Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin Review

This is a spoiler free review.

I've been a fan of the Monster Hunter series for a long time, dating all the way back to the PlayStation 2 era, where I, as a child, was in awe of the ferocious monsters, and always a bit frustrated that I struggled to fight them efficiently. Now, as an adult, with my first ever fully completed Monster Hunter game being Monster Hunter World, I can safely say that I'm addicted to the franchise, and I'm always craving more.

Rise scratched that itch for a while, but I quickly milked it for all the content it was worth. I was left wanting more, waiting for the next update, replaying old missions online, feeling rather desperate.

And then Monster Hunter Stories 2 came out.

I was sceptical at first. I'm a huge fan of turn-based RPGs, but I couldn't fathom how well that formula would translate to a series such as Monster Hunter. But I gave it a go, to both sate my curiosity and to indulge myself in some of the extra content that I'd been craving.

And all I can say is, 'Wow.'

This game blew my expectations out of the water. First of all - it's absolutely beautiful. The design has such charm, more cartoonish than the semi-realistic Monster Hunter I'm used to, but it works in the games favour. Every single area, every cut scene, every character is gorgeous to look at. Coinciding with the absolutely fantastic sound design, this game is such a treat for the senses. It's inviting, and the opening cut scene had me hooked and ready to take on whatever was awaiting me.

And what a story. Again, despite the name literally having the word 'stories' in it, I was sceptical of the quality of the writing. We've all loaded up a turn-based RPG ready to be taken on a narrative journey, only to find that the writing is shallow, with the story turning out to be nothing more than a cliche, predictable cash grab. I wasn't expecting much, but I was very pleasantly surprised.

The story took me on an emotional rollercoaster. The characters are so full of life, all so different from one another, but working so well to add a depth to the narrative. A good story makes you care about what happens, and boy, did I care. There were times where I cried, times where I laughed, and plenty of times where I cheered in triumph. My monsties became my family, with my first hatched Nargacuga - Fluffy - becoming my very own iconic monstie.

Even the player character, who is silent throughout the game, manages to add personality and charm. Your rider does not idle in cut scenes, but rather, emotes through facial expression and action. Without spoiling anything, there was one particular cut scene that took place in the desert locale that had me on an emotional rollercoaster. I was on the edge of my seat, genuinely unsure of what direction the story would take. This isn't a kids game that shies away from death or the cruelties that come alongside humanity - anything could have happened, and I was hooked, waiting for the story to unfold.

I do have one small gripe, however. Navirou.

I'm not a huge fan of his character design. Feylenes are notoriously adorable, and I was such a fan of being able to design my own Palico companion in the mainline MH games. Navirou was a let down. A personal opinion, of course, but coupled with his atrocious English voice acting, I could not handle him during the first few hours of the game. This issue was easily fixed, however. I switched to Japanese voice acting with English subtitles about five hours into my journey, and I haven't looked back since. Rather than the irritating, almost arrogant direction the English voice actor took with Navirou's character, the Japanese voice actor lends his voice an almost childlike naivety, one which I think much better suits his character. Much more bearable, and a hell of a lot cuter.

Overall, Monster Hunter Stories 2 has quickly become my favourite game of the year so far. If you're a MH fan and are on the fence about whether to play it, I heavily encourage that you do. You might be pleasantly surprised.

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