The New Classics #37: Monster Hunter Stories 2 – Wings of Ruin

 

The Backstory: although the canon series never clicked with me, I had good hopes I could enjoy that spinoff. We’re talking quests and classic turn-based combat; surely things cannot go wrong with such sound basics, right? 

 

 

The Game: One thing that always bothered me with the Monster Hunter series is its stiff, oh-we’re-so-serious presentation. Over the course of my gaming career, I’ve only encountered a single other series that takes itself so seriously; that series was Final Fantasy, and that encounter didn’t go too well. I expected more light-heartedness from WoR — to no avail, alas. It’s not as stiff as the canon MH games, but it’s still way stiffer than I’d like.

 

 

The environments are drop-dead gorgeous, that cannot be denied. Still, another thing that cannot be denied is that they feet just a tad too big for my taste. That is the Monster Hunter style all through and through, and I cannot blame WoR for emulating it; but I cannot force myself to stomach it either.

 

 

Not that I will ever have to, actually. Things unravelled completely right from the first battle, when I discovered the fighting system. It’s turn-based allright; but it’s also based on some rock-paper-scissors mechanics that feel more tedious than thrilling. There is no real strategy involved, as you just have to pick up the type of attack that will deal damage against your opponent; once you make your way through trial and error and nail that damaging attack, it’s just a matter of spamming it until the end. Why not allow me to spam attacks right of the bat, Capcom? The way I see it, this is just a failed attempt at jazzing up what is ultimately some very basic turn-based fighting system.

 

 

The Verdict: Alas, woe and misery, Monster Hunter spinoffs fare no better than canon games as far as I’m concerned. It’s time to stop torturing myself, and to ditch the series entirely — hunting for prehistoric monsters is definitely not my cup of tea.