Really cool game, very solid overall but could be even better!

Since it was the first game of the franchise I really invested time into, I cannot compare it to older entries.
I'll try to arrange the topics in my order of preference.
The Gameplay is, to me, the most appealing aspect of this game, facing impressive monsters as a little human being, then using insane moves to put them down is like a dream come true. Each one of the beasts expresses its personality through their attack pattern and it takes a good while before it becomes too repetitive (they have ways of fighting this feeling I believe). The gameplay is also heavily impacted by the weapon you chose, obviously some seem more interesting but that’s also really subjective. I’d say there is a weapon for everyone and each one of them offers a great experience. Another thing that deeply changes the dynamic of the game is whether you are playing solo or not. Both bring something different to the table, alone you feel a lot more “in control” of what is happening but you can also dominate the monster if you have a well organized team. The lobby system allows a feeling of community inside the game, it's easy to play with random people which is often fun and makes unpredictable stories.
This opus is not called “World” for no reason, its levels are designed in a way that makes them feel alive, like a true ecosystem. This adds a ton of immersion and fun explorations, discoveries. Visually this game is really great, from the environment to the characters. Weapons & armors are solid of course.
I love the progression throughout the game, but I think it is slowed down by many things like luck. Leveling up your weapons and armor is awesome and creating builds is as cool as it is hard to get into. Unfortunately, there is a lot of information that is hard to find or just not given at all. I think it is a good thing that as a new player I can not really grasp what is “op” or how well is the game balanced, its just one less thing to think about and I know some veterans are really mad about the balance and how they feel forced to play a certain way or use specific stuff like talents. (Not me hehe)
It is very sad that the story is made awful just because of one character, which is your partner. I still enjoyed most of it, cool concepts (some are poorly executed) that made sense altogether and cool introduction to the monsters. Though I would say it is definitively not the forte of this game. “We need to study and learn what is all about this new creature, so let’s just kill it” is the majority of the story’s vibe.
Your partner also serves as the tutorial (usually) but overall they are not great which is horrible at the start since it does not encourage you to continue the game. I believe not a single soul likes this character. She talks too much.
I’m glad that I played the entire story before buying the DLC, because it powercreeps so hard the base game, just with the new move set and actions.
Iceborn brings so much to the game it actually feels like it “completes” it. I think the main thing is that it offers the best monsters which is what most hunters are looking for.
Also I forgot to mention that I was shocked multiple times when the game managed to surprise me after so many hours into it, from the sheer amount of content or just a really good fight coming from nowhere or just a cool new feature appearing late. I love that feeling.

In conclusion I think this is a great game, a good starting point for anyone curious and it is really flexible with how you want to play it. Truly a game for everyone.
A game that makes you feel like a legend is always good in my opinion.

Really cool game, very solid overall but could be even better! Since it was the first game of the franchise I really invested time into, I cannot compare it to older entries. I'll try to arrange the topics in my order of preference. The Gameplay is, to me, the most appealing aspect of this game, facing impressive monsters as a little human being, then using insane moves to put them down is like a dream come true. Each one of the beasts expresses its personality through their attack pattern and it takes a good while before it becomes too repetitive (they have ways of fighting this feeling I believe). The gameplay is also heavily impacted by the weapon you chose, obviously some seem more interesting but that’s also really subjective. I’d say there is a weapon for everyone and each one of them offers a great experience. Another thing that deeply changes the dynamic of the game is whether you are playing solo or not. Both bring something different to the table, alone you feel a lot more “in control” of what is happening but you can also dominate the monster if you have a well organized team. The lobby system allows a feeling of community inside the game, it's easy to play with random people which is often fun and makes unpredictable stories. This opus is not called “World” for no reason, its levels are designed in a way that makes them feel alive, like a true ecosystem. This adds a ton of immersion and fun explorations, discoveries. Visually this game is really great, from the environment to the characters. Weapons & armors are solid of course. I love the progression throughout the game, but I think it is slowed down by many things like luck. Leveling up your weapons and armor is awesome and creating builds is as cool as it is hard to get into. Unfortunately, there is a lot of information that is hard to find or just not given at all. I think it is a good thing that as a new player I can not really grasp what is “op” or how well is the game balanced, its just one less thing to think about and I know some veterans are really mad about the balance and how they feel forced to play a certain way or use specific stuff like talents. (Not me hehe) It is very sad that the story is made awful just because of one character, which is your partner. I still enjoyed most of it, cool concepts (some are poorly executed) that made sense altogether and cool introduction to the monsters. Though I would say it is definitively not the forte of this game. “We need to study and learn what is all about this new creature, so let’s just kill it” is the majority of the story’s vibe. Your partner also serves as the tutorial (usually) but overall they are not great which is horrible at the start since it does not encourage you to continue the game. I believe not a single soul likes this character. She talks too much. I’m glad that I played the entire story before buying the DLC, because it powercreeps so hard the base game, just with the new move set and actions. Iceborn brings so much to the game it actually feels like it “completes” it. I think the main thing is that it offers the best monsters which is what most hunters are looking for. Also I forgot to mention that I was shocked multiple times when the game managed to surprise me after so many hours into it, from the sheer amount of content or just a really good fight coming from nowhere or just a cool new feature appearing late. I love that feeling. In conclusion I think this is a great game, a good starting point for anyone curious and it is really flexible with how you want to play it. Truly a game for everyone. A game that makes you feel like a legend is always good in my opinion.