Soulslike - Discussion, News, Memes

They're two very different game series. Coming from MH, it's not so different from soulslikes in the sense that you have a dodge roll, fight one big enemy at a time over a longer period of time, need to look out for your positioning, have numerous different weapon types to choose from that lead to vastly different gameplay etc. In essence, it's a different kinda game tho. You grind for resources, craft new weapons and armour made from said resources that that the monsters you hunt drop on quests and upon carving them, and need to grind a lot to get the resources you need for crafting and upgrades. The story is usually not that good - except for a couple standouts like Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate for the 3DS - and not the focus of the games.

Where the game shines is the multiplayer. You can hunt with up to three other players which makes for really chaotic but cool hunts. Everyone will have a different weapon, different armours and weapons they want to grind for, so you keep switching up the monsters you hunt, progress through hunter ranks to hunt stronger and cooler monsters... It's a really good game series, long story short.

If you're interested in giving the games a shot, I recommend either Monster Hunter World or Monster Hunter Rise. I personally am not a huge fan of either simply because I feel like they've "casualised" the gameplay a tad too much (don't get me wrong - I'm really grateful for what Capcom has done with the two games for the series' exposure and popularity but I just prefer the more oldschool, traditional games) but either is a good starting point. World is a little more grounded and has a super nice look. With its expansion Iceborne, it's probably the biggest MH game to date, spanning almost 10 years of content released for the game. Rise is more of a return to its whacky Japanese roots and has found a lot of fans too. It's a very sensible continuation of World and has a lot of cool unique mechanics that have never been seen like this: riding a dog into battle like a mount (Palamute), running and climbing up walls and mountains, a so-called "wire-bug" that allows for numerous additional special attacks and added mobility in combat and out of combat etc etc etc.

Long story short, get either World or Rise - doesn't matter - and you'll be golden for a long time. Their respective DLC's, Iceborne and Sunbreak, offer even more really good, difficult, high-level gameplay. Do see if you can find someone to play them with, however, since it's way more fun with friends. Even a single other person to play with elevates the experience a lot. Also don't shy away from online multiplayer as the online community is usually really kind, helpful, and accepting of new players.

About DD: I've only played 2 without any knowledge of the prior games and had a lot of fun. It's an open-world game with gameplay similar to Monster Hunter (go figure, they're both made by Capcom) that is set in a fantasy setting, so spells are on the table too for example, and a really beautiful landscape to explore. The story was really not that great, sadly, and is apparently a step-down from prior installments. However, the gameplay more than makes up for it:

You have different vocations, similar to jobs in FF for example, with their own different sets of weapons, armours, and skills at their disposal. You can switch between vocations really easily by speaking to the vocation guild master in town and can grind XP for their respective progress bars to unlock new skills. The exploration is really nice and always offers something cool to find - usually treasure or a side-quest.

The biggest draw of the game is definitely the pawn system, tho. You create your personal follower during character creation that tags along, helps with fights, has dynamic and adaptive dialogue. The coolest thing is that every other players also has a pawn - which you can hire through a pawn hire system. What that means is that you can have up to two more pawns in your party that are completely unique and made by other players. When your pawn is hired by other players, you get rewards for their work, like money or materials, and it's just a really cool idea that doesn't exist in any other franchise.

I've had enough fun with the game during two playthroughs (like 100h combined where 80h were spent on the first one). The gameplay and the vocations offer enough variety to last you easily that much.

Okay, sorry for the wall of text. I hope my ramblings make sense because I don't wanna proof-read it :D Hope I could help you somewhat!