Sooo... after re-watching that direct (thanks for the link
Alexios
) I can tell there's gonna be an even greater emphasis on pushing the risk / reward via speed and acrobatics, which is fine by me. Previous MH games generously reward mounts, knockdowns, counter-stuns, etc in quick succession, and the combat system appears to orbit this exact playstyle.
In other words, if you (solo) or your full crew enjoy the lockdown-style of hunting, where you each keep the monster trapped, stunned, flashed, mounted, etc during most of the fight then I'm going out on a limb that this game is aimed at you.
The careful, ponderous MH playstyle remains for those that choose to use it, as it always does, but they are giving high level players more tools to cruise through missions and speedrun stuff, which will be welcome since this is my... 8th Monster Hunter game.
Of course I'm just spitballing. We only have 15m of footage. The combat won't really show its nuance until people put their hands on it and begin seeing how each of the weapon classes can be exploited / broken. It'll be fun to sink my teeth in. The map traversal is going to be something special. I bet they will tuck mining points, fossils, herbs, and other gathering-points in devious little spots that are not visible from the ground.