Night in the Woods is a weird experience. The setting and characters are probably its strongest points, even though some side cast is very underdeveloped. As a whole, Night in the Woods has provided me with some absolutely beautiful moments, which are the sole reason for this positive review.
However, be aware that the narrative leaves a lot to be desired, especially concerning a shift in tone and focus, which feels shoehorned in. Also, (this may be just me) I've found the ending to be really unsatisfying and borderline bad.
The game is at its strongest when it's focusing on the daily lives and struggles of the characters. In light of that, I believe it's very detrimental to just mainline the plot since many of the strongest moments are optional.

If you're willing to take your time and forgive some (pretty large) missteps in the narrative, you'd be doing yourself a disservice by skipping this game.

MH Rise is very much a game that's way more focused on quick pick-up and play sessions. For most people here, their first exposure to this series was MH:W, and this one follows on a lot of what made MH: world stand out, but it's also a switch game.
I do have many things to say about it, but I don't think Steam user reviews are a good place to post walls of text that could rival even Steve Rodgers.

What I think is important is setting expectations. This game is way faster and mobile, and the hunts play out more like a fast action game than a reactive and methodical dance of previous entries.
Now to be totally honest MH:W was already way more forgiving, but I didn't feel like the mobility took away from the core experience, but here it's turned up to 11, and will result in some alienation. Don't expect expansive maps with immersive fights, instead expect a very well-made and polished action game. That way you'll enjoy it the most.