After the roaring success of Monster Hunter Now, Capcom’s series is going mobile again with Monster Hunter Puzzles: Felyne Isles, a match-3 puzzle game packed with familiar beasts to overcome.
As its name suggests, the Felynes take centre stage in this new title, as players are tasked with protecting them from monsters through puzzle-based combat. There will be 450 levels to complete when the game launches on June 26th, 2024.
More than Match-3
The match-3 genre is an incredibly popular one and proves lucrative for many mobile developers, Candy Crush naturally the genre’s king. So, to stand apart from the crowd, Monster Hunter Puzzles: Felyne Isles is utilising not only its brand identity but also elements of another popular genre – the city builder.
These elements manifest in the Acorns earned through puzzle completion, which can then be used to rebuild homes for the “catizens” and fulfil various requests. Other material types will allow players to customise the island to their liking and change their Felyne avatar’s outfit; various costumes are shown to be based on main series armour like the Felyne Rathalos Helm.
The game was quietly tested in Canada and Japan without drawing much attention, but has now been fully unveiled with a reveal trailer and global launch announcement, prompting eager players to pre-register. The goal is 300,000 pre-registrations by launch – indicating Capcom expects the game’s success to be on a smaller scale than Monster Hunter Now, which landed three million pre-installs.
“We’re giving out great in-game rewards based on the total number of pre-registrants and followers on official social media accounts!” the Felyne Isles team said.
IP power
Many assets appear to be reused from the stylised spinoff series Monster Hunter Stories, while the contents of Match-3 puzzles themselves take direct inspiration from forageable materials like herbs and mushrooms. These can be moved vertically, horizontally and diagonally on the board to open up new matching opportunities.
Naturally, the monsters themselves come from the main series also – rampaging across the Felyne Isles and disrupting puzzle boards with fire, water, mud, and other elemental hazards. Monsters confirmed in the trailer include series mascot Rathalos, Royal Ludroth, Barroth, Lagombi, Mizutsune and more, with further additions promised for future updates.
Ranked rewards will be available too, a known tactic to drive monetisation through players’ competitive natures, as the base game will be free to play but premium items will be available to purchase.
Felyne Isles’ global launch comes in the same year as Monster Hunter’s 20th anniversary, and a few months after geolocation giant Monster Hunter Now – developed with Niantic – surpassed $150 million in revenue, demonstrating the series’ potential on mobile.
In fact, Capcom admitted it “wanted to get on mobile sooner” after share prices rose with Now’s release. With Felyne Isles on the way, and not competing with Now due to their vastly distinct genres, it looks like even more revenue will soon be on its way.
