Monster Hunter Now: Better in Cities

I've been playing Monster Hunter Now since it came out a few years ago as another fun thing to distract myself with while I walk around the small city where I live, and overall it has been a lot of fun.

On a trip to Osaka last month, I had a chance to pop into the game for a bit and I was shocked.

It makes sense I guess given population density in such an urban center that the number of active players would be dramatically more but the effect it had on game play was a little beyond what I was expecting. Not only could I jump into any monster hunt near me and rest assured that several people would join me, sometimes in festive garb, as seen above.

But also the monsters that came up as suggested nearby fights on the app were stronger than what I can take or even see in game usually on my own.

Back in Miyagi now, I'm still waiting for more players to join but mostly just solo everything I can while I walk, or give up as I did on the one above.