Capcom announces Monster Hunter Stories for Nintendo 3DS

The Monster Hunter series is already one of the biggest in Japan, and Capcom's looking to take it in a new direction with the spin-off, Monster Hunter Stories for the Nintendo 3DS.

Its concept is an adorable one: you play a young hunter who can ride around miniature versions of the fearsome creatures from the main Monster Hunter series - in the first trailer below, you can see the hero leap on the back of a Rathalos.

Although largely comprising cinematic footage, the second half of the trailer seems to show us what the game itself looks like, and the draw distance on the open world looks highly impressive if so. The trailer also shows off the game's cel-shaded anime style

Monster Hunter Stories is still "in the middle of development" according to its producer, but it's currently scheduled for release next year in Japan. Let's hope we don't have to wait too long for it to appear in this part of the world.

Siliconera