New Monster Hunter Stories Game Announced For Switch

Nintendo kicked off its latest Nintendo Direct Mini video presentation by revealing not one, but two brand-new Monster Hunter games coming to the Switch next year. In addition to the more traditional Monster Hunter Rise, we got our first look at Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, a sequel to the series' 3DS RPG spin-off.

Like the previous Monster Hunter Stories, Wings of Ruin features a cel-shaded visual style. Rather than hunting down monsters, as in mainline Monster Hunter games, Stories casts players in the role of a Monster Rider, who can ride on a monster partner. Wings of Ruin begins with the mass disappearance of Rathalos, and it's ultimately your goal as the descendent of the legendary rider Red to discover the cause of this.

Monster Hunter Stories 2 does not yet have a release date, but it is slated to launch for Switch in Summer 2021. The aforementioned Monster Hunter Rise, meanwhile, is coming March 26, 2021 and looks like a more traditional take on the series with some new elements, such as the ability to ride on a dog companion, run up cliff faces, and grapple around the environment. Capcom has confirmed there will be some compatibility between Rise and Stories 2, although no further details on that have been announced yet. Three Monster Hunter Rise Amiibo figures are also launching alongside the game on March 26.

The original Monster Hunter Stories released on 3DS back in 2017. The game was later ported to iOS and Android devices the following year.

There were a number of other big announcements from the latest Direct Mini presentation. Nintendo also revealed Disgaea 6, a new entry in the beloved strategy RPG series coming in 2021, while Hades and Ori and the Will of the Wisps are both available on the Switch as of September 17. You can catch up on all the biggest news and reveals in our Nintendo Direct Mini recap.