TL;DR : Rise is an awesome game, if you like World you'll most likely like Rise. If you're looking for Monster Hunter World 2, you'll be disappointed. Instead come into this game with a fresh mindset and try not to compare the two so heavily. Combat is fluent, monsters, maps, and overall graphics are serviceable. Wirebugs and riding mechanics are dope and really fun. Mouse & Keyboard suck, better to use a controller. Be wary, there are reports from unfortunate players getting a somewhat uncommon bug that prevents them from starting a save file, meaning they cannot start the game because there is no file to start. Capcom is looking into this.

If you're looking for Monster Hunter World 2 then this is not it. I see others calling it "MHW Lite" which I guess fits. But Rise is its own thing outside of turf wars and returning monsters from World. It's not as graphically nice as World, but it does just fine. This is a fine 'upgrade' from the switch version of which I have a little over 600 hours. It is a lot smoother, the graphics are sharper, weapons and combat are smooth and fluent. The maps, the monsters, the elemental particle effects, the endemic life, it all looks good. Wirebugs are fun and intuitive even if they make the game easier, but then again we have to remember the clutch claw making World super easy. Just claw > soften part > wall bang the monster and get free DPS because reasons. Just another silly and fun thing to have, much like Rise's wirebugs. imo. Also mouse & keyboard suck, I recommend playing with an xbox controller. Or any controller really.

Going on a mini-rant here... a lot of people have been saying that Rise is too easy and yada, yada. I'd say World was and is very easy. Only in Iceborne did World get somewhat difficult and only then barely. Alatreon does not count he is simply a DPS check and if you fail you get insta murked, Fatalis does not count they just made him super strong because he's Fatalis + the end game boss. These two are just artificial difficulty, outside of them even the expansion wasn't very hard. So I'm not quite sure why people keep saying Rise is too easy when World was "too easy" as well. Ending my tangent, my point is whether or not this is true, I see Rise being another World in terms of difficulty. Super easy on launch with the base game, then the expansion adds more difficulty and, naturally, gets a lot better.

Overall Rise is pretty awesome in my honest opinion. The monsters are cool, the theme is cool, the story is .. okay. But that's fine because Monster Hunter has and always will be about hunting monsters, the story is just kind of tacked on in every installment (Besides Mh1&2 which barely had, if at all, any kind story). The riding mechanic is dope, wirebugs are dope, switch skills are fun, it's just all that they've learned from past Monster Hunter games put into one.

You got the switch skills which are basically just arts from Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, the open maps, infinite whetstones, and easy tracking of monsters from World, and the riding mechanic which I'd argue is just a more awesome version of Monster Hunter 4's (the game to introduce mounting) mounting system. If you liked World, you'll most likely like Rise. I wholeheartedly recommend it, do be wary though, there have been reports of a bug that does not allow you to even play the game. As the game can't even start a save file, therefore you can't play because there is no file. Capcom is actively looking in to this and hopefully there is a fix which I would assume is coming very soon.

TL;DR : Rise is an awesome game, if you like World you'll most likely like Rise. If you're looking for Monster Hunter World 2, you'll be disappointed. Instead come into this game with a fresh mindset and try not to compare the two so heavily. Combat is fluent, monsters, maps, and overall graphics are serviceable. Wirebugs and riding mechanics are dope and really fun. Mouse & Keyboard suck, better to use a controller. Be wary, there are reports from unfortunate players getting a somewhat uncommon bug that prevents them from starting a save file, meaning they cannot start the game because there is no file to start. Capcom is looking into this. If you're looking for Monster Hunter World 2 then this is not it. I see others calling it "MHW Lite" which I guess fits. But Rise is its own thing outside of turf wars and returning monsters from World. It's not as graphically nice as World, but it does just fine. This is a fine 'upgrade' from the switch version of which I have a little over 600 hours. It is a lot smoother, the graphics are sharper, weapons and combat are smooth and fluent. The maps, the monsters, the elemental particle effects, the endemic life, it all looks good. Wirebugs are fun and intuitive even if they make the game easier, but then again we have to remember the clutch claw making World super easy. Just claw > soften part > wall bang the monster and get free DPS because reasons. Just another silly and fun thing to have, much like Rise's wirebugs. imo. Also mouse & keyboard suck, I recommend playing with an xbox controller. Or any controller really. Going on a mini-rant here... a lot of people have been saying that Rise is too easy and yada, yada. I'd say World was and is very easy. Only in Iceborne did World get somewhat difficult and only then barely. Alatreon does not count he is simply a DPS check and if you fail you get insta murked, Fatalis does not count they just made him super strong because he's Fatalis + the end game boss. These two are just artificial difficulty, outside of them even the expansion wasn't very hard. So I'm not quite sure why people keep saying Rise is too easy when World was "too easy" as well. Ending my tangent, my point is whether or not this is true, I see Rise being another World in terms of difficulty. Super easy on launch with the base game, then the expansion adds more difficulty and, naturally, gets a lot better. Overall Rise is pretty awesome in my honest opinion. The monsters are cool, the theme is cool, the story is .. okay. But that's fine because Monster Hunter has and always will be about hunting monsters, the story is just kind of tacked on in every installment (Besides Mh1&2 which barely had, if at all, any kind story). The riding mechanic is dope, wirebugs are dope, switch skills are fun, it's just all that they've learned from past Monster Hunter games put into one. You got the switch skills which are basically just arts from Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, the open maps, infinite whetstones, and easy tracking of monsters from World, and the riding mechanic which I'd argue is just a more awesome version of Monster Hunter 4's (the game to introduce mounting) mounting system. If you liked World, you'll most likely like Rise. I wholeheartedly recommend it, do be wary though, there have been reports of a bug that does not allow you to even play the game. As the game can't even start a save file, therefore you can't play because there is no file. Capcom is actively looking in to this and hopefully there is a fix which I would assume is coming very soon.