you want it i guess)

not every monster in the game is a rideable monstie, theres small monsters like velociprey that arent (because theyre smaller minions of possible monsties; ex velocidrome)... but theres also some 'big' monsters that arent possible monsties (like tetsucabra)... as far as i can tell the whole roster (sans dlc) from the first game made it across to this one, the new additions are mostly monsters that debuted in MH World; the ones that arent are either the fated 4 from generations or variations on the previous roster like bloodbath diablos or dreadqueen rathian); the total count of monsties is supposedly 81 if the monstiepedia is to be believed

Combat

so theres 4 types of attacks

speed beats power

power beats technical

technical beats speed

and then theres typeless attacks that dont interact with that system at all

this rock paper scissors forms a contentious point; and was often used to detract from the first game... which i disagreed with then because monsters (note the terminology; im not talking about monsties) had their own patterns (for example; p.rathian used to have something like 2 speed 1 power 2 speed 1 power pattern; and if you figured that out you could win 100% of head to heads)... monster hunter stories 2 has sort of dumbed that down (atleast as so far as ive gotten)... monsters have a base type (say technical), when they enrage they change their attack type (say to speed)... and rarely monsters have a third change; say inflate into a beach ball (zamtrios) or get charged with electricity where they change to the third type... its a bit simplistic

you have complete control over the protagonist; your monstie on the other hand does what it wants to do... you can wrangle them into using a learned skill on a select target but this will cost some kinship; which is an in battle resource generated through various actions (and when full can be consumed to jump on top of your monstie; which enables powerful kinship attacks); realistically if you know what you're doing then youll essentially have full control at all times though

for equipment the player character has a talisman slot (which if you're familiar with mainline monster hunter games; just provides passives), an armour slot (just one; the whole set; which provides defenses as well as more passives... in the first game if your equipment matched your monstie then you received a kinship cost reduction; i havent verified if thats still the case in this one though) and 3 weapon slots (which you can swap to at will in combat)

in monster hunter fashion; your equipment is scavenged from the corpses of your enemies (except not really because somehow you can beat a bulldrome; takes its skull... it still gets up and retreats to its den... where you can take its skull again)

each weapon is either slashing (greatsword, sword and shield), piercing (bow, gunlance) or blunt (hammer, hunting horn); some monsters/parts are weak/resistant to certain types of weapons... this only extends to riders though and each specific weapon has its own moveset meaning they play a little bit differently; for example hammer and horn are both blunt weapons but where the hammer has skills that benefit from specific ailments on the target or just deal damage; hunting horn has songs in its skills; which provide buffs, debuffs or unique effects (if you're familiar with the mainline monster hunter games the same 'this horn plays these songs' applies) (if you're familiar with the original; hunting horn had a massive rework in that you dont need to 'play' the notes by losing head to heads; you can just play the song outright for kinship cost)

you can break monster parts for big monsters; depending on the monster and the part this will have various effects; opening them up for damage, preventing them from using a move, tripping them... but sadly theres no visual indicator of this; if you break pukei pukeis tail it doesnt fall off line in the mainline games; theres no difference in the model; itll just stop it from using a specific attack

Visual

charming aesthetic, but graphically lacking, im sure it looks fine on switch but for pc the textures are a bit low quality (some in particular) and theres a very low grass LoD

Story

eh, theres some small inconsistencies across the games... also no one seems to bat an eye at the fact that 4 years before this game there was a legendary rider that saved the world from a 'blight' with a rathalos called 'ratha' (MHS1)... but also the MHS2 protags grandfather (called 'Red', which almost seems like a pokemon callout) had a rathalos ALSO called 'ratha' who become a guardian of the starting island (chronologically way before the MHS1 'ratha' but still no connection)... oh and we arent done; for some reason the razewing rathalos the protagonist hatches is also by default called 'ratha'... youd think that one of the multiple characters (including the annoying cat) that spanned both games would atleast mention this... literally no one does (atleast as far as i am in the game)... its not even a placeholder name that you can change; it has to be 'Ratha'... its weird and i cant wrap my head around it... aside from that its a meh story; its not good, its not particularily bad... but its also not why i play these games

Audio

voice acting is lacklustre at best; it also doesnt help that the english VA doesnt match mouth movements; i switched to japanese VA before eventually turning sound off altogether so i cant really comment on the score other than it wasnt gripping me

This review contains no major spoilers.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin (WoR) was a fantastic surprise for me as a new-ish Monster Hunter fan. A monster-collector game based on a series with cool and varied creatures? Sign me up! I honestly didn’t expect to get so wrapped up in this entry, but WoR has a certain magic to it that compelled me to keep playing. While not a perfect game by any means, I can definitely say I'm hooked on what it offers.



Premise
You are the child of destiny, called to action when mysterious phenomena occurred during one of your tribe’s celebrations. The ocean and sky turned red as a swarm of Rathalos, great red wyverns, flew overhead. In the distance, a mysterious girl meets with an aged Rathalos in the jungle and is entrusted with an egg. Set upon by Hunters, the Rathalos defeats them before flying into the crimson night, and the girl flees into the vegetation. It is up to you to figure out how everything ties together and eventually save the world from ruin.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2549100750

Execution
WoR presents a pretty entertaining story. It is a typical hero’s journey that will bring you across the world as you search for answers. While nothing wowed me greatly, the overall execution was well-done and I found myself invested in where the plot was going. This was due to how the game focuses on Riders, people who tame and cooperate with monsters. In contrast, the main series focuses around Hunters, people tasked with investigating and slaying monsters. Seeing how Riders form bonds of Kinship with their monsters, whom they call “Monsties,” in a Hunter’s world is really endearing and a prime source of conflict in WoR.

My biggest gripe is that the story is a bit too predictable. I was able to guess a few twists accurately and felt disappointed when they came to fruition. Likewise, there are some cutscenes where your character forgets they have multiple Monstie companions, making certain tense situations feel cheap. Where are your five other Monsties when the sixth gets attacked? I understand it's for drama and narrative purposes, but it gets pretty silly after a while.



As a monster-collector, be prepared to scour the world for various Monsties to befriend. As of writing, there are 128 fight-able and 87 collectable monsters. The core gameplay is like other monster-collectors with sprinkles of the main series and other elements. Expect to do some grinding, however.



My Buddy and Me
Collecting Monsties is pretty simple. Monsties are gained by hatching monster eggs which are found in nests. Said nests are found inside Monster Dens, dungeons of varying sizes and rarity/difficulty. Entering a new zone and dungeon delving to see what kinds of friends await you is quite addicting.

You can ride your Monstie around non-town areas and each has up to two exploration-aiding abilities, ranging from pinging certain resources to being able to climb up ivy or swim. While this definitely gives each Monstie a reason to stay in a party, having to go back to base and swap them out just to clear a specific obstacle can get frustrating. Likewise, a Monstie's assigned abilities can be strange at times. For example, a very nimble Monstie may not be able to jump across gaps, and airborne ones cannot ferry you across either. This system is nice on paper but can get tedious in practice.



We Fight as One!
Combat is based on a rock-paper-scissors system and each monster is given a default category. Riders and Monsties choose their attacks and opponents. If two participants target each other directly, a Head-to-Head battle is triggered. The winner of the type match-up takes less damage, deals more damage, and negates the opponent's attack. Ties result in both attacks going through normally. Although learning a new monster’s patterns is always engaging, the system can be annoying due to some dumb Monstie and partner AI.

You also participate as a Rider, using traditional Hunter weapons to help fight against enemies. There are six types to choose from, each with clear uses. Large monsters have targetable body parts with varying resistances to your weapons. Breaking these parts gives you bonus rewards and may affect the monster’s combat potential.

Attacking successfully generates Kinship between you and your Monstie. Kinship can be spent in two ways: issuing direct orders to your Monstie or mounting your Monstie if maxed out. Mounting recovers both of your health and removes any status ailments. You have direct control over your Monstie and can choose to use your Kinship attack.

Kinship Moves are super attacks that have initiative priority and cancel your opponent’s attacks as well. The accompanying animations are all excellent, showcasing each Monstie’s personality well. Monster Hunter is a series that isn’t afraid to get silly and some moves are real gems.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2549192153
There’s also online content, although very few people have been participating since launch. You can do 1v1 or 2v2 tournament matches and go on co-op expeditions to get eggs and fight monsters. Unfortunately, online functions are unlocked pretty far into the second area of the game.



My Best-est Best Friend
Similarly, Monstie customization is also unlocked in the second area of the game. However, once you unlock gene (skill) customization, a whole new layer of strategy is available.

Each Monstie has a unique set of Genes, all randomly placed on a small grid. These genes can be customized to your liking, enabling you to make your favorite Monsties even stronger. However, you must sacrifice the donor when transferring skills. Gene customization makes the combat system much deeper and engaging as a result.



WoR has a really nice art style. Characters and monsters are done in a really beautiful cell-shaded style. Environments are created in a style more in-line with the main series but are all gorgeous. There was an endless sense of wonder for me when I explored a new area and hatched new friends. Nonetheless, the limited and fixed draw distance detracted from how much enjoyment I had just wandering around the maps and taking everything in.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2549098573
Animations are pretty good overall, and monsters moves are accurate to their mainline counterparts. Lip sync is tuned to the Japanese dub, but wasn’t terribly distracting.



Monster Hunter games have very solid orchestral tracks and WoR didn’t disappoint. From relaxing zone tunes to more dreary and tense boss themes, I had a great time listening to the music. Sound effects were great as well, anything monster-related being the clear winner. I played using the English dub, which I found to be okay. Some voices were a bit grating, but I really liked others.

Intel i9-10850K - RTX 3080 - 32GB RAM - SATA SSD - 1440p

I had no issue with the game at all, and it ran at a consistent 144 FPS. The number of overall options is pretty good, but graphical options are pathetic. Only Anti-Aliasing, LOD, texture detail and shadow quality are options. The game supports KBM and controllers, and all controls are customizable.




Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is a game that, despite investing nearly ninety hours into, still leaves me with much to explore and do. I enjoyed the story for what it is, but the gameplay is what keeps me coming back for more. Regardless of its issues, I am having a lot of fun collecting all the Monsties available and building up my team. With planned free updates in the future, WoR is an excellent purchase now or further down the line.

Just one more rare egg and then I can sleep....just one more.

An excellent entry for the Monster Hunter Universe.

Currently in post-end content, the story was really nice and touching.
This game is like Pokemon but with the added thrill of the hunt.
Heavily recommended to grandpas like me who lack the lightning fast reflexes to play the main series of MH games!
10/10

Comparing this to Pokemon is a disservice to what Stories 2 is. This game oozes charm and love for the Monster Hunter series that breaths new life into the monsters we've grown to love over the last decade. Animations, art, gameplay and music come together to create a complete experience in a living and breathing world.

For being one of the highest grossing franchises in the world; Pokemon is inexcusably pathetic in comparison.