Decent monster pool, though smaller than some previous iterations. No G Rank quests yet, but hopefully they'll be added in the upcoming Sunbreak expansion.

The gameplay (monster speed, how fast they recover, etc.) has been sped up quite significantly compared to some of the older games, using Palamutes, Wirebugs, Silkbind Skills, and modified move sets to compensate on the hunter's side. I like a lot of these changes, particularly to the movesets, but the addition of Wirebug Recovery kind of feels too easy/forgiving, promoting a playstyle where taking hits is much less risky/devastating, since it's so easy to escape afterwards.

I am very happy they split the story between Village and Hub quests again, and removed cutscene lockouts for multiplayer. This makes progressing through multiplayer with friends much more fun/viable than it was in Monster Hunter World. The story itself is nothing special (like all MH games).

I would say the map design is a bit worse than World, possibly due to needing to design it with Wirebugs and Spiritbirds in mind. Spiritbird collecting is an annoying task, and I'd prefer if it were removed. The maps feel less alive and dynamic like a real ecosystem (like how they felt in World), and more just like a static place you go to hunt monsters.

Overall a solid entry to the franchise, and I feel if certain elements of this game and certain elements of Monster Hunter World were merged together, it would be a near-perfect Monster Hunter game.