In Monster Hunter Now, players explore their surroundings to locate, track, and engage with various monsters and creatures from the Monster Hunter series. The gameplay involves hunting monsters, gathering resources, upgrading your gear, and engaging in fast-paced sub-minute battles. The battles are quick --- not as lengthy and epic as the mainline games --- but I find the bite-sized nature of it fun and just fits the AR-based nature of the game perfectly.
On the bright side, The art style retains the franchise's signature look as well as offering decent console-level graphics. The game offers both active and passive gameplay, allowing players to engage with the AR Monsters roaming with you even when the app is closed. The game also follows a free-to-play model, with in-app purchases to speed up progress.
Since I was able to play during the soft launch, I was able to keep the progression that I made a month ago. So far my experience hasn't changed that much, which is mostly positive. The game is still a good balance between location-based gaming and actual Monster Hunter formula, so don't expect much for any deep gameplay or combat mechanics like in a mainline Monster Hunter game. The actual combat is simplified for gesture based controls, and I'm sure anyone can learn how to play it in literal seconds.
So far, I will definitely recommend trying it especially if you love the concept of Pokemon Go and is also a fan of Monster Hunter. If you tend to move or travel a lot, you'll find a lot of enjoyment in this game. However if you tend to stay at one place at a time, the novelty can easily wear off.