REVIEW: Monster Hunter Stories 2 – Another excellent JRPG for the Switch

Capcom has been bringing a wave of excellent games in the most diverse areas. With monster hunter stories 2, the company gets it right once again, this time with the continuation of one of its most beloved franchises, but with a different turn-based battle system. The game mixes elements of collecting monsters, similar to Pokémon, but with several innovations that make it something totally new, and best of all: fully translated into Portuguese.

The successor of the legend

In this new adventure we are the grandson or granddaughter of the legendary Red Rider who is in a ceremonial. However, on the side of the island, a young woman runs in the middle of the forest, hiding from a group of hunters. She then encounters a reddish dragon, who delivers an egg to the girl. The hunters reappear and attack the two, which causes the dragon to defend itself and take flight. A little later, we learn that the hunters are looking for the Ratha Overwhelming, who according to legend, brings with him the Wings of Ruin, which can destroy the world.

This is the starting point of monster hunter stories 2. Almost every moment we are reminded that we are the relative of someone who is very important to the village. Also, our character is said to have just become an Assembler, and he happens to be accompanied by his teacher, Kayna. Together they will undertake some missions to understand the reasons that led some Monsties to act unnaturally. And right on the first mission, they meet Navirou, a Feline who also wants to know what's going on. The three then team up and the friendly kitten goes on to serve as the voice of the main character, as he is mute during the journey.

The way the story is told is very cool, and with many flashbacks, since there is a very strong relationship between our hero and his grandfather, who is quite charismatic. The other characters present in the adventure are also very cool, and it makes you want to know more about them.

Come on, PokeBo…. Monster!!!

Em monster hunter stories 2 we use the Monsties in the battle. They can be obtained in the form of eggs in caves around the world. These caves can be divided into common and special, those with rarer and more powerful monsters. They can appear randomly on the map, so it's possible to forget about the main quest and keep venturing among them in search of the perfect little monster. We can more or less get a sense of the quality of the creature inside the egg thanks to Navirou's warning.

Even among the same monsters, there are several differences between them, the main one being a nine-point field where we can activate genes, which are passed from monster to monster. Some of them can come with these locked points, so it's always interesting to have several of them, to find the best option possible.

All monsters on the team gain equal experience, even the ones that don't participate in battles, thus making training easier. So don't be shy about having several of the same type and then selecting the best one to be part of your team.

Fighting with your Monstie

Unlike the Pokémon franchise, in monster hunter stories 2 we fight with our Monster. For this it is necessary to buy or forge the best equipment for the main character. And this is for sure one of the most fun things to do in the game. Hunting for certain items to make that armor that will help in a specific battle is awesome. The main reason for this is that to create an armor, we need a piece of the monster's tail, so we have to hunt it in order to finally conquer that desired piece.

And as we fight in partnership with our Monster favorite, we have to assemble the best strategy to overcome powerful enemies. Navirou occasionally gives tips and hints, which makes it easier to fight certain enemies. Also, depending on the chosen move, we can do double hits with our creatures, which deals greater damage to the opponent.

Combat is turn-based and is based on the classic Paper, Rock and Scissors system, I'll explain: Quick Attack wins Strong Attack, which wins Strategic Attack, which wins Quick Attack. This also applies to the various special abilities of Monsties and our assembler. I say here that this system is one of the most fun I've had the pleasure of playing in recent times and also one of the most strategic I've ever seen. How can we see what our Monster and our companions will do, we can coordinate as needed, giving a massive depth to the fights.

Another cool thing to be able to do is vary between the types of weapons available. Particularly I used a giant sword, a large hammer, and a bow and arrow. Just like the Monsties they can be changed at will, thus giving an important strategic element to combat. Also in it, each time we leave the village, we have a total of 3 hearts that can be used, that is, each time our character or our Monster becomes lifeless, we lose a heart, and the newly fallen regains life. To recover just go to the city again and that's it. To make it much easier, there is the Gatovan system, which takes us to certain points on the map.

During the journey, it will be common to find certain points of interest scattered around the map. Things like vines, skipping stones, water, holes and others. All these things can be explored as the Monster used. For example, the first creature received in the game has the ability to jump freely and access places that the others cannot. That's why it's important to have a very varied team, which greatly increases the replayability of different sessions of the game.

But what a beautiful island

One of the first things that struck me about monster hunter stories 2 it was the beauty of the settings and the monsters. The quality of everything is beautiful, from the houses, open scenarios with rivers, many trees and different types of Monsties. The game uses a semi-open world system linked by regions, which gives a great depth to everything. Also, there are the caves and monster lairs that appear randomly. This is one of those games where you can forget about the main story and get lost exploring everything around.

Another very beautiful thing is the special effects when we use mounted moves with our Monsties. If the current creature has wings, it will fly, if it is terrestrial, it will run, and so on. You can also do double strikes with the partner in turn. These punches crush the opponent, and are extremely well done. It's impossible not to compare it to Pokémon, but at least for me, Monster Hunter managed to do better than the Nintendo franchise.

However, all this beauty comes at the cost of loading screens. If you are already used to the waiting time of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S|X, you may be a little frustrated with the performance of monster hunter stories 2 on Nintendo Switch. There were several moments where the transition of areas took a while, or else the screen stuck between a scene of the story and stayed like that for a few seconds until entering the battle. Nothing that bothers, but it's always good to point out this situation.

Sound in the box

In addition to having hit the nail on the head in the monster hunter stories 2, Capcom made the game's soundtrack also magnificent. With orchestrated music that fills the soul and creates the perfect atmosphere for adventure. It was in charge of Masahiro Ohki, Yuko Miyata and Marika Suzuki, all starting their journey in the area. The sounds of the blows given by Monsties and for humans it was great too. Not to mention the roars given during special attacks. Everything here pleased me in a way that I hadn't seen it in a long time.

Another important point to mention is the fact that the main dialogue scenes of the game are fully dubbed, in English and Japanese, however, finally, there is the option to play with subtitles in Portuguese. I confess that at first I was a little strange to see the name of the moves in our language, but after a few hours I just enjoyed the game.

monster hunter stories 2

In general, monster hunter stories 2 it's an excellent game. If you're looking for an adventure that's sure to hold you for many, many hours, give the title a shot. With easy-to-learn turn-based combat and a captivating story, it's sure to join the select group of great roleplaying games that are available on Nintendo Switch. In addition to all this, add the fact that you can enjoy everything in Portuguese, and be able to battle with friends, already makes it one of the great games of the year.

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