The Monster Hunter series has always been about adventuring and giving players the power to slay monsters, but for fans wishing for a more lighthearted turn-based experience, the Monster Hunter Stories game is getting a sequel, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. Ahead of its July 9th release, Capcom's E3 Showcase revealed that the game will have a trial version demo along with content updates for it and Monster Hunter Rise.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin was first shown during Summer Game Fest, where a cinematic trailer set the stage for more info about the title to appear during the showcase. Both trailers focus on the player's story and their 'kinship' Rathalos, and how they deal with the Rathalos' power of the 'Wings of Ruin.'
While the trailer focused more on the story of the title, immediately afterward the showcase announced that Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is getting a free update on July 15th, adding the Palamute from Monster Hunter Rise to the game. Following that was an announcement about a trial version being released on June 25th, with save data players could keep and transfer over to the full version upon release.
Fans who were unsure about stepping into the turn-based gameplay of Monster Hunter Stories should be able to experience what it has to offer with the trial version just in time to decide if the game is for them before release. As Wings of Ruin gets an update to add the Palamute, Monster Hunter Rise is set to get an event quest offering armor for the player's Palico stylized after Wings of Ruins' Tsukino, and other collaborative items.
The trailers showcasing the games made a point to emphasize how they meet in the middle, allowing players to steal eggs and fight beasts while riding a Rathalos to show players that the games aren't so different. It's still the Monster Hunter series, and Capcom made sure to reassure any fans of that.
Even if turn-based titles aren't something fans think they'll be fond of, there's still plenty to enjoy with Monster Hunter Rise. For the players who stick with just Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, they can look forward to having their very own canine-like companion Palamute that won fans' hearts over easily. Capcom has made the efforts to bridge the two gameplay styles together under one series name, and even if players don't seem to be interested in the Stories series, there's the trial version to consider when thinking about taking the leap into it.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin releases on July 9th for the Nintendo Switch.