Niantic’s formula has brought players through a number of fantastical worlds hidden in their backyards. From catching Pokemon to casting spells innow-shutteredHarry Potter: Wizards Unite, the developer has proven more than adaptable. Now, fans can look forward to battling the colossal creatures from Capcom’sMonster Hunterfranchise in Niantic’sMonster Hunter Now, which is set to launch worldwide in September 2023.Monster Huntercertainly seems to fit Niantic’s catalog better than a game likeNBA All-World, but translating the series' mechanics to a casual format might result in more exercise than fans are used to.
Monster Hunteris among Capcom’s most-successful franchises, with its “Platinum Titles” dominated byMonster Hunter Worldat 18.6 million sales andRiseat 11.7 million, according to its Investor Relations ranking from June 22, 2025. Fans know this series has a ton of mechanics ripe to translate for mobile, and theclose relationship between Niantic and Capcom meansMonster Hunter Nowshould be a faithful experience. Though the way this upcoming title handles ideas like Paintballs will make it more accessible, monster battles and item collecting could get players up and moving far more than games likePokemon GOandPikmin Bloom.
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Monster Hunter is an Inherently Physical Action-RPG Franchise
Every mainlineMonster Huntergame relies on players becoming a skilled tracker and hunter, going out to exotic locales and taking on nigh-mythological beasts using giant swords, hammers, and bows. All 14 main weapon types in the series have high skill-ceilings in terms of mechanics, and this translates to long attack animations that must be carefully delivered around each monster’s movements. In modern entries likeWorldandRise, this physicality has been expanded through open-world environments and features like theWirebug that zip through the air and let players perform acrobatic feats.
However, hunting is only half of the experience. In order to keep stocked up on powerful items and forging materials, the player character spends just as much time mining ore deposits, catching bugs, uprooting native flora, and more. Players may have to climb the tallest mountains or find secret areas buried deep within jungles if they need specific crafting items. In the original games this translates to time spent searching, butMonster Hunter Nowwill literalize plenty of these elements using Niantic’s location-based gameplay.
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Monster Hunter Now May Require a Lot of Running Around
Resource-gathering mechanics will be familiar to fans of prior Niantic games likePokemon GO, which asks players tovisit real-world landmarks that are designated as “PokeStops"to collect balls, berries, and other items. Pre-release screenshots forMonster Hunter Nowsuggest something similar in that nodes for bones, ore deposits, and plants can be spotted all over the map. On top of that, different regions have unique biome designations like “Swamp,” so players will likely be incentivized to not only wander between local nodes, but also travel longer distances to find biome-exclusive items. However, some resources will almost certainly be available through the in-game shop.
Monster fights are trickier to quantify prior to closed beta tests (with sign-ups available now before their April 25 start date), but a teaser trailer shows that even the 75-second encounters alongside friends with various weapons will include systems like cutting off tails. In the original series, monsters are known to move between various zones as they take damage and lose stamina. IfMonster Hunter Nowmimics this idea, players may have to walk between a few key locations to keep up with their prey, which could become a serious workout even withoutphysically swinging a Great Sword.
The Paintball mechanic should mitigate this somewhat. In earlierMonster Huntertitles, Paintballs mark a monster so that players can track them to any zone. InMonster Hunter Now, Paintballs act likeRemote Raid Passes inPokemon GO, making it so that any monster marked by a player or their Palico can be battled from home. Even so, there will no doubt be a lot more active exercise involved than in a game likePikmin Bloom, which acts more like a pedometer with presents for players to pick up between each walk.
