Monster Hunter Now Preview: Niantic's Latest is Familiar Fun for Fans

mmorpg.com:

Niantic is back at it with their Location-Based (LoBa) tryst with Capcom’s popular Monster Hunter franchise in a game called Monster Hunter Now. During PAX West, Niantic held a demo for the game stationed right outside the event, where I was able to talk to Niantic’s Chief Product Officer and Executive Producer Kei Kawai. In addition, the team ran a Webinar to bring media up to speed with their day one patch that included a multitude of updates to the test build I had been playing for several days.

Niantic has had what some would consider a rough go of it over the past few years, with the shutdown of several of their games likeHarry Potter: Wizard’s Unite and the cancellation of potentially popular titles like MARVEL: World Heroes. With those games now sadly put to rest, Niantic’s new stab at another premiere intellectual property will have its day in the sun. In development since 2019, Monster Hunter Now has just been released on Android and iOS globally, and with over 3 million pre-registrations, there seems to be plenty of excited Hunters out there. I’ve spent several days with Monster Hunter Now and the first thing that comes to mind is that it’s a big step in the right direction when it comes to creating a LoBa game with tactics that can appeal more directly to gamers.

During my time with Kei during the PAX demo, he was steadfast in explaining how true to the series Monster Hunter Now is. We delved into the systems, and the pace of combat especially. Hunters have multiple weapons and gear sets to craft and upgrade, and more unlock as your Hunter level increases. Monsters will be weak to certain elements, and some weapon types feel much more suited to handle certain monster’s attack patterns, especially if you’re