It’s been about a month already since Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin landed on PC and Nintendo Switch, favoring the birth of a new generation of Jockeys. While Capcom has chosen to celebrate this anniversary by publishing the second Title Update of the title, which among other new Monstie has introduced the mammoth Kulve Taroth, for our part we have instead seized the leap to tell you the main differences between the first and the second. episode of the Stories trend, as well as the most interesting news that the team of Kenji Oguro (Director) e Ryozo Tsujimoto (Producer) have devised to improve the original formula of the progenitor. So get on the saddle of your favorite Monstie and follow us on this umpteenth journey to discover Wings of Ruin!
The choice of the egg
As mentioned in the review of Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin and during the interview released by the developers, it is undeniable that the most impacting difference between the first game and its sequel is to be found in the change of look.
Whereas the “chibi” style of the title published at the time on Nintendo 3DS gave the characters a too childish aspect and not suitable for all palates, the new design adopted in Wings of Ruin instead gave us some polygonal models much more fascinating, slender and rich in detailsthe. In any case, the new Capcom creature also brings with it some minor tricks, which on the whole have given us an experience that is certainly more enjoyable than the previous one. For example, owners of the original game will remember that in the first Stories it was very difficult to guess its contents from the appearance of the egg, as each monster could emerge from four different eggs, whose patterns, however, were shared with those of other beasts. Basarios and Gravios, for example, were born from eggs with horizontal and diagonal streaks, and although it was quite simple to associate those hues with the two stone monsters, figuring out which of the two was hiding inside the collected egg was every time a bet by the unpredictable outcome.
To remedy the “problem”, with Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin it was therefore chosen to assign only one hue to each monster’s egg, in such a way as to simplify recognition and provide the laziest players – and not at all interested in the competitive component – a valid tool with which to avoid potentially annoying “duplicates”.
Therefore, on this tour having a special guide or even just photographing the eggs already found previously greatly facilitates obtaining the desired beasts. Moreover, if Navirou has always had the habit of emphasizing the weight and smell of the egg collected (traits that indicate the presence of excellent genes), the appearance of a rainbow-colored glow immediately after the selection of the same means that the little beast inside could have some rare Rainbow Gene.
A more accessible shamanic ritual
Several times on these pages we have told you that the strength of a Monstie does not depend only on the level reached and its basic parameters, but also and above all on its genes, that is the skills set in a 3×3 grid.
After birth, in fact, each beast possesses a certain number of genes, but it is the player who must complete the aforementioned grid, unlocking the sealed slots where necessary with the increase in level or in any case through the use of the appropriate stimulants, and resorting to the so-called Shamanic Ritual to fill the empty ones (For all the details see our guide with tips and tricks to survive in Monster Hunter Stories 2). By sacrificing a companion, the Rider has the ability to transfer a gene from the donor Monstie to the recipient, strengthening the genetic heritage of the second. This mechanic can be exploited to file weak points, transferring genes that increase resistance to a given element or techniques that normally could not be learned: imagine, for example, a Rathalos with a high resistance to thunder or the dragon element. , and maybe even in possession of attacks based on water and ice. Something that we are sure would horrify the purists of the Capcom brand, but that at the moment it can mean the difference between victory and defeat.
Already present in the first episode of Stories, at the time the Shamanic Ritual had a big flaw, however, as the user was not allowed to choose where to embed the selected gene: simply, in the passage from Monstie A to Monstie B the desired ability kept its original position and there was no way to move it.
Consequently, not only was it sometimes necessary to overwrite one of the genes already present in the grid, but there were situations in which it was not possible to complete the transfer. Fortunately in Wings of Ruin this mechanic has been revised and the Jockeys now have the option to decide in which slot to place the donated technique, facilitating, among other things, the creation of rows of the same color and Bonus Bingo. Thanks to this small but fundamental device, the personalization of teammates can be said to be truly total and favor the creation of exquisitely competitive teams.
Online expeditions and tournaments
Pressed about the major news offered by Monster Hunter Stories 2, Oguro and Tsujimoto answered our microphones that cooperative battles would have been an important breaking point, as well as one of the fundamental components of the package (here you can find our interview with the Monster Hunter Stories 2 team).
In fact, when we placed Wings of Ruin on the test bench, we could not help but appreciate the renewed strategic component, which thanks to the involvement of a second Rider – complete with Monstie in tow – has “recalibrated” both the combat system that the overall level of difficulty, which in the first episode sometimes gave some headaches.
Where the progenitor provided for activities to be carried out online in absolute solitude, in our opinion it is precisely in multiplayer mode that the combat system of the sequel pulls out its claws, especially if the two players have the opportunity to communicate and update the strategy to be implemented on the fly.
By accessing the multiplayer functions, which on Nintendo Switch are available both locally and online, users are in fact free to form teams of two people maximum to face a series of missions, whose objectives change according to the degree of difficulty. For example, purely hunting missions cause two Riders and their Monstie to be catapulted into the same Monster Lair, in order to search for the target – usually hidden in the depths – and bring home an egg.
Among other things, if the missions of the guild place the teams against common beasts, facilitating the recovery of materials, by spending the so-called Expedition Tickets you can instead access the Rare Monster Lairs, where the creatures encountered are certainly more tough, but the same speech applies to prizes: not surprisingly, trying your hand at co-op missions is the fastest, easiest and most fun way to accumulate experience and get your hands on the most powerful beasts, Elder Dragons included.
As in the first Monster Hunter Stories, Wings of Ruin also features a PvP mode, which if necessary allows two friends (or two complete strangers) to face as many opponents, or even to take part in a real online tournament. A rather nice system to test your Monstie team, but also to compare yourself with other Riders and learn their fighting techniques.
If we add to this that, as in the past, online battles allow you to accumulate many Bottle Caps to be exchanged with the appropriate NPC, the multiplayer component becomes in short an indispensable tool to be able to maximize your fellow adventures and always reach peaks. higher.