EXCLUSIVE: Monster Hunter Stories Producer Emphasizes “Respect for Monster Hunter” as The Main Goal of The Series

With the upcoming re-release of the Monster Hunter Stories titles, we got an opportunity to interview Akira Yoshihiro, the producer of the series.

Since its initial release on the 3DS in October 2016, Monster Hunter Stories has captured the hearts of hunters across the world. Now almost 8 years later, the title is poised to soar into the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam, alongside the re-release of Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin on the PlayStation 4 on 14 June, 2024.

All Monsters Under The Sun

As every hunter knows, the Monster Hunter series is best known for their diverse cast of monsters to hunt, or in the case of Stories, befriend and ride. We asked Yoshihiro about his team’s factors when it comes to deciding monsters to implement into the games, and whether the recent monster popularity poll will affect future rosters.

“I will refrain from answering questions related to whether or not there are sequels or new games, but to use the past two games as examples, the ultimate goal of the Monster Hunter Stories series was ‘to have all the monsters that appeared in Monster Hunter’. If we prioritize that goal, we can develop the game at a lower cost.”

“However, the series’ development policy is grounded in a deep ‘respect for Monster Hunter’. We want to make sure that each monster is unique, so while there is a limit to the number of monsters that can appear in the series, we try to include as many monsters as possible.”

The Love Of Monster Hunter

Besides the two games, the Rider series also has an anime under the title of Monster Hunter Stories: Ride On with a score of 6.27 on MyAnimeList. Having dipped their toes into different mediums, we pondered about the future of the Monster Hunter Stories series.

“The Monster Hunter Stories series is an RPG created so that even those who are not good at action games can enjoy the world of Monster Hunter,” replied Yoshihiro, “and was started with the goal of becoming one of the entrances to the large Monster Hunter franchise.”

“We hope that a wide range of players, including those who enjoy RPGs (especially command battle RPGs) and those who like the nurturing elements, will enjoy the game, and that the Monster Hunter Stories series will ignite a new passion for Monster Hunter.”

Long Swordless?

The Monster Hunter Stories games feature some of the classic weapons wielded by hunters across the series, but much to fans’ surprise, the long sword has yet to make an appearance, despite dominating the weapon popularity charts of most games in the franchise. To this, Yoshihiro justified their decisions by saying, “”We are of course aware that the Long Sword is a popular weapon.”

“The reason we did not adopt the Long Sword was because it was difficult to draft specifications that were “not too complicated, but still distinctive” in order to incorporate its features into a command RPG.”

“As mentioned in our answer to the previous question, the Monster Hunter Stories series was created with an emphasis on making Monster Hunter enjoyable for a wide range of players, and we did not want to make the specifications too complicated, even if we could make it unique.”

Same Games, New Platforms

The Monster Hunter Stories releases were received warmly by the community, especially with the remastering of Monster Hunter Stories to mobile devices and the release of Monster Hunter Stories 2 on the Switch. Nonetheless, porting a game is not an easy feat, and so, we wondered about Yoshihiro’s decision to bring both games onto multiple platforms this time around.

“The fact that Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin was released in 2021 was a major factor in its success with so many players around the world,” he answered. “With the end of digital sales and network services for the Nintendo 3DS, it will be difficult for players to play through the series on game consoles, so we decided to bring the game to current consoles.”

“To ensure that players can enjoy the game throughout the series and to entice those who have played it once to return, we’ve created a new museum featuring full English and Japanese voiceovers, development materials, and background music.”

When questioned about any new features that would come with these re-releases, he mentioned that no changes will be made to the game as it is merely a remaster.

Final Words for Fans

As we were concluding our interview, producer Akira Yoshihiro had a message to share with Monster Hunter Stories fans across the world.

“We are very happy to have this opportunity to bring everyone back to Monster Hunter Stories. Players who played Monster Hunter Stories in the past can enjoy it again with full voice and a museum, and players who only experienced Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin will discover a connected world with familiar characters! Naturally, we’ve designed the game for Monster Hunter fans to fully enjoy, and we hope that newcomers will fall in love with the series through this title!”

We would like to thank  Akira Yoshihiro for taking the time to answer all of our questions regarding the Monster Hunter Stories series.

As mentioned, the re-release of Monster Hunter Stories will be Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam, while Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin will be released on the PlayStation 4 on 14 June, 2024.

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