Monster Hunter Now could be the best game Niantic has ever made

Monster Hunter Now is shaping up to be one of the best games Niantic has ever released, which is saying a lot considering the plentiful swing-and-miss titles the company has released in recent years such as Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, Pikmin Bloom, and more.

At Summer Games Fest on June 10, I was able to sit down and get a first look at the game (outside of those who had been taking part in the secretive alpha) to see exactly what the fuss was about. I had heard from my peers that the game was really good and took it with a grain of salt—until I actually got time with it.

The game is literally a one-to-one Monster Hunter experience with everything you would expect from the series, but ported down to mobile devices. From carving parts to creating items and breaking and fighting monsters, the game is all you could hope for in a pocket-size experience.

The game’s map is transformed into the Monster Hunter world. You can collect resources and see where Monsters are located on the map—and there are quite a lot of them, too. The only thing stopping you and your friends from fighting them is your ability to reach them. So be prepared for plenty of walking.

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Fights don’t last that long either, with the timer set to a modest 75 seconds, making the game incredibly engaging (albeit potentially a bit grind-y in the future if you don’t get the specific monster parts you were looking for). Fighting monsters is also simple, with you only needing to tap to use your weapon and slide your finger across the screen to dodge and move your hunter to specific body parts. It’s useful when you’re looking to break something like the tail for specific Monster carvings at the end of the hunt.

All the core weapons, items, and aesthetics are here as well, and play just like they would in the full game. Granted, there is no need to learn weapon combos here, as all the attacks are done for you at the press of a button or by tapping the screen, but each fight felt fulfilling to partake in.

Most Niantic games released as of late feel more like AR experiences or are just un-fun. Pikmin Bloom was disappointing and lacked clear direction due to it being an over-glorified pedometer, whereas Monster Hunter Now feels like an actual game. It’s something I could sink hours and hours into to collect every weapon, armor set, and whatever else the game threw at us in the future.

My time with the game was short, and obviously there are a lot of features and other monsters that will be revealed when the game launches in September. Till then, I will be patiently waiting for it to be my next mobile gaming addiction. I’m in love, and can’t wait to drop into the hunt as soon as possible.