Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin Reviews
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin runs fine on the Nintendo Switch - the monsters are a highlight, and the rest of the game is okay. That’s the real problem. That’s the real shame. That’s the real missed opportunity.
For fans of the RPG genre, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is a mostly enjoyable experience. Sometimes the mission structure can drag, and some players are bound to find Navirou a bit irritating. However, the game's highlights definitely make up for the slower moments. This is a really solid RPG that gives the player freedom to go at their own pace. It also has a fun combat system, and charming story moments. For those that can look past its slight stumbles, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin should hold a lot of appeal, regardless of the player's familiarity with the franchise.
The combat system is surprisingly deep and read-oriented, which can be a lot of fun. Despite how simple it is in concept and on paper, there are legitimately hard fights that can challenge a player’s mind, even just a bit.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is a worthy sequel to the Nintendo 3DS game. With more powerful hardware, this new adventure is fully realized.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin has a deep combat system, and players who enjoy very complex character building mechanics will find that there is limitless potential for any monstie. It’s held back by technical limitations on Switch, but that shouldn’t be an issue for the PC version. The only problem you’ll have is fighting the urge to stuff Navirou in a refrigerator.
f. When it all comes together, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin feels as epic and engaging as any other entry in the long-running series, albeit in turn-based RPG form.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is somewhat imperfect, but the flaws don’t quite eclipse its strengths. Despite the annoying party AI and grind, the combat has the right level of tactical depth I would expect from a turn-based Monster Hunter game. With its adorable Monsties and a wide-open world to explore, gamers looking for a new JRPG to dive into can certainly do a lot worse. As long as you are prepared for some irritating supporting cast members and a somewhat repetitive gameplay loop, fans of the monster-collecting genre will get a lot out of this game.
Developers have put all efforts into making a game that will accompany the players during all summer and even after. Very solid and more profound than it seems, the combat system benefits of dynamic cut scenes during special attacks that make every battle enjoyable. Alas, the first half of the game might seem too bland and the egg searching and hatching concept quite tedious, but there's no doubt that many players will get fun out of it.
Review in French | Read full review
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.
. 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.
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 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.
Capcom's new Monster Hunter spin-off is a solid JRPG for those who enjoy collecting and raising monsters.
A clever reinterpretation of classic Monster Hunter action in the form of a Japanese role-playing game. Although it can often seem a little too oversimplified compared to the mainline titles.
Proof that the franchise has great potential for growth outside the bounds of its traditional mechanics.
For all it’s charm and mechanical depth, Wings of Ruin only just manages to fly.
While it’s your typical ‘Monster Hunter’ game, you can also tame and ride them all while enjoying this adventure RPG. The battle system is turn based and the intensity that the original Monster Hunter had has been well translated into this iteration as well. While there is a keyword of ‘Stories’ in the game’s title, it was a little ironic that the characters weren’t highlighted as much which made it feel awkward to focus on the story itself.
Review in Korean | Read full review
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is very much so a Monster Hunter game. Its main focus still falls on the core loop of battling monsters, gathering materials, and using them to craft badass gear suited for different situations. Infused with a rock-paper-scissors turn-based combat system and creature collection elements, it does, nevertheless, provide a different spin on things that adds extra reasons to sink your teeth into its inherent grind.
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.