Then, the premise of the game is comparable to games like Monster Hunter or even the developers' own Toukiden series. You'll travel through Azuma, either solo or with friends, hunting the different Kemono. They'll drop loot of some kind, you'll regroup, create better weapons and armour, and go after a great deal larger Kemono. It's a simple premise that doesn't need much shake-up, but Wild Hearts does do things a bit differently to distinguish itself from the contemporaries.
The most apparent difference is the presence of the Karakuri. Within the plot, Karakuri is really a mystical force that allows you to summon ancient technology mid-battle to help slay the Kemono. In terms of gameplay, it enables you to build structures during battle, ala Fortnite, to help you in exploration and combat. Springs to pay for great distances, walls to bar dashing Kemono. Even giant hammers to deal massive damage. There's a whole bunch of Karakuri, and more on the way, but it's the sheer variety of them that opens up the combat to all types of approaches that you would not even be able to consider in other games.
This does give off shades of games like Fortnite, however i wouldn't let that deter you if that's never been your lifestyle. Building the Karakuri mid-battle, either for yourself or friends to use, is definitely an incredibly satisfying and easy process. You can technically play without them, however the game would provide a greater challenge of computer already does. Why wouldn't you? The Karakuri have effects that I'm not really sure are intentional but helpful – some can be used to cancel animations and offer a faster flow towards the game's combat.
There are over twenty different types of Karakuri, most of which have multiple uses. It is a system that really changes the way you approach your hunts. Some are merely reconnaissance tools, enabling you to highlight a certain Kemono you might be hunting. Others are highly damaging weapons or bombs. Incidents where give your hunter to travel long distances in Death Stranding-esque ziplines or catapults. There's a lot on offer here to think about before you even think about the weaponry you'll be using. And that’s even before you start to fuse these to make better still constructions with wilder effects.
Weapons in Wild Hearts share with you at certain points in the story and feel simpler than you'd expect from games like Monster Hunter, but that's not a slight from the game. While combos are arguably simpler than most players would be used to, every weapon in the game is a joy to use and grasp. There are around eight weapons to master in Wild Hearts, each unique, offering different playstyles to make sure most players find something that suits them.
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My obvious favourite is the Bladed Wagasa, a fast-bladed umbrella specialising in parrying and aerial combat. But other weapons behave differently to what you'd normally expect – the bow, for example, is all about stacking arrows after which “detonating” them to deal massive damage, rather than just a simple ranged weapon. Some tend to be more technical than the others, like the shapeshifting spear, but there's a large and varied enough selection.
Your weapons and karakuri are crucial, but your preparation is essential to conquering the more difficult hunts of Wild Hearts. Early on hanging around, I admittedly wasn't paying a lot of attention to resistances in my load-outs, but a fire-based enemy absolutely destroyed me and sent me back to the drawing board to higher equip myself. It feels much more purposeful and highlights just how important it's to get your build right before charging into battle. Something I suggest to anyone reading – be sure you use the food system. Entering a battle well-fed will give you buffs that can be the main difference between success and failure.
But quote that Wild Hearts could be a bit of a grind, or even more so, than Monster Hunter. Within my lengthy time with the game, I fell victim to numerous bottlenecks where I’d need to go grind a few more hunts to get the gear which i wanted. It’s something which I’m sure fans of games like Monster Hunter are used to, however it does feel a bit more egregious here. On the other hand, hunts are, typically, shorter than Monster Hunter and also the combat is really fun that it’s less of a grinding feeling despite properly being one.
But I've yet to speak about the Kemono, the beasts you'll really be hunting. Are all beautiful to look at, existing at the intersection of plants and creatures, but they're all terrifying to battle. The Emberplume, a ferocious peacock, is the best, but there are around twenty or so Kemono to fight across Wild Hearts. As mentioned, some of them are a a bit more cinematic within their approach, but overall, it is a nice variety. It's a little bit of unfortunate to determine some of the Kemono recycled towards the end of the story – for instance, utilizing a creature by having an ice element rather than lava – the variety here is very good, even when I am keen, and left wanting more.
Thankfully, the game performs well online. The drop-in and drop-out options are seamless, and you may request help during a hunt with the your hands on a control button. You will find traditional methods to invite people – like travelling to a particular point to summon them or whatever – when you are able to do it on-the-fly is a nice touch. Similarly, progress is shared across all players, so you can take part in the entirety of Wild Hearts with two other friends if you wish. It's really a challenging game, so you'll want someone with you, even if the fights scale slightly with more players.
So then, to presentation, Wild Hearts is less consistent. Across my time with both PC and console versions, there is notable texture pop-in and inconsistent framerate issues during more serious battles, even if playing in performance mode. It is a shame, too, because the art direction is absolutely stunning – Azuma is a beautiful world filled with vast biomes inspired by the seasons, and the Kemono are beautifully-designed. However the further you receive in to the game, the worse the performance gets. Hopefully, this is often optimised and fixed as time goes by, until then, if you're very sensitive to performance issues, then remember that Wild Hearts isn't perfect at this time.
I came from time with Wild Hearts last year excited to see more. Now, after experiencing the event, I still feel the same. That isn't because Wild Hearts isn't satisfying; it's because the world that Koei Tecmo has crafted and also the concept of the Kemono continues to have a lot more potential that I hope we'll see with expansions or perhaps even a sequel. But for now, Wild Hearts is the best jumping-off point for which will hopefully be a new franchise that spans many years to come.
