A new mobile AR game from Niantic and Capcom, called Monster Hunter Now brings the popular Monster Hunter series to life. The game allows you to battle huge monsters in real-time and places, with or without your friends.

Monster Hunter Now is a new mobile AR game created by the collaboration of Niantic, the developer of Pokemon GO, and Capcom, the Japanese giant behind the Monster Hunter franchise. The game promises a “here and now hunting experience” based on the popular series. The beta registration opens on April 18th, and some lucky players will be able to join a closed beta starting from April 25th. The game will launch in September 2023 on the App Store and Google Play, with Niantic as the distributor and Capcom as the licensor of the title.

The two companies shared many details about the game at a recent webinar (attended by Game Rant) where they discussed the challenges of adapting the beloved Monster Hunter combat system for a mobile game. Still, they said that it was a fun challenge. They had to make some trade-offs, losing some classic features but gaining some new, innovative ones to “keep the essence” of its proven and true combat with “simple, authentic gameplay”.

Players who face classic Monster Hunter monsters like Rathalos or Great Jagras in their natural habitats will have only 75 seconds to defeat them. They can also team up with up to four players for the battles. A new feature in Monster Hunter Now is the option to use a Paintball to mark a monster and bring it to another location where you can fight it again, alone or with friends. In fact, Monster Hunter Now players have a companion Palico with them, which can use Paintballs for players even when they are not playing actively. Players can choose to play the game in either vertical or landscape mode, depending on whether they are on the go or at home.

Monster Hunter Now players can also collect materials and resources to craft and upgrade their gear and weapons, although the two companies did not go into much detail about this aspect. However, knowing the Monster Hunter series, players can expect to create unique characters and gear to their liking. Character customization is also a key feature, but the companies did not talk much about it either. However, they assured that there are many unique features in the game that will be revealed during the closed beta and later. Of course, any mobile game needs post-launch support and monetization. The two companies did not confirm which monsters players will encounter in the closed beta, but they said that fans can look forward to new weapons and monsters as post-launch support. In the closed beta, only the Great Sword, the Sword and Shield and Monster Hunter’s Light Bowgun will be available.

Source: GameRant