Niantic has been on a roll this summer. Pokemon Go Fest 2024 was a huge win for the developer. The team crafted one of the best celebrations in years with a theme that made sense in terms of story and gameplay.
Having Marshadow as the central pocket monster and introducing fusion gameplay with Necrozma and Solgaleo and Lunala focused the event on a day and night cycle and Niantic cleverly used that concept to introduce the requisite shiny pocket monster roster. Couple that with the move to have Beast Balls in raids that nearly guarantees an Ultra Beast catch and Pokemon Go Fest 2024 was one of the most fun days since the mobile title’s release eight years ago. It was the best Go Fest since 2021.
THE FIRST TICKETED MONSTER HUNTER NOW EVENT
For an encore, Niantic has produced its first ticketed event for “Monster Hunter Now,” the company’s second most popular game. Its Summer Hunt 2024: Dark Daydreams running July 20 and 21 isn’t exactly on the level of a Go Fest. Priced at $6.99, the event lets players hunt Nightshade Paolumu early. That creature along with Mizutsune are two new monsters that have added new wrinkles to the gameplay.
Although the two monsters’ parts are used to create armor and weapons that have game-changing impact, the two alone couldn’t carry Summer Hunt 2024. That’s why Niantic ratcheted up the experience for ticketholders by allowing unlimited Hunt-a-thongs and Elder Dragon Interceptions. The developers also expanded the interaction range on the field. The company provided me a ticket so I could check it out.
Those two features made the event worth it, and doing a few HATs as the community calls it paid for the even itself. Normally, “Monster Hunter Now” allows players to tackle Hunt-a-thons for free every 180 minutes unless they purchase a $1.99 Ultra Hunting Ticket, which allows players to skip the wait time. Summer Hunt 2024 was a like an all-you-can-eat buffet of fun and let players gorge themselves on HATs allowing them to rack up needed materials to create better weapons and armor.
With Mizutsune, players finally have a great water elemental weapon and the Bubble Dance perk creates a new build for players to explore. Nightshade Paolumu isn’t as impactful but it does bolster the Sleep status effect on loadouts.
A LIMITING FACTOR
The only limiting factor was the number of potions on hand. Doing so many hunts will lead even the most skilled players to lose health, and I burned through my First-Aid Meds and Potion stocks quickly. Unfortunately, Niantic didn’t hand out free recovery items or offer deals on potions, which would have been much appreciated. Going with the buffet theme, it was like having all the food you want but you had to pay for every beverage.
Summer Hunt 2024 was even nice to non-ticket holders. Although they didn’t see Nightshade Paolumu on the field, they could have a chance of fighting it if a friend used a paintball on it. If they team up, they could get access to the monster battle.
The only other problem I had with the event was that the latter half ran into “Pokemon Go” Community Day. It was hard juggling both, and as player of both games, I had to sacrifice one event for the other. I prioritized “Monster Hunter Now” after catching a few shiny Tynamo.
One of the best things about “Monster Hunter Now” is how it carries some of the Niantic elements. It encourages exercise and exploration but it has less of the fear of missing out feeling. Instead of trying to compete with friends to collect the most shinies, “Monster Hunter Now” is focused on mastering a weapon and defeating harder and harder creatures with more powerful gear.
It’s a game that excels for solo players who like how Niantic games nudge them to go outside but aren’t too keen on the pressure and chase to catch the next shiny monster.
The next major “Monster HUnter Now” event will feature Driftsmelting. It’s similar to egg hatching in “Pokemon Go.” Players walk to smelt Driftstones and those impart perks to armor. The new event will offer Mysterious Driftgem A and Mysterious Driftstone A, which can grant Dragon Attack and Critical Boost to armor.