Niantic, the creator of the massively popular Pokémon Go location-based game that got everyone and their mom to walk around in the real world for several years, is partnering with Capcom to develop a new title called Monster Hunter Now. The game will be a “real-world hunting action” role-playing game for phones and will combine Monster Hunter slaying action with AR tech found in the aforementioned Pokémon Go.
Players will be able to team up with friends to take on monsters together. The game will feature monsters from across the series, including some new ones created specifically for “Monster Hunter Now”. While this is a funny name for a game since it reminds me of Google Now, I imagine it’s meant to convey a sense of urgency and presence for gaming in smaller bursts in real-world scenarios – you know, like when you’re supposed to be being productive?
In addition to battling monsters, players will also be able to gather resources from around the real world a la Pokéstops), visit different biomes like a desert or forest, and paintball tagging monsters to track their physical location alone or with friends.
The game is apparently being developed at Niantic’s Tokyo studio and is expected to launch later this year in September. Kei Kawai, Niantic’s chief product officer, stated in a press interview that Polygon covered that “I strongly believe we have a hit on our hands. We do want to have this game last a very long time.”
While the game will be free to play, it will have in-app purchases just like the company’s past games. I imagine you’ll have to buy rations and other in-game items as frequently as Pokeballs in Go, but gaining them through these gathering points may suffice for casual players. Now is meant to be a “simplified but authentic version” of classic Monster Hunter gameplay that will be accessible to newcomers while still offering depth for veterans of the series.
In the trailer above, you’ll notice that there’s landscape gameplay in addition to the standard portrait gameplay you’d expect from a location-based game. It seems you will have the option to rotate your phone during combat against monsters. Battles are expected to last about 75 seconds at their longest as to not pull you away from reality for too long.
Source: Niantic/Capcom via Polygon
I should mention that while Pokémon Go is a game where players collect and train virtual creatures, Monster Hunter is a game where players hunt and kill monsters and skin their hide for new armor and weapons So yeah, this may not be for the super young kiddos if you’ve got ’em.
Niantic has had both successes and failures with its mobile games in the past. While Pokémon Go has been a massive hit, games like Harry Potter: Wizards Unite failed to gain the same level of popularity, despite my love for the IP. I also really don’t care for Pikmin Bloom as I’m more into fighting things than picking flowers, but that’s just me.
Luckily, with Monster Hunter Now and the upcoming alien creature pet game Peridot, which recently went into soft launch, the company could capture lightning in a bottle again. I love Monster Hunter, so I’m likely going to play this like it’s no one’s business. If you could pick any game series or IP to get the Pokémon Go treatment, what would it be?
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