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There’s an addictive core loop of exploring Monster Dens (seemingly randomised small locations such as caves and the like), finding an egg you’re happy with and running it back to the local village. The high fidelity realism of Monster Hunter World’s designs is perfectly rendered here in cartoonish but detailed models that capture the spirit of Monster Hunter immaculately.
#Monster hunter stories rideable monsters series#
Fans of the series should be pleased with the sheer number of rideable monsters present in Wings of Ruin, especially given how well translated these creatures are into the softer art direction. Throughout the game you’ll gather up countless monster eggs, considering their qualities before taking one back to the stables to hatch and make your Monstie. Unnecessarily direct reads of the text aside, Wings of Ruin takes this wobbly premise and spins gold from it. Concessions must be made in games such as these but given that the Riders are both a selling point for mechanics and textual narrative devices, the lack of self-awareness around this is a little amusing. Except, of course, you’ll spend the game violently clashing with monsters while nabbing their unborn children to raise into warriors you’ll then use to clash with more of them in an unironically horrifying cycle. The core distinction of the Riders is their far more “peaceful” dynamic with the monsters, ostensibly seeking out naturalistic partnerships with the creatures rather than outright subjicating them with violence. In the fifty years since his adventures, things have been relatively stable in the region, monster and man coexisting peacefully even with the uneasy alliance between Riders and the Hunters from the mainland. You’ll be playing as the offspring of the legendary Rider Red, your grandfather whose kindness left such an impression on the land that you’ll scarcely be able to enter a village without someone comparing the two of you. The difference being that Hunters hunt the majestic monsters that roam the lands while Riders…well, also hunt them but under the guise of friendship. Wings of Ruin follows suit from the original Monster Hunter Stories, casting you as a Rider rather than a Hunter. Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin Review But it’s also needlessly awkward and remarkably unambitious, marring its outstanding achievements in game design with a persistent stream of small issues that eventually threaten to drag the whole experiment down with them. It is impossibly cute at times, sporting a welcoming soft aesthetic and recontextualisation of the titular monsters and how they relate to the people in these far off lands.
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It’s a game that holds true to the appeal of the series from which it has been spun off but radically shifts its focus from real-time action to methodically rewarding turn-based combat. How do you retain the core appeal and themes of work while also presenting it as something ideally new and unique? Is it possible to make sweeping fundamental changes to a formula and still capture the same magic that made it work in the first place? With Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, Capcom gets as close as it’s ever been to a far more accessible and wholly refreshing take on the long-running Monster Hunter series.