Summary
Developer – Capcom
Publisher – Capcom
Platforms – Nintendo Switch, Steam
Today we are taking a look at Capcom’s long awaited follow up to their surprise hit, Monster Hunter Stories.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is the classic “sequel” in every sense.
It takes everything the first game did, how it looked and felt, and built upon it that foundation. It has improved visuals, an overhaul to several systems and for the most part improves on the experience the first game provided.
And what did that first game provide? It was easily the best Pokemon style game at a time when many games were struggling in early access or trying to build that kind of game with a fresh universe, such as Temtem.
The sequel doesn’t stray far from the path the original set. You begin by creating a character, and you explore the same world from the original title. Many of the games locations, characters and events are referenced quite frequently, but never to the point of new players becoming lost.
You quickly meet some new characters, get thrust into becoming a rider and off you go. You then slowly work and build up your collection of monsties to the best of your abilities. This part of the game is probably the area that contains the biggest improvement from its predecessor. The user interface for managing monsties, editing genes to create the perfect creature and managing upgrades are all streamlined and extremely snappy to get in an out of.
The entire interface for handling all of the deep strategic choices you will make mid to late game are very perfect. Everything is only a couple of clicks away, and all of the information you need about monster type , weapon weaknesses and weaknesses and strengths are easy to see and allows you to focus on what your party needs for the next big hunt.
Many systems from the first game return as well, things like Monsties, grabbing as much crafting mats in the open world possible and using your creatures on various field actions such as jump, breaking barriers or reach normally inaccessible areas.
The moment to moment gameplay does feel largely the same, with a rock paper system that alleviates frustration by avoiding randomized attacks or patterns. approaching combat in this turn based combat system is just like the standard Monster Hunter titles. The first time you battle a creature, you won’t know much.
You won’t even have access to their life bar. Learning each creatures attack patterns, what they do when enraged, that’s all a part of the combat loop. The hunter guide keeps track of all the fine details, from weaknesses to biomes that specific monster is found it.
The most obvious improvement are the visuals. By coming out on Switch and PC, the presentation gets a huge facelift and pushes it past it’s mobile predecessor. New cel-shaded graphics bring the world to life, and each egg hatching is always a joy to see, due to the fabulous chibi design of some of the series most fearsome beasts.
Co-op is easily my favorite aspect of Wings of Ruin. Being able to play with a friend and go out into open hunting expeditions is pretty incredible. As your kinship rank moves up, new multiplayer hunting quests open up. These special field area’s usually have harder than normal monsters and crafting mats to scavenge. Each player can only bring three monsters each, so coordinating with a friend to specialize for each hunt will go a long way.
The story is fairly straightforward, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The cast of characters, some new and most returning, all come together for a fun, lighthearted story that never takes itself too serious, but still provides enough motivation to push through and see the next new region or marquee creature to face.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is a bigger, better version of the previous game that should win over people who couldn’t get past playing it on mobile devices.
