Posted in: Capcom, Games, Mobile Games, Monster Hunter Now, Niantic | Tagged: japan, Monster Hunter, tokyo

We Got To Play Monster Hunter Now's First Live Event in Tokyo

Niantic held the first-ever live event for Monster Hunter Now in Tokyo this month, and we were on hand to play and experience it first-hand

Niantic gave us an amazing opportunity to take part in a major gaming event this month, as they held the first live event for Monster Hunter Now. Specifically, they were holding the event in Tokyo, Japan, in their backyard of Shibuya, as they held the Monster Hunter Now Carnival from October 12-13, with the arrival of a specific monster from the franchise to make it a monumental event. The company has done this all the time for Pokémon GO across multiple countries, so it's not like they went into this event cold without a plan. But being the first MHN event made this a far bigger deal than most, especially with the game just barely celebrating its one-year anniversary ahead of this one.

First off, let's talk about how awesome it is that the company decided to bring people out to experience this in Japan. They could have easily kept this to a Japan-only event, but we had content creators and journalists from several countries on hand who got to spend a day roaming Tokyo (as you can see here with us exploring the JR line, which we frequently used to check out places around the capital) before the event kicked off. Just hanging out in Tokyo for a day was an experience, and while we couldn't cram a ton of stuff into a single day, it was cool just to be invited to have that experience. We also got to spend that night visiting Niantic's offices in Shibuya, as they held a small reception for everyone to chat and get to know each other while also talking about Monster Hunter Now and showing off where they were with their respective characters.

The next morning, we all gathered at Meiji Park, which served as the focal point for activities throughout the day. The photos don't quite do it justice, but people were roaming around the park all morning, walking around in packs, taking out monsters that had been placed there to kind of warm up the crowd and prepare them for the event. Everyone who was taking part had purchased a ticket ahead of time, which gave them access to a number of items and the special storyline within the game. Once 8:30am hit, everyone swarmed the small white tents to start the event with a bunch of excitement brewing over what it would entail.

Those of us who were in media and content creation mostly decided to stick together and experience this as a group. The event primarily had you start with a walking tour of Shibuya, as you needed to go to points on the map to collect fossils of footprints of the monster that would be released later in the day. The story was told over 11 parts, so you needed to visit 11 locations. Thankfully, there was a pretty direct route for everyone to follow from Meiji Park to Shibuya PARCO, where the Capcom Store was located. It was also pretty helpful that throughout the area, they had banners hanging from street lights to guide the way. Along the way, we stopped for a drink and checked out parts of the city, all kind of hanging out as a loose group with one or two guides to help us if we needed it.

I also want to give a quick shout-out here to AT&T. This isn't an ad, but more of a big thank you. The event required us to walk around the city a lot to play the game, and as a tourist, you don't have a ton of options if you've decided to operate only off the wi-fi available in the city. So, ahead of time, the company provided me with the AT&T International Day Pass so I could do the event without any lost signals. Throughout the day I was able to stay connected via their roaming network, same as how I would use their service back in the U.S. just walking the streets. It was an amazing experience to be able to use that service to play the game and not rely on switching between wi-fi carriers from place to place. So, here's a nice little shout-out to the company for providing that on our eSIM card and making the experience seamless.

Walking around the city had been relatively quick. But then again, all of us chatting, hanging out, and killing monsters in groups kind of made the time go by. Along the way, we were all fighting Silver Rathalos and Gold Rathian to collect pieces to build special armor sets, as well as fighting special monsters that would appear from time to time to drop bonuses. I managed to collect all three special armor and weapons from the event, as well as several medals for my profile. We noticed several groups of people making the same trek. Some of them are friends or just fellow Monster Hunter Now players working towards the same goal. When we got to Shibuya PARCO, we saw one of the big displays they had on hand for the event, where you could get your picture taken alone or with a group. As you can see from this lovely group of adventurers, people were out in droves to experience this. It was here at the mall that we collected our 11th fossil and needed to wait for the big bad monster to arrive around noon.

We took the time to go inside and get some food while also heading upstairs to check out the Capcom Store on the 6th Floor. The event had a special deal where you could get exclusives at the shop for the Monster Hunter Now event, so while these two pictures don't show it, the place was basically packed all day. They ran out of items as we left the mall, which just shows how absolutely popular this event was and how many people really wanted to take part in it. The mall also had an esports cafe where we saw people hanging out and waiting for the monster to drop. Finally, Noon came around, and the elder dragon Nergigante made his presence known, as you had to defeat the boss twice in order to complete the quest. The first version of him was pretty easy, but it was clear you needed a team to make the second one count.

All of us, in different ways, eventually meandered our way back to Meiji Park, where they were holding interviews with the developers and also had tents set up with special items to get our photo taken with. As you can see here, there are special props like a full-on hammer, a map of the city for the event, and a Felyne cooking grill, which you use in the game to roast collected meat. This was also a nice location to kind of kick back, take a break, and let the day wash over you, as you had just completed an epic journey around the city.

I thought this was an amazing event from top to bottom. Let's put aside the fact that I got flown out to Tokyo to play a game. Overall, the event was well managed, with no issues with the game or delays. Everything went off according to schedule, and everyone who paid to play at the event got to do so without any technical snafus. Niantic couldn't have asked for a better turnout for their first Monster Hunter Now event. Those looking to try this event for themselves are in luck, as it will be taking place on a global level from November 2-3, 2024. You still need to buy a ticket for it, but now you'll be able to do it in your hometown. I thought this entire event was very well done and I look forward to seeing what they do with the next one, wherever it may be!

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