Navirou, the wise-cracking Palico who served as your trusty partner in the first two Monster Hunter Stories games, is nowhere to be seen in Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflections. In his place, another Felyne named Rudy steps in to fill the role. For some long-time fans, the absence of Navirou is a welcome change in this monster-collecting RPG series. Still, others who didn’t mind his over-the-top antics might be wondering what really happened to him. Fortunately, Monster Hunter Stories 3 director Kenji Oguro has spilled the beans.
Speaking with the Japanese outlet 4Gamer, Oguro has confirmed that Navirou is long gone by the time Monster Hunter Stories 3 takes place. The latest installment is set several centuries after Wings of Ruin — or over 200 years later, to be precise. In other words, Navirou and his donuts — and unfortunately, Lilia, Avinia, and Reverto as well — are officially history.
“Navirou will not show up,” Oguro said bluntly. “The timeline is set in a future over 200 years after the previous game.” As magical Felynes are compared to real-life cats, there is no way Navirou could have survive that long.
Lead designer Daisuke Wakahara elaborated that Navirou inclusion in previous games was a necessary evil, so to speak. Since the main characters were silent, Capcom needed someone that works as both ‘the voice’ and the mascot. In contrast, Monster Hunter Stories 3 will have a fully-voiced protagonist, the Riders Captain, that’s heavily involved with the game’s plot.
“Unlike in previous entries, the protagonist now speaks. In the previous installment, Navirou served as both the mascot character and the voice for the silent protagonist. However, that role is now significantly reduced,” said Wakahara.
“This is because the story direction targets a more older player demographic — aiming for a tone closer to a young adult [seinen] comic magazines or cool, heavy narrative like in movies, rather than teenager [shonen] comics.”
In Monster Hunter Stories 1 and 2, Navirou’s slapsticks and gags were used to provide comedic elements that kids would enjoy. But Stories 3‘s dramatic and darker tone clashed with them, making everything feel ‘mismatched.’ According to the team, they instead decided to shift towards comedic moments through ‘humor rather than gags.’
“We concluded it was better not to force [Navirou’s inclusion] and instead seek a new balance,” explained Wakahara. And that’s where Rudy comes in.
Rather than being a tag-along sidekick out of circumstances, Rudy was conceived as a member of the Rangers from the get-go. That way, he’s not just a cute mascot but an integral part of the team, both narratively and emotionally.
“I can’t go into too much detail yet, but he’s a really cute, hardworking, and adorable character,” said Wakahara. “That’s all I can say for now, but I hope everyone looks forward to Rudy’s exploits.”
