Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin Reviews
Those looking for an easygoing yet surprisingly deep JRPG will be taken with Monster Hunter Stories 2, even if some of its more notable flaws are harder to forgive. But once you look past those, you’re left with a wondrous little adventure with an engaging battle system, lovable characters, and an emotionally resonant narrative that sunk its claws in far deeper than I ever expected it to. If you’ve never been able to vibe with the mainline games, give this one a punt.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is the perfect example of a game I didn’t know I needed.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is a mixed bag. Hatching and maxing out your Monsties is a lot of fun, but the battle system in which you spend most of your time eventually wears out its welcome. While the story becomes interesting in the late game, it takes a long time to get there, with extended periods spent wandering from quest point to quest point on autopilot. There are a lot of systems at play here, but they don't always gel into a compelling game.
Monster Hunter Stories 2 turns out to be a good JRPG that will delight fans of the saga, especially those willing to turn a blind eye to its undeniable ease and a narrative held back by avalanches of fetch quests and a disappointing protagonist. Those who have played the first game should keep in mind that this is a more of the same, with all the pros and cons that this entails.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Geared towards a younger or perhaps less experienced player base, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin carves off a big piece of hunting joy while trimming away the fat.
While it can get repetitive and you don't have as much control over combat as I'd like, this is undoubtedly a very strong entry in the series on its own merits. If the idea of raising a horde of monsters and having them knock the crap out of others sounds good to you, I can't imagine you won't find anything to enjoy here.
The whole adventure is a massive mountain to climb and that's without all the extra content. There are elements within the game that can feel overwhelming, but like other Monster Hunter games, players will only be rewarded by the amount they put into the game. There are some performance issues but that doesn't take away that much from the overall experience. Even though this may not be the Monster Hunter players are familiar with, it's a great game that Capcom has amazingly re-envisioned to bring a new audience.
Overall, Monster Hunter Stories 2 is a fine game. It does nothing offensive while still having some great mechanics thrown in. The story is decent, the combat is fun, but can get a little long in the tooth and the overall progression system was fine albeit a bit one note after a while. Monster Hunter fans can have a fun time with it while old school RPG fans will get more out of the mechanics of the combat mixed with the rite of channeling that can really get the maximum stat boosts going. It has it’s pacing issues here and there with the combat and the quest progression, but overall, these are minor compared to the sheer amount of things you can do while still raising the best team of Monsties you can make.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin have one of the most in-depth and exciting monster breeding system ever made, but sadly it comes with rather archaic narrative and boring combat encounters.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is a successful, generous title with more detailed gameplay than you might think.
Review in French | Read full review
Once in a while, you come across a game that surprises you in the most pleasant ways. Monster Hunter Stories 2 went above and beyond my expectations for the sequel with its wonderful visuals as well as a story with plenty of heart, poignancy as well as some good old fun thrown in between. It’s obvious that a great amount of effort was put in this game and it shows. Given how the first game underperformed, Monster Hunter Stories 2 is a game that shouldn’t have been made. Thank goodness that it was.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin deserves to find a sizable audience. It's full of charm and boasts depth that can immerse the committed or be dabbled with by those eager to simply experience the story. As a blend of Monster Hunter with a traditional RPG approach it's an accomplished effort, and offers the sort of meaty experience that'll keep most players busy for weeks. Switch owners will need to tolerate some disappointing performance, unfortunately, but the overall experience shines nonetheless. It's a game of bright colours and wholehearted optimism, which is very welcome indeed.Oh, and you can name your Monsties; trust us, you're gonna love these companions.
Monster Hunter Stories 2 is a much friendlier introduction to the complex franchise, anchored by excellent turn-based RPG combat,
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin breathes new life into the world of Monster Hunter. The shift to a turn-based RPG is handled so well, with an addictive and fast-paced combat system that's just as rewarding as traditional Monster Hunter. Complementing that is a genuinely engaging story full of wonderful characters, all rendered in an incredibly beautiful art style. Whether you're a newcomer or a series veteran, this is a must-play RPG.
. If Monster Hunter Stories 2 allowed the player full control over the party and made it more about customizing a team, then the overall experience would make it an excellent entry in the franchise. Even without, it's a very good turn-based monster collector with broad appeal that's worth a look for fans of the genre.
While the repetitiveness of its turn-based battle system can become frustrating, Monster Hunter Stories 2 is more than a novel twist on the main series' core components.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin will serve as a great game for welcoming series newcomers into this vast and vibrant universe, but it might not be your cup of tea if you’re already invested in the mainline series.