This is not a game for everyone. This is not a game of mindless slashing. This is not a game you learn immediately. It requires time. It requires patience. It requires thought.

For the investment, you can find one of the most satisfying gameplay loops I've ever come across. Hunting is the main part of the game. You hunt to progress. You hunt to learn monster behavior and patterns. You hunt to get materials to improve your gear and craft new equipment. That's why it requires getting involved and learning so many systems. It's all a core part of the experience. I personally hate grinding. It's time wasting for the sake of making the game last longer. But hunting has never felt like grinding. It's always been for a reason and victory over hardship makes it even more satisfying. Very few times in the 300 hours I've put into this game has it felt like mindless quests just to get a part and those were usually the optional limited time festival quests. All the other times I've been getting better at a particular monster or trying out something I recently upgraded.

Multiplayer is improved for the series but it still has a couple quirks. Story mode quests are playable in co-op for the first time. However, it requires the players to be at the same progression or further and sometimes you can't join a hunt until a cutscene is viewed. But because players can now join mid-hunt, it's possible to at least do that. It's more opportunities to play together and progress together if you and some friends are going through the game at the same time. The game scales based on the number of players that have joined so it's always a fair quest (outside of the optional Behemoth guest quest). More players is always helpful but not a requirement.

All in all, this is definitely a recommended game if you can put the time into learning everything. With Monster Hunter as a series, I've never been ashamed to look at or recommend someone watch tutorial videos. There's just so much to wrap your head around in this game and you'll forget until you're used to it all. This is the most new player accessible entry in the franchise, but all the bells and whistles of previous games are still here plus some quality of life improvements. Can't go wrong with starting the series with this game or continuing from older games into this one.

This is not a game for everyone. This is not a game of mindless slashing. This is not a game you learn immediately. It requires time. It requires patience. It requires thought. For the investment, you can find one of the most satisfying gameplay loops I've ever come across. Hunting is the main part of the game. You hunt to progress. You hunt to learn monster behavior and patterns. You hunt to get materials to improve your gear and craft new equipment. That's why it requires getting involved and learning so many systems. It's all a core part of the experience. I personally hate grinding. It's time wasting for the sake of making the game last longer. But hunting has never felt like grinding. It's always been for a reason and victory over hardship makes it even more satisfying. Very few times in the 300 hours I've put into this game has it felt like mindless quests just to get a part and those were usually the optional limited time festival quests. All the other times I've been getting better at a particular monster or trying out something I recently upgraded. Multiplayer is improved for the series but it still has a couple quirks. Story mode quests are playable in co-op for the first time. However, it requires the players to be at the same progression or further and sometimes you can't join a hunt until a cutscene is viewed. But because players can now join mid-hunt, it's possible to at least do that. It's more opportunities to play together and progress together if you and some friends are going through the game at the same time. The game scales based on the number of players that have joined so it's always a fair quest (outside of the optional Behemoth guest quest). More players is always helpful but not a requirement. All in all, this is definitely a recommended game if you can put the time into learning everything. With Monster Hunter as a series, I've never been ashamed to look at or recommend someone watch tutorial videos. There's just so much to wrap your head around in this game and you'll forget until you're used to it all. This is the most new player accessible entry in the franchise, but all the bells and whistles of previous games are still here plus some quality of life improvements. Can't go wrong with starting the series with this game or continuing from older games into this one.