Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection has only been out for a little while, but the response from fans has already been loud and clear. The shift toward a darker, fully voiced story with a more mature lead character has connected with players, and that gave us the chance to sit down with Director Kenji Oguro, Lead Game Designer Daisuke Wakahara, and Art Director Kawano Takahiro to talk through some of the biggest creative calls in the game, from the voice acting setup to why certain monsters were left out of the new habitat system.

Why the Protagonist Finally Got a Voice

One of the most noticeable changes in Twisted Reflection is that the protagonist talks now, fully voiced this time. Oguro explained that the team wanted to move away from the coming of age story style used in the first two games and instead tell the story of an experienced Rider who’s already carrying some baggage.

“With that framework, we felt that having the protagonist express their own emotions through full voice acting would allow us to craft a much deeper story, and ultimately help players empathize with them on a more profound level,” Oguro said.

The tricky part was that the game still lets players fully customize how their character looks, so locking in one voice while keeping appearance flexible wasn’t simple. The team actually tested making the voice customizable too.

“While it wasn’t impossible to make the voice customizable as well, artificially or mechanically altering the audio pitch would end up ruining the unique charm and expressive nuances that the voice actors bring to the table. We actually ran tests on this, but the results just weren’t very good,” Oguro said.

In the end, the team landed on a setup where players can customize the way their character looks, but the voice stays fixed. Oguro said he carried a fair amount of anxiety about this choice until he saw it running in the game.

“That anxiety instantly turned into a conviction that we had made the right choice,” he said. “Knowing that our players have connected with that same conviction is exactly why I feel both the happiness and the relief.”

Why Vermeil Stays Off Screen

Vermeil looms over the entire story of Twisted Reflection without players ever actually traveling there. According to Oguro, this comes down to his own personal approach to game design. “Personally, I believe one of the defining characteristics of video games as a medium is the perspective of the player equals the protagonist,” Oguro said. 

“Because of that, I always develop games with a conscious effort to maximize the time spent depicting the protagonist and the time the player actually spends with the controller in their hands.”

“If the protagonist had traveled to Vermeil, I think the story would have been depicted in a completely different way. However, because I place such a high value on the approach I just mentioned, we decided to ground the narrative around Azuria,” he said.

Keeping the action in Azuria, Oguro added, still let Vermeil cast a heavy shadow over the story in the background. He noted that balancing the story with actual gameplay time was something the whole team kept in mind throughout development.

A Smaller, More Purposeful Monster Roster

Players have noticed that the monster lineup in Twisted Reflection feels more curated compared to past entries. Wakahara said that building the game on a brand new engine meant the team couldn’t just bring every monster over as is.

“Rather than simply bringing over every single monster exactly as they were, we needed to reevaluate the entire lineup from scratch,” Wakahara said. “Instead of simply prioritizing numbers, we focused heavily on ensuring that every individual monster holds a distinct and meaningful presence within the game’s combat, training, and field exploration mechanics.”

He also walked through how the final lineup came together. “We selected this specific roster by taking a holistic view of the elements, balancing elemental attributes, providing a reassuring sense of familiarity for series fans, introducing fresh elements, and ensuring compatibility with the environments of each region,” Wakahara said.

Why Deviants and Elder Dragons Don’t Show Up in the Wild

One of the new systems in Twisted Reflection lets players release their Monsties so they can be seen wandering around the overworld, tying into the game’s Habitat Restoration theme. Deviant Monsters and certain Elder Dragons were left out of this feature, though.

“Including Deviant Monsters and certain Elder Dragons in the field-reflection system would have required an immense amount of development and system-level overhead. Therefore, we made the decision to exclude them from the scope of this feature,” Wakahara said.

He was clear that this wasn’t treated as a simple cut. “This wasn’t a matter of simply cutting them out. Rather, it was a deliberate choice to concentrate our development resources on what we prioritized most for this title, Habitat Restoration and the experience of seeing the fields dynamically change through your standard Monsties,” he said. According to Wakahara, that focus is also what let Deviants and Elder Dragons keep a distinct, unique presence that sets them apart from regular monsters.

Invasive Monsters Were Never Meant to Be Tamed

The Invasive Monsters stand out for their designs, but players can’t recruit them as Monsties. Wakahara said this was intentional from the start. “Because the Invasive Monsters are depicted as threats to the ecosystem, we felt that allowing players to tame them as Monsties would contradict the duties and narrative role of a Ranger,” he said.

“Rangers do not simply form bonds with monsters, they are responsible for protecting local ecosystems and responding to environmental abnormalities. For that reason, rather than positioning the Invasive Monsters as powerful monsters you can recruit, we have treated them strictly as a threat that disrupts the regional balance,” Wakahara said.

Designing Bosses That Feel Like They Belong in This Story

Stories games have a track record of memorable original bosses, and Oguro talked about how the team approached new threats for this entry. “While we were mindful of how to seamlessly integrate original boss monsters into the established Monster Hunter universe, to be completely honest, our main focus wasn’t so much about struggling with that integration, but rather about how to bring out the unique characteristics exclusive to this game,” Oguro said.

“We focused on whether we could leave a lasting impression within the unique grand scale of this title and the specific gameplay flow of a turn-based battle system. This philosophy wasn’t just limited to boss monsters, it was a core principle we cherished throughout the entire project,” he said. He added that the team remained highly conscious of shaping these monsters so they hold a natural, compelling presence within the game’s specific narrative and gameplay experience, all while keeping respect for past entries in the franchise.

No Evolution, but Growth Still Matters

Unlike a lot of creature collecting games, monsters in Twisted Reflection don’t transform into entirely different forms. Wakahara tied this back to how the franchise treats its creatures overall.

“In the world of Monster Hunter, monsters are depicted as fully realized creatures, each possessing its own unique ecology and form. For that reason, we intentionally chose not to introduce a mechanic where a monster evolves into a completely different form like you see in typical monster-raising games, even for the Stories series,” Wakahara said.

That said, the team still wanted players to feel a sense of progress as they train their Monsties. “The Mutations featured in Habitat Restoration serve as a mechanic to express that evolutionary excitement, all while staying firmly rooted within the established lore of the Monster Hunter universe,” he said.

Why Baby Monsters Made the Cut

Seeing baby versions of these massive creatures has been a popular part of the hatching experience. Wakahara connected this back to what the Stories series is meant to do as a whole. “Showing the young forms of monsters is an element that perfectly aligns with the core purpose of the Stories series, which is to reveal new dimensions of the Monster Hunter universe that cannot be showcased in the mainline action games,” Wakahara said.

“By allowing players to witness these juvenile stages, it truly hits home that these monsters are living, breathing creatures.”

Kawano added his own perspective on the feature from an art standpoint.

“Since players don’t normally get to see baby monsters while playing the mainline Monster Hunter games, I truly believe this is one of the standout features unique to the Stories series.”

“My hope is that seeing them in this form will make players form an even stronger emotional attachment to the monsters and fall in love with them even more. From there, I would be absolutely delighted if it sparks an even deeper interest in the joy of raising your very own unique Monstie and participating in Habitat Restoration by returning them to the wild.”

Looking Ahead for the Stories Series

When asked about where the series goes from here, Oguro reflected on how far Stories has come across three games. “Looking back at the three titles in the series, I truly believe there aren’t many franchises that have undergone such a massive evolution to reach this point,” he said.

“Both the development team and I are genuinely looking forward to building upon that experience as we consider what milestones to aim for next, and how we will continue to evolve the Stories series moving forward.”

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is out now, and based on what the team shared in this conversation, each major choice covered here, from the fixed voice to the smaller monster roster to keeping Vermeil unseen, was tied to a specific reason the team gave directly. For players who haven’t picked up the game yet, this interview also lines up with an ongoing Steam sale, running until July 10.