Difficult to miss the phenomenon Monster Hunter lately. After the box of World in 2018 then Rise this year, Capcom's franchise has reached new heights in popularity. Thus, on the announcement of this Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, there was reason to be surprised by the relative indifference of lovers of the saga towards this opus... But it must be said that the latter deviates considerably from the catchy concept of monster hunting. We will see it well during this test.
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View PriceRead ConclusionMonster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin
- Very rich RPG side
- The successful artistic touch
- Rather rhythmic and well-made fights
- The small multiplayer side
- A technical disaster
- Scenario and topics covered fairly agreed
- Repetitive missions
When it was released in 2016 (in Japan) on 3DS, the first Monster Hunter Stories chose to opt for a rather intriguing “old-school RPG” dimension. The game introduced a new turn-based combat system for the franchise and colorful graphics, with a touch a bit more childish than in the main episodes. An approach that has obviously paid off since five years later, Capcom gives us a sequel that remains in the line of its ancestor.
A cute story full of monsters
The adventure begins with the customization of our hero (or heroine) who will remain sadly silent until the end credits. Soon, a strange event occurs and causes all the nearby Rathalos to disappear. As for the other monsters, they become noticeably aggressive and threaten the integrity of our peaceful little village well established on a paradise island. It is in this context that the player will have to do everything to become a good rider, that is to say a kind of Pokémon master (and this will not be the only parallel with the license) in the universe of Monster Hunter .
Overall, the main frame takes its time before really taking off. Without saying too much, another character seizing a Rathalos egg is introduced from the first minutes but we have to wait long hours before seeing the scenario get in tune with this canon departure. Monster Hunter Stories 2 takes the player by the hand to teach him the different gameplay mechanics, even if it means stringing together rather boring quests. Because too much to water down a usually mature saga, the title quickly falls into clichés with the eternal "power of friendship" and the importance of believing in yourself. The target audience is therefore quite young (PEGI 7!). Thus, it is clear that the regulars of Monster Hunter may be caught off guard.
Catch them all
Like a Pokémon, Monster Hunter Stories 2 relies heavily on creating a bond with monsters (here renamed Monsties) and their Rider. To form a nice squad of six creatures, it is quite logically mandatory to capture them beforehand. In order to achieve this objective, the player must explore dens scattered all over the map to unearth eggs. After hatching, a Monstie will come out to join our fine team. Each has combat skills but also faculties useful for exploration such as climbing walls, performing long jumps or swimming. In all, 128 monsters can be encountered throughout the game.
But once again, and this is a flaw inherent in the title, the process is quickly repetitive. All of the dens are almost similar despite some unstriking variations. The stables are used to store the eggs, to manage the group of Monsties or to launch expeditions with them. We're not going to lie to each other, this system is directly borrowed from Pokémon (him again!) and the recipe therefore remains unoriginal to really make an impression. But to keep us busy, Monster Hunter Stories 2 has chosen to go all out on its RPG aspect.
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A monstrous menu
Because the nerve of the war of this new Monster Hunter is in his fights. Gone are the epic real-time hunts and made way for the good old turn-based battles. If everything is inevitably less spectacular, Capcom has nevertheless done things well. The gameplay uses an attack type system. Three in number, each has an advantage and a weakness. For example, strength trumps technique, technique trumps speed, and speed trumps strength. It is then necessary to choose the good technique and the adequate weapon to take the top during a duel. As for the friendship gauge that fills up over the course of actions, it allows you to use talents and then ride the Monstie alongside us to inflict heavy damage. Clashes can even be punctuated by QTEs also used to gain the upper hand over the opposing monster.
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Let's recognize the perfect complementarity of these mechanics to which are added the classic elements of any good self-respecting RPG. Namely the blacksmith to buy and improve equipment, harvesting resources, gaining levels of monsters like Riders, the prayer box to obtain ephemeral bonuses, crafting based on recipes and much more. All of this for the sole purpose of beating up monsters with a vengeance... No mission is an exception to this rule and all of them end in a fight against a mini-boss. So much so that it is not uncommon to lose sight of the starting postulate (which is to save the world, just that!). A defect to be attributed to the painful requests of NPCs such as Recover such an insect or collect materials to restart a mill.
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The secondary objectives try to bring some variety to the experience but without much success. In addition, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin contains unexpected connected features. We can thus face other players during a fight or embark on a mission in cooperation. Unfortunately, we couldn't test these modes in depth because of the severe lack of players on the servers... The game hasn't been released yet, so that's quite logical. Let's emphasize all the same this great effort on the part of the developers which could offer good replayability once the game is finished.
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Technical issues ruining the experience
Aesthetically speaking, Capcom's production looks great. The shimmering colors and the modeling of the monsters have a lot to do with it. The exterior sets are quite varied, the powers in combat are eye-catching and the interiors benefit from a certain sense of detail. Day or night (with the possibility of switching between the two via fast travel points), the graphic touch is therefore pleasant. BUT ! It's time to show our scarlet red card for all the technical part of Monster Hunter Stories 2... Because it's a real cataclysm!
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Whether in open areas, in villages or during a confrontation, the game gives the impression of rowing constantly (in portable mode as on a TV). The cap of 30 FPS is difficult to reach for too many sequences and the Nintendo Switch seems to suffer heavily. The console even heats up abundantly and drains its battery in a few tens of minutes when the game is running. Under forget the pronounced clipping or vegetation that appears 30 centimeters from the feet of the hero. It's hard to see...
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And it's a shame because the world of Monster Hunter Stories 2 is quite immersive. The Felynes bring humor, the music is catchy and the dubbing (English or Japanese) is convincing. It is unfortunate that these positive points can be spoiled by a deplorable technique that will imperatively have to be corrected via future updates.
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Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, l'avis de JVFR
Capcom has the merit of targeting a completely different audience with Wings of Ruin. The software is ultra complete in its RPG gameplay and occupying the player for dozens of hours. The atmosphere that emanates from the game is also pleasant thanks to a mastered artistic direction, skillfully orchestrated music and a "good child" story although a little long to fully get started.
But it is absolutely unimaginable to ignore the immense technical shortcomings of the title which risk hindering more than one player. And let's also highlight a formula that's a bit classic and too borrowed from Pokémon to really impress.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin7
Designed for a young audience, Monster Hunter Stories 2 transposes the universe of the license relatively well to a purely RPG format. Too bad the scenario and the technique do not follow the movement. If it will not remain in the annals, the title of Capcom lets itself be consumed…. but in moderation.Most
- Very rich RPG side
- The successful artistic touch
- Rather rhythmic and well-made fights
- The small multiplayer side
The lessers
- A technical disaster
- Scenario and topics covered fairly agreed
- Repetitive missions
Test conducted on Nintendo Switch using a code provided by Nintendo
