Monster Hunter Stories 2 is not like the main entries in the series. It’s a turn-based RPG kind of like Pokemon instead of an action-based game. The first was met with praise but that did not translate well into sales. That was in 2017 on the 3DS, which was after the Switch’s launch, in other words.
That might be why it got overlooked by Nintendo fans the first time around. Thankfully, Capcom believed in the project enough to give it at least one more try. The reception on this sequel is also high, but there are certainly things that could have gone better.
9 Best: Ghibli Like Visuals
Even though the Nintendo Switch is showing its age, Monster Hunter Stories 2 still manages to impress. It doesn’t have the most detailed characters or environments, but it is a vibrant world nonetheless. The characters look like they dropped out of a Ghibli film. The frame rate can affect how good the performances are but overall it’s a very impressive and charming world to explore.
8 Worst: Reusing Assets
One aspect about the design that isn’t as impressive is the reusing of assets. Many monsters, weapons, and clothing don’t appear differently from some of the most recent entries in the series.
This can make Monster Hunter Stories 2 feel less special. This is a different experience in some ways so seeing a cel-shaded version of a certain sword can be cool. It would just be cooler if the game felt a bit more different than past entries, besides the gameplay.
7 Best: Fast-Forwarding
If a turn-based RPG does not ship with a fast-forward feature, there’s trouble. Thankfully Monster Hunter Stories 2 joins other modern Switch RPGs in its battle execution. The speed can be increased up to three times. There is no auto-battle feature, though, which is disappointing. On the flip side, there is something called a Quick Finish. If the player is significantly over-leveled above an encountered monster, they can tap the Quick Finish command to end it in an instant.
6 Worst: Rock, Paper, Scissors Battle System
One feature about the battle system that is not as good is the three-way advantage system. It’s basically the RPG equivalent to rock, paper, scissors. Power attacks beat technical. Technical beats speed. Speed beats power. The thing is, it can be hard to determine what will be thrown in battle, making it a big guessing game. That is, understandably, the point of rock, paper scissors. It’s not the worst RPG battle system. It just feels needlessly complicated.
5 Best: Every Monster Levels Up
Players can only have a set amount of Monsties with them at a time, while the others stay at home base. Thankfully one does not need to use Monsties in order to level them up in battle. Every Monstie gets experience, in other words. This makes keeping the party balanced at around the same level range easier. It’s exactly how it works in the Pokemon games.
4 Worst: Uninspired Dungeons
There are a lot of dungeons, or monster caves, that litter the whole map. There might be too many, in fact. They don’t offer much variety. Even the story-based ones look fairly generic.
For a world as vibrant and colorful as this, getting the same sort of layout a hundred times over can be disappointing. This can make exploring less incentivizing.
3 Best: The Open-World
One of the game’s biggest pluses is that it opens up right away. There is a set of story quests that players should follow for the first hour or so in order to unlock stuff, but that’s just a suggestion. If one wants to grind, look for eggs, and or explore, that is also an option. The first area may seem huge but there are multiple areas in Monster Hunter Stories 2 so don’t fill up too fast. There’s a lot more to see out there.
2 Worst: Slow Rollout Of The Mechanics
While the open-world is readily available at the start, it takes about 4-5 hours to unlock most of the game’s mechanics. Some of these things can significantly speed up the process of exploring and or grinding in battles too. For example, there is the aforementioned Quick Finish ability which is beyond amazing. It would have been nice if the rollout was faster which is a small complaint relatively.
1 Best: The Humor
Another aspect that adds to the Ghibli-like charm in Monster Hunter Stories 2 is its humor. There are a lot of laugh-out-loud moments, like whenever Kayna is toying with Navirou. It’s the kind of kid-friendly humor one would find in the early seasons of the Pokemon anime. It might not be the most highbrow comedy around, but it is good for a laugh. The English voice acting really helps sell the lines.