Highlights
- Monster Hunter Now, an augmented reality game co-developed with Niantic, has been a hit, with 5 million downloads in its first week.
- The leaked 61.1 update for Monster Hunter Now will address concerns about lack of depth and variety at launch, with new monsters, weapons, and more.
- The upcoming Halloween event in Monster Hunter Now will include exclusive event quests and cosmetic rewards, adding to the game's appeal.
The Monster Hunter franchise has been a staple in the industry for many years. Becoming an instant classic upon its original debut back in 2004, Capcom's action role-playing game has continued to thrive. With numerous releases over the years, the franchise has continued to evolve and impress its fan base with new additions and features. Eventually, the series even expanded into multiple genre-spanning spin-offs including MMOs and mobile games. Now, nearly a decade since its first release, the Monster Hunter series has evolved again with the release of Monster Hunter Now, an augmented reality game co-developed with Niantic, the creators of Pokémon Go. After a very popular launch, fans can expect even more content coming in the leaked 61.1 update.
Monster Hunter Now was just recently released on September 14 (or August 9 for early access) and has already proven to be a hit. Accumulating 5 million downloads in its first week alone with 3 million users pre-registered before the game's release, it is their second most popular launch since Pokémon Go. Already garnering praise for its quality-of-life features and fast-paced combat, the mobile exclusive has seen a growing player base. Though the reception has been largely positive, some criticize the game for its lack of depth and variety at launch. If recent leaks prove to be true, update 61.1 will address these concerns bringing with it new monsters, weapons, and more when it rolls out.
Monster Hunter Now's New Content Update
Recent leaks about future content coming to Monster HunterNow come from a massive datamine that was spread online. Dataminers were able to dig up details about new monsters, weapons, tools, and events coming to Monster Hunter Now akin to the recent Diablos Invasion event. Although there is no current release date for this leaked update, a Halloween event that was datamined may suggest that update 61.1 could be coming sometime in October. Of course, this is yet to be officially confirmed.
In terms of new monsters coming to the game, several variants have been leaked. These include the Pink Rathian, Black Diablos, and Azure Rathalos. As in the mainline Monster Hunter titles, these variants are expected to be more dangerous and difficult to defeat than their standard versions. Along with these monster variants, another new monster being added to Monster Hunter Now is the Banbaro from Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. With the list of monsters to find growing, fans have a lot to look forward to.
The leaks have also showcased several new craftable weapons coming to the game. It is believed these new weapons will coincide with the release of the new monsters, needing their materials to craft them. These new weapons coming to Monster Hunter Now include versions for several weapon types. For Sword and Shield: Blue Corona, for Great Sword: Rathalos Glinsword and Wyvern Blade “Blossom”, for Light Bowgun: Azure Soulscorcher, for Long Sword: Wyvern Blade and Wyvern Blade Indigo, for Bow: Azure Mightbow, Galebender, and Cera Coilbender, and for Hammer: Chaos Shatterer. Also, leaks have shown new weapon types Dual Blades and Lance will be coming in the update.
Events are intended to be a big part of Monster Hunter Now, and in honor of the spooky season, it looks like Niantic is planning a special Halloween celebration. Assets for the event were found in the datamine, including in-game models for jack-o-lanterns, witch's hats, a witch's broom, and several other objects. It remains to be seen exactly what the event will entail, but as with other Niantic and Monster Hunter titles it could include exclusive event quests and cosmetic rewards. Though it has not been confirmed, the leak has also discovered Decoration names in the code. A staple of the mainline games, these would allow players to upgrade their equipment to suit their preferences.
Popular tools from the mainline games are also said to be added. These include Demon Powder, Flash Bombs, and Pitfall Traps. With all of these new additions, players will have more character-build customization options available and strategy variety. The leaks for update 61.1 are certainly promising, but with no currently confirmed release date, fans will just have to wait.
Monster Hunter Now is currently available for free on mobile devices.