Good news, Western Monster Hunter fans. If you were looking to take a break from grinding against Behemoth’s and Nergigante’s you can rest easy as Monster Hunter Stories, the franchise’s adorable role-playing game, is now available on iOS and Android devices in North America and Europe.
Originally released on the Nintendo 3DS last fall, Monster Hunter Stories stands an outlier in the Monster Hunter franchise. While mainline Monster Hunter games focus on defeating monsters and harvesting their materials, Monster Hunter Stories asks players to befriend monsters and become close with them. To accomplish this, Monster Hunter Stories replaces the intense, action-RPG combat style of the mainline series with a gameplay loop that encourages exploration and kinship.
Monster Hunter Stories‘ departure from the series’ iconic violent nature is represented through the game’s whimsical, cartoon-inspired art style. While Monster Hunter World often has players traversing through photorealistic worlds, following trails of blood or monster parts, Monster Hunter Stories offers a much more colorful and lighthearted take on graphical presentation.
You can find Monster Hunter Stories on the Apple App Store and Google Play for $19.99. It’s worth noting that the mobile version of Monster Hunter Stories doesn’t include any in-app purchases. Additionally, if you’d like to try the game before buying it, you can download MHST: The Adventure Begins, a free demo of the game that’s also available today.