For fans of Capcom‘s Monster Hunter series, the action has always been kept on PC and consoles. However, that is set to change, with Niantic teaming up with the Japanese gaming giant, revealing Monster Hunter Now, a game similar to Pokémon Go that will take full advantage of the augmented reality experience.
“The notion of majestic monsters roaming around city streets was extremely compelling as a real-world game,” Niantic’s Chief Product Officer Kei Kawai shared. The free-to-play game will be developed at Niantic’s Tokyo studio, and players can expect in-app purchases to be part of the formula.
Monster Hunter Now will have players taking on monsters that have somehow made their way into our world, and along the way, you will be able to pick up resources and the like to make the adventure easier. That means crafting new weapons and armour, and increasingly more challenging monsters to hunt down.
As a mobile title, the mobile game will restrict battles to a maximum of 75 seconds, so as to “make the combat element simple and intuitive, but still hard to master” according to Sakae Osumi, Senior Producer at Niantic.
However, there is also a nifty improvement in the form of paintballs, which can be used to tag monsters so that players can continue battling them at home or at another location, freeing the need to be at one specific place for a hunt. And yes, the Palicoes will be part of the fun too.
The success of Pokémon Go has led to other licensed partnerships, including NBA All-World and Pikmin Bloom, and Niantic will be hoping that Monster Hunter Now will be the next big hit. The developer is also working on Peridot, the studio’s original virtual pet game, which is slated for May. In the meantime, Monster Hunter Now will launch in September on both iOS and Android devices.
Jake is a full-time trophy hunter and achievement gatherer on consoles, and part-time Steam Sale victim. He has a thing for Batman and awesome statues, and running out of space for both. Send help.
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