Monster Hunter is all about long-haul fights the place it is advisable fastidiously put together, endure lengthy battles, and regularly goal totally different physique components to take a monster down. That system may simply change into a tedious chore when translated to turn-based fight, which is what makes the success of Monster Hunter Tales all of the extra spectacular. It leverages all of the totally different techniques the principle collection has and makes use of them to make a fancy and interesting turn-based fight system that provides you long-haul battles that don’t really feel like an countless slog of slowly whittling down a well being bar.
At its core is the Rock, Paper, Scissors-style assault system with Energy, Technical, and Pace assault varieties. Your celebration (of two folks and their respective monsters) can select no matter model of assaults they need, however the one who’s being focused by the opponent will launch right into a head-to-head with the monster, the place whoever has the profitable assault kind will win the encounter and deal heavy harm, whereas the loser doesn’t get to behave.
Nonetheless, you don’t get any indication of what kind of assault a monster goes to make use of — the one strategy to determine that out is by observing their behaviour throughout an encounter. It provides battles an attention-grabbing move, as you must spend the primary couple of turns figuring out how they act earlier than you’ll be able to go all-in along with your assault.
Even when you’ve labored that out although, there’s much more to think about. There are your monsters, which can be utilized in battle with a Pokémon-style system. Every of your monsters sometimes solely has one assault kind, so that you’ll want to modify round which one is by your aspect to deal the fitting kind of injury. Plus, if each monster and rider carry out the identical kind of assault, then a profitable head-to-head will end in a double assault for further harm.
Weapon alternative issues too. Your most important character can freely swap between a slashing, blunt, and piercing weapon throughout fight, and totally different harm varieties are more practical in opposition to totally different physique components, as a result of — oh yeah, the limb concentrating on mechanics are additionally an enormous a part of this sport. In truth, limb concentrating on is an enormous a part of the technique in Tales 3, as most of the boss monsters you’ll face are blighted with a type of corruption that makes them feral and extra highly effective. To weaken these enemies, you will have to shatter the crystals clinging to their our bodies, however concentrating on them will unleash a robust counterattack.
The massive boss I obtained to battle on this preview used this to create a really attention-grabbing dilemma. It used a capability that powered up its arms considerably, however made the crystals on its again weak. So now I’ve to make a tough strategic alternative between concentrating on the crystals to weaken the monster within the long-term, or concentrating on the arms to stop being smashed by an enormous assault within the short-term.
All of that’s with out even mentioning techniques like having the ability to leap in your monster’s again mid-battle for extra highly effective assaults, the break gauge you slowly whittle down with talents, or the entire stamina system for utilizing extra highly effective assaults. It’s maybe a bit an excessive amount of for the sport’s personal good, actually. I’m a terrific lover of turn-based RPGs and may perceive these complicated techniques fairly nicely, however even I used to be feeling overwhelmed with the quantity of techniques being thrown at me in what was a comparatively quick preview of a really early portion of the sport. Whereas I dislike video games that maintain you in a glorified tutorial for the primary 10 hours, I can’t assist however really feel like Tales 3 may do with slowing down the tempo at which it throws all of these things at you.
Particularly as, whereas the amount of instructional dialogue is a little bit overwhelming, it does an honest sufficient job of injecting the personalities of its characters into it. It takes the traditional route of taking you thru a younger upstart’s first day on the job – as rangers surveying the native monster inhabitants – as an excuse to show you the whole lot. Although on this case, you’re the skilled veteran relatively than the excitable baby, so that you get to have the sensation of taking somebody underneath your wing, which is a nicer vibe for folks returning to the collection than having each character communicate right down to you on a regular basis.
Nonetheless, no matter the way you study the whole lot, it does all come collectively within the boss encounter, and I needed to do a very good diploma of tactical pondering as I discovered what assault varieties have been coming my manner, picked out the very best monster to counter them, switched between my primary and particular assaults to protect stamina, and whittled my foe down by creating vulnerabilities.
Which fits again to the reward I heaped on the collection firstly. Tales 3 continues the development of taking a fancy motion fight system designed for lengthy battles and interprets it into turn-based mechanics very well. It’s so much to wrap your head round, however the consequence could be very rewarding and offers you an identical sense of strategic satisfaction as the principle collection.
That vibe carries by to extra than simply the fight too, because the visible model can also be stronger than ever. This collection goes for the extra cartoony visible model versus the principle collection’ life like results, nevertheless it’s nonetheless simply as lovely, if no more so in some instances. Whereas the monsters could not look fairly as terrifying on this model, they do look much more vibrant and colourful, which helps convey out a higher sense of character – that’s necessary in a sport the place you’ll be taming and combating alongside monsters as a substitute of simply battling them.
All of it implies that Monster Hunter Tales 3 is holding the collection operating as sturdy as ever. It’s all the time enjoyable to see worlds like this in a totally totally different mild, each from a gameplay and narrative perspective, and this can be a collection that understands that. The turn-based fight is kind of complicated however will nonetheless enchantment to those that aren’t huge followers of the principle collection’ motion gameplay, whereas the story emphasises dwelling with the various monsters of this world as a substitute of viewing them when it comes to how cool their pores and skin would look as an armor set.
