Hunting is something people have done since the dawn of time. Whether it be for sport or survival, people have long clung to their hunter instincts and used tools and intellect to take down prey. Not everyone has the desire to kill anything in real life, but as a general rule gamers enjoy taking on gargantuan creatures in a digital arena. There are games dedicated just to the hunt of massive fantastic creatures. Wild Hearts is the newest take on the hunter game where players use their otherworldly technology to take on magnificent beasts in a fantasy version of feudal Japan.
Wild Hearts is all about hunting giant monsters called Kemono. Immediately this is going to draw comparisons to Monster Hunter and Toukidengames. This is natural given the premise, but the few hours spent with Wild Hearts indicates that has potential to be a stand out within the genre. From the specific designs of the Kemono and the and Inspector Gadget quality of Karakuri, Wild Hearts offered a unique monster hunting experience.
Wild Hearts takes place in Azuma, a fantasy world inspired by Feudal Japan. Great beasts known as Kemono have evolved to includes elements of the landscape into their bodies. The Kemono come in a variety of sizes, from plant-infused squirrels to the massive Kingtusk boar. They have coexisted peacefully with humans until recently when they started rampaging across the countryside and altering the surrounding environment at the cost of human lives. The player begins as a simple hunter until they have a fateful encounter with the Deathstalker wolf. This massive beast proves too much for the hunter to take on, but after the defeat they become the wielder of the miraculous Karakuri technology. The player has choice in creating the identity of their hunter, including body type and pronouns.
The Karakuri is unlike any technology citizens of the era have access to. This device allows to user to construct a myriad of different items. When hunting Kemono it can be useful to build a wall by stacking boxes which can serve as a barrier against powerful attacks or use as a jumping off point to deliver a devasting leap attack. Or the player can use it to create a springboard to launch themselves at the Kemono as a human projectile. There are uses for this device outside of battle as well where the player can stack boxes to reduce the time needed to scale a rocky well or summon a forge in camp for the blacksmith to construct new gear.
There are a variety of weapons that fit different playstyles and different Kemono hunts. A trusty katana is the starting weapon and works well in most cases, but given how large and intimidating some of these Kemono appear, some hunts may be more comfortable with a ranged weapon such as a bow and arrow. The Kemono can be hunted as a solo endeavor, but there is safety in numbers, plus going out in the wilderness to hunt giant monsters can be a great bonding experience. Co-op multiplayer is available with up to two other hunters. Monster difficulty scales to the number of players, but having multiple hunters using Karakuri can lead to interesting teamwork and strategy. Cross-play is planned for Wild Hearts.
Having spent a few hours with Wild Hearts, it’s shaping up to be an enjoyable game. The use of the Karakuri to instantly construct different hunting apparatuses instantly adds an interesting strategic element to the hunt in addition to the usual combat mechanics of Omega Force games. Battle mechanics still feel a rough around the edges, but there’s plenty of time for that to get polished. The creature design of the Kemono was a sight to behold. These creatures are patterned after real animals, but have grown to enormous proportions with environmental features fused onto their bodies, whether it be rocky ridges or plant life. Wild Hearts is scheduled for release on February 17 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
