Niantic, the company that brought us Pokemon GO a few years back, forcing nerds everywhere to leave their homes, is making a Monster Hunter game titled Monster Hunter Now.
Capcom has just announced a new partnership with Niantic, the creators of Pokemon GO. Together they are working on a Monster Hunter game that will combine the classic monster-hunting gameplay with the AR-enhanced gameplay found in Pokemon GO. It will be out this September for Android and iOS phones, with a beta test that will start on April 25. You can sign up for this beta right here.
Monster Hunter is a series that started on consoles, offering an action RPG experience that focuses on taking down giant beasts. Along the way, you will pick up various materials and ingredients to craft your own gear and consumables. Over the years, the series has cemented itself as a staple of the action RPG genre, gaining the praise of millions of players.
Apparently, after the huge success that Pokemon GO gained, Niantic has been looking for the next best thing. And while their Harry Potter AR-enhanced game has been pretty successful, it was still a drop in the bucket compared to their Pokemon game. But Niantic have stated that the Monster Hunter universe is a perfect fit for this type of game, and they’re very excited about the potential that this game might have. After showing of a concept for Monster Hunter Now to Capcom, a deal was immediately struck. Monster Hunter Now is currently being developed in Tokyo, which makes sense since the series is very popular in Japan.
The core gameplay loops of the Monster Hunter series will be simplified for this mobile version. Controls will be simplified to work well with swipes and taps of your touchscreen. It will be fully playable in portrait mode, even though playing it in landscape mode will be more fitting. Each battle you engage in will be no longer than 75 seconds, which is an ideal number for mobile gaming. Like other games in the series, there will be no classes. Instead, you can opt to use one of the multiple types of weapon classes, but this time around, switching between them will be more accessible than ever.
Similarly to Pokemon GO, Niantic will offer different types of encounters and loot depending on your geographical position. Various spots in your city will become resource-gathering zones, similar to the Pokemon Gyms from Pokemon GO. After all, the community is a big part of this type of game. Players will also be allowed to “tag” various monsters they might encounter to face them later with a group of friends. With the closed beta just around the corner, we can’t wait to get our hands on this interesting title and see how it all pans out.
