Throughout Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection we hear a number of different songs on the soundtrack that act as themes for major characters, featured monsters, and certain story beats. It captures a wide range of situations, some of which we might not see in a typical entry due to its nature as a JRPG. To learn more about the work on this specific installment, Siliconera spoke with Lead Composer Yuko Miyata and Composer Kodai Ikeda about it after Capcom revealed the Monster Hunter Stories 3 soundtrack is streaming worldwide and being sold via Steam.
How did past Monster Hunter Stories games’ soundtracks affect the songs created for the third game in the series?
Yuko Miyata: In previous installments of the series, our approach was to maintain a certain degree of continuity while also striving for evolution. However, in this third installment, the target age group has shifted significantly upward, so we’ve increased the emphasis on evolution—to about 85%—while keeping continuity at around 15%. This shift in balance represents a major change from previous entries.
While we’ve included moments at key points where you’ll think, “That’s that song!”—evoking nostalgia and excitement—the newly produced tracks are generally aimed at a more mature audience than before, though we’ve made sure to retain their catchiness.
There are a lot of different locations to visit in Monster Hunter Stories 3 with varying degrees of technological advancement. How did the team approach scoring locations to ensure they sounded unique, but also all fit the theme of the game?
Yuko Miyata: Although we refer to them as “area themes,” the tracks span various categories—such as battle music, village/hub music, and cutscene/dialogue tracks—but fundamentally, we strive to create arrangements that make use of instruments representative of each region’s unique character. For example, since Azuria is a fertile region surrounded by highlands and mountains, the music has an Irish feel to it. We’ve also incorporated tubular bells to evoke the image of Azuria.
As for battle tracks, while each area features small-scale battles, large-scale battles, and invasive monster battles, the small- and large-scale battles share certain common elements in their core structure. (The methods vary—distinctive phrases, timbres, riffs, and so on…) For small-scale battles, I aimed for an atmosphere that feels adventurous without becoming too heavy, while for large-scale battles, I made them solidly heavy and added a sense of seriousness. Since invasive monster battles are unique and involve enemies with final-boss-level strength, I’ll further explain this later.
In terms of overall harmony, I believed that as long as I stayed true to the fundamental direction and texture of this game’s musical concept, I wouldn’t stray too far off course. Therefore, I placed greater emphasis on arrangements that highlight the unique characteristics of each area.
With Monster Hunter Stories 3, we ended up with a lot of songs that acted as specific themes for certain characters. How did working on those tracks differ from working on ones in past games designed for specific locations or monsters?
Yuko Miyata: In this game, the “Side Stories” feature allows players to delve deeper into the lives of their allies while also enhancing each character’s stats and skills. In stark contrast to the main story, these stories highlight the characters’ fun, gentle, and even humorous sides, as well as the feelings they’ve carried and the paths they’ve walked in life. That’s why I felt from the very beginning of development that character themes for the Side Stories were essential. I believe there was “Navirou’s theme” in Stories 1 and 2 as well, and the approach to creating them hasn’t changed at all. I pored over each character’s background materials and the side story scripts, searching for what made them “them,” and I composed the music with the aim of directly embodying their atmosphere and personalities through sound.
Also, aside from the side stories, there are actually many parts within the main story’s cutscene/dialogue tracks—even if they aren’t tied to specific song titles—that were composed with a distinct thematic focus.
For example, there are melodies with clear themes that appear in various cutscenes, such as “This phrase is iconic for the Twin Rathalos!” or “Amara’s Theme,” “Corbin’s Theme,” “Theme of Bonds with Companions,” and “Final Boss Theme.” I hope you’ll pay close attention to those elements as well.
Different songs are used for larger and smaller monsters in each area in Monster Hunter Stories 3, as well as for specific larger creatures like Glavenus. How did both the characters and situations for them shape the design?
Yuko Miyata: In Stories 2, only the Elder Dragons like Velkhana and Fatalis had their own original theme songs. In this game however, not only the Calamitous Elder Dragons, but also the Honed Glavenus and the story bosses in each chapter have theme songs based on the originals.
It would be a real shame for Monster Hunter fans if they couldn’t hear these signature tracks in the Stories series, especially since the main series does feature them. Moreover, I felt it was a waste not to use these tracks given the game’s spectacular visuals. Therefore, I’ve taken the bold step of reworking the music to fully capture the charm of the original compositions while maintaining high sound quality, ensuring that memories of the past are brought vividly back to life.
This title features monsters from Wilds, Sunbreak, Rise, World, and even Monster Hunter 2 (Dos), which was released 20 years ago. The game creates an atmosphere where music from various MH series—both old and new—coexists within Stories 3. I believe this allows series fans to enjoy boss battles with an incredibly exciting lineup throughout the game. As for non-story bosses, the Honed Glavenus is a genetically modified monster, so rather than using the original track, we’ve arranged it using plenty of synths and noisy sounds.
Additionally, the Elder Dragons Narwa and Ibushi are monsters carried over from Monster Hunter Rise. However, while in Rise you fight them sequentially, this title features a different scenario where you aim to defeat them simultaneously. Using the original tracks as-is would alter the intended feel of the music. Therefore, we selected distinctive phrases from each of the two monsters and commissioned a new composition that captures the essence of both while standing on its own as a fresh track.
On the other hand, we have composed entirely new tracks for field monsters, unique feral monsters, invasive monsters, and bound monsters.
Likewise, how did the invasive species in-game end up represented in tracks?
Yuko Miyata: As I briefly mentioned in Q2, we’ve created unique battle themes for each area in the invasive monster battles. One common element across all of these tracks is the inclusion of “synth” sounds. By combining orchestral instruments with synths and actively incorporating electronic elements into the rhythm, we’ve aimed to distinguish these battles from standard combat.
We’ve also arranged the music to build in intensity—with small-scale battles < large-scale battles < invasive monster battles—so that the invasive monster battles deliver a particularly intense and urgent atmosphere.
There are certain songs that play when we encounter feral monsters in Monster Hunter Stories 3. How did you approach those tracks to ensure they captured the moment and intensity of the action?
Kodai Ikeda: Feral monsters have a significantly different appearance compared to other monsters due to the blightstones wrapped around their bodies. Another characteristic of battles against feral monsters is that “attacking the blightsone part will trigger a counterattack.” Drawing inspiration from this game mechanic, the musical concept for feral monsters became “Reverse.”
As for the blighstones, the design centers on the sound of the “piano.” (Piano sounds are also used in tracks related to blightstones, even in songs for monsters other than the feral monsters.) Musically, the track is based on synth sounds, and by making extensive use of reversed sounds, it represents the monster’s counterattack mechanic.
Additionally, on a more technical note, if you play the game in Quadro mode rather than Stereo, you’ll discover a unique feature not found in other tracks: the reversed sounds are panned back and forth, adding a special charm.
For the feral monster tracks, we’ve created separate versions for small-scale and large-scale battles. The arrangement for the large-scale battles features a heavier, more impactful sound to convey a sense of grandeur.
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is on the Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, and a demo is available.
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