New Monster Hunter RPG for 3DS, Stories, Goes in a Different Direction

Capcom has revealed the next game in the Monster Hunter series for 3DS, and it appears to be a different take on the franchise than we've come to know.

Monster Hunter Stories, as it's called, was announced at a Monster Hunter event in Japan this weekend. Rather than taking on the usual role of hunters, players instead play as riders--something that's seen in the colorful, cartoonish debut trailer above, wherein the player (and a more-round-headed-than-usual Palico) are seen mounting a monster and riding around on it.

Considering this is a 3DS game, it's safe to assume that none of what's on show in the trailer is actual gameplay. Unfortunately, there's little else to go on at this point, save for some comments from producer Ryozo Tsujimoto suggesting that Stories--being described only as an RPG at this point--takes Monster Hunter in a new direction.

"After having passed the 10th anniversary last year, this is a new challenge for the Monster Hunter series, that we've began designing since about five years ago," he said at the event (as translated by Siliconera). "While staying true to the world of Monster Hunter, and a story that can only be told through an RPG, we'd like to pack it with fun and enjoyment that we can't even begin to describe with words.”

Stories is expected out in Japan in 2016. At this point, a release outside of Japan has not been confirmed, but we've reached out to Capcom to find out if it's something we'll be seeing in North America.

The latest entry in the Monster Hunter series, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, was released for 3DS in February. Combined with those of its Japanese counterpart, Monster Hunter 4G, sales had already eclipsed 3 million units as of February.