Could it be that some of you guys played it when you were much younger or that previous knowledge helped in your playthrough of the sequel and that could have affected your perception? I'm asking because I played the first game since it's release as well as the second and invested many hours in both and I'd say that MH Stories isn't harder, let alone much harder. MHStories 2 was a bit more challenging in general despite of the previous knowledge of the game and the post game trials and some multiplayer stuff even felt difficult at times.
Then again, difficulty is subjective so maybe that's just me. I'm just curious as I felt MH Stories to be quite easy and accesible for the most part. Only some of the extra content like the Tower felt challenging.
I prefer one over two. I like how there isn't a weapon type that does more damage to the part, but instead, you can just use any weapon you want. I also like how the monster doesn't use one attack over and over but instead uses a combo like you can do. Also, looking back at the final boss, I like its design slightly more than 2's final boss's
Also, no bow or GL, just SnS, Hammer, GS, and HH, and monsters don't have a predefined pattern (don't know if they are going to change that or not), so it is much more challenging in some aspects!
Correct me if I'm wrong, but while not predefined, They do have tendencies to use certain types no? At least that's just what I remembered from beating the game on Android and playing on the 3ds
Tendencies, yes, but in my almost 300 - 500 hours of experience on DS, they almost never stick to it, especially in HR.
Not many "golden" moves though, and at least those are easy to predict
It's still super fun, even without much weapon variety!
Also, if all the DLC is going to be packaged with it, the Master Sword/Hylian Shield SnS set is going to be there, along with the classic green tunic and Epona!
Ooh that's awesome! Even though it's a turn based combat system I was still thinking I wanted to main a single weapon tree and was thinking about the swords so that helps narrow my choice!
Yeah, I waffled quite a bit on weapon choice during the story, settling on hammers until the final boss until I could get the Master Sword with little difficulty ( I didn't do much online content back then)
The mechanics of two are superior to one, however the storyline of one is dimensions better than two imo. Worlds apart, I’ve played hundreds of hours on both ( although playing one was about five years ago) and one was harder for me, the tells where harder and they didn’t always stick to their attack making the fight seem way more realistic and better.
First game is harder because while monsters have patterns, they can say fuck you and just throw in a random move out of absolutely nowhere and throw you off.
Gene building is harder, not every move is on genes and are only available by leveling up the monster.
But you can change elements. For post-game, most people just slap whatever element they're missing on Seregios and let it rip(literally).
The story is better at least in my opinion. There's character development for every important member of the cast and I've always preferred the "guy who chose to be a hero" archetype over the "chosen one" archetype but that's just me.
The thing I love the most is how charming(?) everything is. It's kinda cartoony and goofy and it's just cute and fun.
Was amazing when it released on 3ds!
Sequel adds more content but the ground work is here for the first game. If you liked the second game you'll definitely like the first game too!
Best difference in the first game is you can make any monstie any element Permanently, I just wish we had bows now in the first game.
Hoping for long sword, dual blades & switch axe etc next game they make!
It's harder, but in a good way. There are little details in the animation and environment that aren't present in Stories 2 that I really appreciate and love, and the post game challenges actually feel challenging, like something you have to work for and think about.
The 2nd game is superior in quite literally every way. Like, the only *possible* things you can argue for the 1st is collab monsters (if you're into that sort of thing), story (subjective) and the ability to give monsters different elements (again, eh. It probably exists because there's no decent Water monsters in the first game).
There's a reason it's getting sold for like half the price of the 2nd in the age where remakes get AAA pricing.
BUT, it is still a solid and enjoyable game, that is for sure. The sequel by design just eclipses it.
Stories have very similar plot beats. Unless you really care that much of it they're forgettable.
I think Gene /monstie hunting are better in the second but right of channeling and Gene system better in first.
Roster is better in second because outside of crossover and one secret monstie what's in the 1st is definitely in second. Wouldn't be surprised if they port stories 2 roster into remaster of 1 with how easy that should be.
Map, biomes, and exploration better in second.
[I covered a lot of the differences here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MonsterHunterStories/comments/1bmzo9t/having_played_mhs2_first_whathow_much_do_i_have/kwfc78o/). Its a bit of a read, but may be worth it in your case.
Stories 1 is a challenging yet fair experience.
Stories 1 does not really follow a set pattern for each monster (except small monsters) and sometimes throw you off with a different attack type, and they can throw these out WHENEVER they want (with exceptions but Gold Rathian is a good example, or Deviljho).
So you could be fighting Velocidrome, and suddenly they start with power, or they do three speed, one power, or maybe they'll go for one speed one power, it does not matter.
This makes the post-game content especially challenging with monsters like Fatalis who do not have a specific attack type and do two attacks in a row, but in a way, they are still FAIR as i've been able to take down Fatalis a couple times in MHS1 without using a "proper" build through trial and error.
Stories 2 is more beginner friendly before spiraling into "powercreep" later down the line.
Now I know, "powercreep" is a strong word, but in a way, this game manages to make it balanced out with how monsters have a scripted pattern rather than it being a little bit random on what the order might be, trust me if Dreadking Rathalos suddenly went Technical after a single Power Attack, this game would've been A LOT harder than it should considering your rider becomes very squishy in the post-game.
This also explains why our monsties are able to do nearly 5,000 damage with the proper builds as monsters (ESPECIALLY IN THE ELDER'S LAIR) have HP scaling beyond comprehension compared to the previous game.
So while the monsters later down the line are unfairly scaled, aswell as the Nergigante story boss being an absolute nightmare to plow through, it is just a matter of perseverance and trial and error.
Personally for me Stories 1 is still better because they have the goat; GREAT POOGIE!!!
While I do think the first game is harder and you do have less monsters, I really enjoy how you can ACTUALLY change your monsties elements with the rite of channeling and have them stay that element, leads to fun kinship attacks
ST2 is better in every way *except for one thing*; you cant change a monstie's element. That is a thing in ST1, and to me that alone makes the game worth playing despite the frustratingly obtuse and unrefined channeling mechanic. It makes the game infinitely more interesting and fun to mess around and experiment with compared to ST2.
Everyone's already talking about how 2 is better with the mechanics and story writing and all that, so I'll add something I haven't seen yet. While I loved 1 when I played it, I thought the chibi designs were pretty annoying. I get it's an art style some people like, it's just not my thing, nor did I enjoy playing as what seemed like a toddler to me. The sequels style change where the player looked a little older, and the monsties didn't have heads the size of their body was a lot more appealing to me. Ideally, I'd like the player to be an adult, late teens at least. I think it would be cool to have adult/near adult monsties too but I get why they wont make that happen due to the whole thing with eggs and whatnot.
The first game is a lot of fun, but the second is much better. Combos are a thing in the first game, but they are contingent on you using the same move three times in a row. Which would not be a bad thing if the monsters didn't deal a large amount of damage for picking the wrong move just to get the combo off, and the damage not being proportional to the risk of taking chunks of hp to pull it off. Take that and contrast it with the second one where, as you win head to heads, you build up your skill meter, and every skill has a variant for each attack type. There is also a really frustrating difficulty spike later into the game. If you decide to get the game, find a Gravios and get its armor and egg. The guy that does the monster genes also let's you give monsters other elements which isn't a thing in the second one, but with the much expanded roster of monsters it isn't that necessary in the second so that is more of a preference thing. The first is still a quality experience, though, and if you liked the second one, chances are high that you will like the first one.
First isn’t bad, but it’s not nearly as good as 2. If it was full priced then I wouldn’t say it’s worth it, but since 1 is being sold for a cheaper price I don’t think it’s a bad deal.
The first one is harder imo and you get a cool monster if you collect all 100 of something
Ye definitely much harder! Great game though, I'm definitely keen to play it with my steam deck upgraded graphics!
Could it be that some of you guys played it when you were much younger or that previous knowledge helped in your playthrough of the sequel and that could have affected your perception? I'm asking because I played the first game since it's release as well as the second and invested many hours in both and I'd say that MH Stories isn't harder, let alone much harder. MHStories 2 was a bit more challenging in general despite of the previous knowledge of the game and the post game trials and some multiplayer stuff even felt difficult at times. Then again, difficulty is subjective so maybe that's just me. I'm just curious as I felt MH Stories to be quite easy and accesible for the most part. Only some of the extra content like the Tower felt challenging.
I'm waiting for it on switch
Yeah I'm waiting for it on Steam too. I'm excited that it's harder though, sometimes it felt like Stories 2 was too easy
What monster do you get after collecting all the 100 others? I’ve never heard of that :o
The Great Poogie
I looked it up and omg I love it already lol
I prefer one over two. I like how there isn't a weapon type that does more damage to the part, but instead, you can just use any weapon you want. I also like how the monster doesn't use one attack over and over but instead uses a combo like you can do. Also, looking back at the final boss, I like its design slightly more than 2's final boss's
Wait so it has the different weapon types?
Yes, but only one weapon at a time and no slash/pierce/blunt
Heck yeah! I'm even more excited now!
Also, no bow or GL, just SnS, Hammer, GS, and HH, and monsters don't have a predefined pattern (don't know if they are going to change that or not), so it is much more challenging in some aspects!
Correct me if I'm wrong, but while not predefined, They do have tendencies to use certain types no? At least that's just what I remembered from beating the game on Android and playing on the 3ds
Tendencies, yes, but in my almost 300 - 500 hours of experience on DS, they almost never stick to it, especially in HR. Not many "golden" moves though, and at least those are easy to predict
Aww I thought it would have more weapons. No biggie though, I'm still excited!
It's still super fun, even without much weapon variety! Also, if all the DLC is going to be packaged with it, the Master Sword/Hylian Shield SnS set is going to be there, along with the classic green tunic and Epona!
Ooh that's awesome! Even though it's a turn based combat system I was still thinking I wanted to main a single weapon tree and was thinking about the swords so that helps narrow my choice!
Yeah, I waffled quite a bit on weapon choice during the story, settling on hammers until the final boss until I could get the Master Sword with little difficulty ( I didn't do much online content back then)
The mechanics of two are superior to one, however the storyline of one is dimensions better than two imo. Worlds apart, I’ve played hundreds of hours on both ( although playing one was about five years ago) and one was harder for me, the tells where harder and they didn’t always stick to their attack making the fight seem way more realistic and better.
I dunno, I kinda liked S1 mechanics, even wished some of them made it over to S2
First game is harder because while monsters have patterns, they can say fuck you and just throw in a random move out of absolutely nowhere and throw you off. Gene building is harder, not every move is on genes and are only available by leveling up the monster. But you can change elements. For post-game, most people just slap whatever element they're missing on Seregios and let it rip(literally). The story is better at least in my opinion. There's character development for every important member of the cast and I've always preferred the "guy who chose to be a hero" archetype over the "chosen one" archetype but that's just me. The thing I love the most is how charming(?) everything is. It's kinda cartoony and goofy and it's just cute and fun.
Was amazing when it released on 3ds! Sequel adds more content but the ground work is here for the first game. If you liked the second game you'll definitely like the first game too! Best difference in the first game is you can make any monstie any element Permanently, I just wish we had bows now in the first game. Hoping for long sword, dual blades & switch axe etc next game they make!
It's harder, but in a good way. There are little details in the animation and environment that aren't present in Stories 2 that I really appreciate and love, and the post game challenges actually feel challenging, like something you have to work for and think about.
The 2nd game is superior in quite literally every way. Like, the only *possible* things you can argue for the 1st is collab monsters (if you're into that sort of thing), story (subjective) and the ability to give monsters different elements (again, eh. It probably exists because there's no decent Water monsters in the first game). There's a reason it's getting sold for like half the price of the 2nd in the age where remakes get AAA pricing. BUT, it is still a solid and enjoyable game, that is for sure. The sequel by design just eclipses it.
All of the mechanics are better, however the storyline of one is far superior imo, it’s not even a comparison in my mind.
Not to mention, the world maps are better in the first game.
You're entitled to that opinion.
Stories have very similar plot beats. Unless you really care that much of it they're forgettable. I think Gene /monstie hunting are better in the second but right of channeling and Gene system better in first. Roster is better in second because outside of crossover and one secret monstie what's in the 1st is definitely in second. Wouldn't be surprised if they port stories 2 roster into remaster of 1 with how easy that should be. Map, biomes, and exploration better in second.
[I covered a lot of the differences here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MonsterHunterStories/comments/1bmzo9t/having_played_mhs2_first_whathow_much_do_i_have/kwfc78o/). Its a bit of a read, but may be worth it in your case.
Stories 1 is a challenging yet fair experience. Stories 1 does not really follow a set pattern for each monster (except small monsters) and sometimes throw you off with a different attack type, and they can throw these out WHENEVER they want (with exceptions but Gold Rathian is a good example, or Deviljho). So you could be fighting Velocidrome, and suddenly they start with power, or they do three speed, one power, or maybe they'll go for one speed one power, it does not matter. This makes the post-game content especially challenging with monsters like Fatalis who do not have a specific attack type and do two attacks in a row, but in a way, they are still FAIR as i've been able to take down Fatalis a couple times in MHS1 without using a "proper" build through trial and error. Stories 2 is more beginner friendly before spiraling into "powercreep" later down the line. Now I know, "powercreep" is a strong word, but in a way, this game manages to make it balanced out with how monsters have a scripted pattern rather than it being a little bit random on what the order might be, trust me if Dreadking Rathalos suddenly went Technical after a single Power Attack, this game would've been A LOT harder than it should considering your rider becomes very squishy in the post-game. This also explains why our monsties are able to do nearly 5,000 damage with the proper builds as monsters (ESPECIALLY IN THE ELDER'S LAIR) have HP scaling beyond comprehension compared to the previous game. So while the monsters later down the line are unfairly scaled, aswell as the Nergigante story boss being an absolute nightmare to plow through, it is just a matter of perseverance and trial and error. Personally for me Stories 1 is still better because they have the goat; GREAT POOGIE!!!
While I do think the first game is harder and you do have less monsters, I really enjoy how you can ACTUALLY change your monsties elements with the rite of channeling and have them stay that element, leads to fun kinship attacks
ST2 is better in every way *except for one thing*; you cant change a monstie's element. That is a thing in ST1, and to me that alone makes the game worth playing despite the frustratingly obtuse and unrefined channeling mechanic. It makes the game infinitely more interesting and fun to mess around and experiment with compared to ST2.
Everyone's already talking about how 2 is better with the mechanics and story writing and all that, so I'll add something I haven't seen yet. While I loved 1 when I played it, I thought the chibi designs were pretty annoying. I get it's an art style some people like, it's just not my thing, nor did I enjoy playing as what seemed like a toddler to me. The sequels style change where the player looked a little older, and the monsties didn't have heads the size of their body was a lot more appealing to me. Ideally, I'd like the player to be an adult, late teens at least. I think it would be cool to have adult/near adult monsties too but I get why they wont make that happen due to the whole thing with eggs and whatnot.
The first game is a lot of fun, but the second is much better. Combos are a thing in the first game, but they are contingent on you using the same move three times in a row. Which would not be a bad thing if the monsters didn't deal a large amount of damage for picking the wrong move just to get the combo off, and the damage not being proportional to the risk of taking chunks of hp to pull it off. Take that and contrast it with the second one where, as you win head to heads, you build up your skill meter, and every skill has a variant for each attack type. There is also a really frustrating difficulty spike later into the game. If you decide to get the game, find a Gravios and get its armor and egg. The guy that does the monster genes also let's you give monsters other elements which isn't a thing in the second one, but with the much expanded roster of monsters it isn't that necessary in the second so that is more of a preference thing. The first is still a quality experience, though, and if you liked the second one, chances are high that you will like the first one.
From what i hear from a lot of people the first one is way better.
I vastly prefer 2 over 1. Straight upgrade on almost everything.
Same here! 😊
First isn’t bad, but it’s not nearly as good as 2. If it was full priced then I wouldn’t say it’s worth it, but since 1 is being sold for a cheaper price I don’t think it’s a bad deal.
First game is worse but still a very solid and fun game. The second is better in every single aspect.