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The worlds and lore of Pokemon and Monster Hunter are vastly different, yet their core concepts are similar. With one, you “gotta catch ’em all” to satisfy your hoarding instinct via creature-collecting. Conversely, for the other, you literally “gotta kill ’em all” to amass a wardrobe of both outlandish and ornate attire. That said, Niantic Labs, the creator of the globally prevalent Pokemon Go, has dipped its toes into the AR monster-slaying business with Monster Hunter Now. Still, both portray very different worlds but are relatively parallel in their gameplay experience.
That said, there are several issues in Pokemon Go that Monster Hunter Now has shed light on, like how the Now‘s OST and creature sound effects don’t sound overly outdated like Go‘s or the absence of the need for endless purchases of Pokemon and item storage. However, the most glaring issues that Now has highlighted and improved upon are Go‘s encounter mechanics, AR layout, and customization. Niantic’s new Monster Hunter Now succeeds in these three specific foundational areas where Pokemon Go has failed for years.
MHN’s Paintballs Highlight GO’s Lacking Accessibility
The first and most notable point of Monster Hunter Now‘s superiority to Pokemon Go is the novel concept of the Paintball. Its function is simple: use a Paintball to mark any Large Monster on the field, after which you can trigger its encounter later at your convenience. While this mechanic might sound insignificant, it adds a whole new layer of QoL convenience and accessibility to the mix. Imagine traveling to multiple Gym Raids in your limited time and marking each Raid Boss to have them saved for later encounters. This removes the need to stand awkwardly at a Gym’s location, trying to catch the featured Raid target.
Perhaps you’re in a rush or on a bus but fortuitously stumble upon a group of Pokemon you’d like to catch. A mechanic similar to Monster Hunter Now‘s Paintballs would make things much easier than scrambling to capture all the monsters while dealing with the oftentimes unreasonable RNG of your Poke Balls’ catch chance. Similar to how you can hold onto quest or research reward encounters for later, a Paintball-esque feature in Pokemon Go would do wonders as a quality-of-life improvement.
Go’s Static World Is Outmatched by MHN’s Dynamic Environment
While large gathering points are tied directly to real-world landmarks in Monster Hunter Now, the environment is dynamic, as the biomes frequently change around you. This massive improvement in accessibility for those unable to explore the AR environment as often as they’d like. Are you in need of some Desert-dwelling monsters but are currently in a Forest? No worries — simply log in within a few hours, and the surrounding biome might change to the one you need. Did you spot a Great Girros you need in the distance but don’t have the time or opportunity to chase it down? You needn’t stress it because if your Palico hasn’t already Paintball-marked it for you, eventually, that Large Monster might randomly appear within your interactive ring’s range.
Of course, there’s a notable level of RNG here, but it definitely beats stationary, inaccessible Gym locations or region-exclusive monsters like in Pokemon Go. Are you tracking a Raid Boss or pocket monster inside a private area like a resident-only apartment complex? Due to the AR world of Go‘s static nature, such unreachable encounter opportunities are lost. If the world of Pokemon Go was more dynamic like Monster Hunter Now, which succeeds in location-based accessibility with its everchanging biomes, then Trainers would have a better chance of catching those vexing out-of-reach Pokemon, along with bothersome regional exclusivity not being a problem.
MHN’s Character Customization Puts Pokemon Go’s To Shame
Understandably, Monster Hunter has always offered a much higher level of character customization than most Pokemon games in the past. Scarlet and Violet‘s options were an improvement, but we’re focused on mobile AR games here, and Monster Hunter Now certainly outshines Pokemon Go‘s options by far. Granted, Pokemon Go avatars have much more saturated color and charm to them, but that’s only because of the varied clothes, most of which need to be purchased with real money. Despite being a basic mobile game, Monster Hunter Now lets you customize your eyes, nose, mouth, hair, and even makeup. Perhaps such options in Pokemon Go are too much to ask?
Now, this point is much more subjective than the previous two, and many could argue that the Pokemon are the focus of Pokemon Go. However, Large Monsters are also the spotlight of Monster Hunter Now, but Niantic still lets us design our appearance with more variety. I’m not demanding face sliders here; I just want more life to our Trainer’s face, which looks like every other player’s in the world.
Monster Hunter Now Outshines Pokemon Go
I have been playing Pokemon Go for years and adore it, as the game has over half a decade of updates behind it. As a result, Go could be regarded as “superior” to Now simply due to having more content, but that’s its only advantage. Monster Hunter Now has shown both Hunters and Trainers that simple features like Paintballs, dynamic environments, or even character customization make a noticeable difference in the gameplay experience.
I once missed a Galarian Zapdos at a Pokestop while commuting with Adventure Incense. However, a Paintball might have given me a chance for that rare Legendary. Monster Hunter Now’s dynamic environment, combined with its exciting combat, is objectively more engaging than walking and waiting for any Pokemon of interest to appear on long stretches between Pokestops. Character customization of Now is much more diverse, letting players better personalize their avatars. In conclusion, Niantic’s Monster Hunter Now is succeeding in multiple areas right off the bat of its release, while Pokemon Go needs to pick up the slack and stop fiddling with unwarranted concerns like Remote Pass pricing.
