Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection from earlier this year was a great leap forward for the series in some respects, particularly in terms of storytelling. However, there was one thing it was missing. One very, very important thing: Navirou. Most fans of the series hate your pawesome partner from the first two games, calling him annoying and useless, but I love this weird little guy. Given Stories 3 takes place 200 years after the previous title, however, it would be a little concerning if he was still alive after all that time. And it is! Though maybe not in the ways you’d think.
This $10 DLC (included with the Deluxe Edition of the game) does exactly what it says on the tin: it adds a new Side Story, this time focusing on your Palico companion, Rudy. His Side Story, like all the other characters, comes in four parts but, unlike the other characters, only begins when you’re about halfway through the game. In it, you look into Rudy’s family history, eventually finding his legendary ancestor encased in Egg Quartz. You (eventually) free him, there’s a cute reunion with Ena, and then you battle a new superboss. It sounds cool on paper, but I found this DLC to be pretty underwhelming.
The most obvious issue is that Rudy didn’t have a side story because his character arc was built into the main story. This DLC simply reiterates his arc, again. It’s exceptionally weird to start this DLC having already beaten the game, and have him essentially regress for two to three quests. My biggest issue with Side Story: Rudy, however, is that they recast Navirou. Wyatt Bowen, for whatever reason, does not reprise his role here, which I found incredibly disappointing. The new actor does a decent job, but Bowen’s portrayal is Navirou to me, and without him the character feels like a pale imitation of the legendary feline.
As for what you do in the DLC, it feels like mostly busywork to pad out four quests. The majority of your time will be spent looking around areas you’ve already thoroughly explored and collecting ingredients from monsters you’ve already fought before you can actually get to something interesting. This feels like it has, at most, one and a half actually new quests in it, with the rest being filler. You do get a new mechanic where you can use donuts in battle to have Rudy weaken a monster for a short time, but it really feels like an afterthought and unnecessary.
Monster Hunter Stories 3 Additional Side Story: Rudy
Below Average
While there’s definitely more animation work, voice acting, and some brand new stuff added here, most of what’s on offer here feels like it should have been included in the main game or just cut entirely. It’s nice to see Navirou and Ena interact again, but without Bowen, the character doesn’t feel like himself. If you already own the deluxe edition, it might be worth doing in a replay of the game eventually, but otherwise this doesn’t feel like it’s worth your money or your time.
Pros
- Navirou!
- A difficult new boss
Cons
- No Wyatt Bowen
- Quests mostly feel like filler
- Should have been part of the base game
This review is based on a retail Nintendo Switch 2 copy provided by the publisher.
