A new Monster Hunter game has been announced and it’s not what you’re expecting. Pokemon GO developer Niantic revealed Monster Hunter Now, a mobile AR action-RPG game set to release in September 2023 for iOS and Android devices. The game will allow you and your friends to team up and take on some of the legendary monsters from Capcom’s best-selling series of games – all while walking around your neighbourhood.
Monster Hunter Now is being touted as easily accessible for newcomers to the franchise while adding its own unique spin on the formula. Like Pokemon GO, players can traverse the real-world and follow cues that leads them to hunt monsters like Great Jagras and Rathalos. However, you won’t be catching these monsters to put in your pocket as it plays out like an action-RPG, requiring players to tap and flick the screen to fight monsters.
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Players can use their favourite weapons from the Monster Hunter franchise to battle monsters and earn resources in order to craft stronger gear. Each battle will last 75 seconds and promises to be as fun and chaotic as the mainline series. Players will also have the option to play in either landscape or vertical modes.
Joining you on your hunts is the adorable Palico companions which can assist you with various buffs and healing items during combat. You’ll also come equipped with a paintball that many old-school Monster Hunter fans will instantly recognise. Paintballs can be thrown at a monster in order to track it down so if your timer runs out and the monster flees, at least you’ll know where the monster is going in your area so you can continue your hunt.
The team didn’t offer too much information about how the game will handle monetisation but Niantic promises a good balance of the free experience and the “enhanced” experience if you purchase items. A closed beta for Monster Hunter Now will begin on 25 April and sign ups are available right here.
Monster Hunter Now will release in September 2023 as a free-to-play game. As long as you have iOS or Android on your device, you’ll also be able to enjoy the game.
Source: Niantic
