Nintendo’s first post-Switch-2-launch Direct is here, and its first Partner Direct for the platform. Kicking things off, Capcom revealed Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, the latest in a spin-off series that started life on the Nintendo 3DS. It looks like you once again take on the role of a rider as opposed to hunter, with you being the sole Rathalos rider in this game’s world Azuria. While it was all in-game footage, no actual gameplay was shown off, but it is slated for release in 2026.
According to a press release, this threequel follows the “story of two nations on the path to ruin.” That consists of the aforementioned Azuria, and Vermeil. A recently discovered egg, the one seen in the trailer, offers up some hope amongst the conflict, only for twin Rathalos to hatch from it with the same mark as the twin Skyscale Rathalos, “portents of destruction that hearken back to a civil war waged 200 years ago.”
The rider you play as is the heir to Azuria, protecting monsters and people across the land, when a “life-changing event” forces them to set out towards “the forbidden land beyond the northern Meridian.” They are then joined by Eleanor, princess of the rival nation Vermeil, driven by her concern over her sister the queen of Vermeil’s true intentions.