The world is waiting with bated breath for news about Monster Hunter: Wild. It’s true – not only is it a follow-up to Capcom’s best-selling game of all time (Monster Hunter: World), but it also promises to expand on the multiplayer aspects of the series just like Monster Hunter: World did. It has MonHun fans old and new, and their enthusiasm is very high.
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But there’s still a long way to go. All we know is that it will launch in 2025. So, if your gun trigger finger is starting to itch and your sword arm is itching for a fight, you should try Monster Hunter Now — a mobile game from the makers of Pokemon Go that, honestly, I fire up at least five or six times a day .
If you’re a regular visitor to this site, you’ll know that I’ve beaten this drum before. Several times, in fact. But now you can’t just write a mobile game once, can you? They are living things, ever-evolving titles that change, morph and grow as the seasons pass. Of course, Monster Hunter Now is no different, and after some fairly minor updates in the six months since launch, we’re finally entering the golden age thanks to a major spring update.
This massive reform changed a lot of things. First up, we have a new weapon – one of the most unique in the entire series. The Charge Blade is actually great for point-and-click games; it’s a highly maneuverable sword and a powerful ax rolled into one. So it felt great to slide your finger across the screen and tap Anjanath’s head hard. I’d say, even at this early stage, one of the best weapons in the game (especially considering the super-boosted Elemental Discharge can do stupid damage, thanks to Shattering Elemental damage in the mobile game!)
The last major update introduced some interesting battles, with Zinogre as the title, fleshing out the release roster of monsters with some more diverse fights. The major spring update goes a step further, introducing Odogaron (an angry flaming wolf), Tzitzi-Ya-Ku (a little dinosaur-butt-like pest that can blind you), and Deviljho (one of Monster Hunter’s most notorious rouges). Combined with the four monsters from the last update, it’s now possible to enjoy a range of battles on the battlefield – we’re still a long way from where the options were a bit thin at launch.
Currently, Deviljho can only be fought in the newly added “Invasion” feature – which will hunt down monsters you click on in “hostile” territory. This fits with MHNow’s core philosophy: keep walking around and killing stuff. Do you want to fight “jho”? Find the Corrupted Land, man. There is no way to imitate it.
I like this. I walk about 10,000 steps a day – between walking my dog and commuting to class – and I feel like Monster Hunter Now really rewards me for getting out of the house and dedicating myself to hunting. I still have some issues with how the difficulty scaling and heavy grinding work, but hey… I’m still playing the game every day six months after launch, so it’s doing something right.
Major Update: Spring Invaders #MHNow
The final element of this new update that excites me is the Season Pass. Yes, I know, I can hear you rolling your eyes from here. But hear me out; I’ve been playing for half a year and only get the occasional daily quest rewards and some seasonal rewards. This game is all about grinding, and I’ve accepted that, so at least now I have some motivation to leave a trail of dead Kuru’aku in my wake between bigger content drops.
I also paid for the premium pass. I know I know. I’m the monster Cuck now. But hey, I’ve been extracting for hours – days! – hours of play with Monster Hunter Now since launch, so spending £10 on more customization options and some accompanying bonuses feels only fair.
It’s a quality game, and its monetization isn’t that predatory by mobile gaming standards. It helps me exercise and enjoy the hardcore action RPG combat of my favorite console games anytime, anywhere. The only thing that really costs me is the amount of phone battery I use every day.
If you haven’t tried Monster Hunter Now yet, now is the perfect time to join. Just learn to dodge and break monster parts and you’ll get gold.