WILD HEARTS – Review
Action-RPG masterpiece Wild Hearts ($69.99) skillfully blends familiar elements from the Monster Hunter series with innovative new features. As the same studio, Omega Force, developed the monster-hunting Toukiden titles for the PS3, PSP, and Vita, this is not too much of a surprise. Wild Hearts, like those other works, is mostly set in Japan during the feudal era and features hunters facing off against monstrous supernatural beasts. Even if Wild Hearts isn’t as polished as Monster Hunter, it’s still a great option.
The Monster Hunter series is responsible for the creation of an entire genre thanks to its engaging gameplay loop that has players constantly on the lookout for new monsters and items. Like its antecedents, Wild Hearts has you tracking down a wandering boss as you explore a massive world. You learn to use your weapons effectively, collect resources from your kills, use those resources to create new pieces of equipment, and then repeat the process over again with a more formidable foe. Wild Hearts captures the spirit of the genre perfectly.
You’ll be led through the game’s Japan-inspired setting through the story’s narrative campaign. The Kemono are enormous animals that wander the wilds of Azuma and have a devastating impact on the ecosystem. You play the part of a Kemono hunter with special abilities who is tasked with helping the city of Minato rid itself of the otherworldly creatures. Wild Hearts has a more complex plot than its contemporaries because of the numerous story pieces that pepper the larger narrative (though you can skip the scenes if you want to jump right into the action).
Azuma is not a genuine open world, but rather a series of large, independent zones, each with its own features and landmarks, much like the maps in Monster Hunter Rising. The zones in Wild Hearts are large and vertical, which is very remarkable. Whatever you can swing your legs over is fair game, and the different forms of support Karakuri provide the means to ascend far higher (more on that in a bit). You can construct wind columns to effortlessly soar into the skies, or ziplines to travel to far-off cliff faces. It’s likely you can go there if you can see it on a map.
The areas are also rich in resources and loot, including as food, raw materials, and healing supplies. There are also 50 Tsukumo, collectible NPCs reminiscent of Nioh’s Kodama, dispersed across each area. When playing in single mode, they will also accompany you on hunts.
Wild Hearts adds some variety by letting you decide where to establish outposts. If the ground is flat, you can basically set up camp wherever. After you die in combat, you respawn at a camp, and you can also use teleportation to reach to other camps in the same zone rapidly. Although the tent is your primary respawn location, you can also build a campfire (for choosing missions and finding a partner), a crafting station (for blacksmithing), and a food station (for preparing meals) (buffs and enhancements). Dragon Pits, mystical aquifers, provide the essential materials for these buildings.
All across Azuma, you’ll come across fantastic creatures known as Kemono. These creatures are awesome mashups of animal, plant, and mineral, and they all have their own unique appearances. Imagine a Pokemon that was styled after a yokai from the Nioh video games. There are apes with stone skin, crows with feathers made of vines, and boars the size of small houses that are coated in moss. The animals use their own methods of combat and can easily take out your best hunter. When Kemono absorb enough damage or if the battle goes on for too long, they reach furious states. This shifts their assault patterns and general demeanour to make them more difficult to defend against or approach.
A kemono’s weak spot or elemental affinity makes it especially susceptible to harm. More resources can be obtained by breaking off their limbs, horns, and tails. A wonderful touch is a reference guide that explains how to defeat the monsters and what they drop. This ease of use facilitates the search for specialised resources.
Due to its status as a brand-new hunting game, Wild Hearts does not feature a robust roster of monsters. Counting all possible permutations, there are more like 20. Monster Hunter Rising, on the other hand, includes over 40 unique monsters, many of which have appeared in earlier installments. Wild Hearts is a new franchise, so even while their initial lineup of 20 animals may not compare favourably to that of more established teams, it is nonetheless amazing. However, further material such as new enemies, weapons, and armour will be added to Wild Hearts after its initial release.
You have access to eight distinct weapon classes in Wild Hearts, each of which appears simplistic at first glance. When combined with the Karakuri system, however, their complexity increases dramatically (more on that in a bit).
Several weapons serve varied purposes, with some evoking Monster Hunter’s arsenal. The huge Nodachi blade, for instance, employs heavy-hitting techniques reminiscent of the charged greatsword slashes in Monster Hunter. The Cannon, a weapon that shoots lasers, uses a combination of mortars and energy management to fuel its projectiles, making it feel very different from other weapons. As a fan of parry-and-counter tactics, I was naturally drawn to the Wagasa, a bladed umbrella that can also be used as a shield. Learning to hunt in The Wild Heart is an iterative process, so the satisfaction of pulling off a perfectly timed parry is all the sweeter. Wild Hearts has a fantastic feel in the hands.
A camera’s limitations become more apparent in cramped quarters or spaces with a lot of greenery. When your boss throws you around like a ragdoll, the monster’s size or the environment may block part of your view. It’s annoying when you take more damage than necessary because you can’t quite get your bearings in time. Despite Wild Hearts’ lock-on feature, some circumstances are hopeless.
I, too, find the fall damage to be too severe. Although while it’s funny to watch your character fall from a great height and land on their face, this can happen in combat. You take no real harm, however the game will revive you close to where you went down. This means you can potentially resurface in the path of a threat.
Also, there is a great deal of precision required to perform certain attacks, such as the Maul’s hammer combination or the Wagasa parry. As a result, the rigid timing may cause you to miss a parry or maybe the entire combo. It would be wonderful if there was a bit more leeway.
The Karakuri mechanism is what sets Wild Hearts apart from other games, even more so than the Japanese design. These mechanical aids made of wood will make your hunting experience much more stable. Using a crate to provide a handhold while you climb is the simplest form of this variation (you can also jump off it to add height and damage to leaping attacks). It can be shaped into a springboard and used to make a fast dash in the direction you’re facing, making it easy for less mobile weaponry to avoid being hit (or a unique dashing attack). You can launch yourself into the air and cover great distances with the glider. The torch provides a scorching bonus to your close-range strikes. Thread, which may be found in rocks, trees, and bosses, is used to craft Karakuri tools.
The Karakuri can be combined in a variety of ways to provide other, more exotic effects than these basic ones. The first obstacle you’ll face is the bulwark, which is made by stacking six crates to form an ornamental wall utilised for concealment. A firework made from six stacked torches acts like a flash bomb from Monster Hunter, blinding Kemono and bringing down aerial foes. An enormous time bomb powered by springs and flamethrowers. You can use these fusions in addition to the base functions to cleverly trap, harm, or bully Kemono, and to boost your fundamental powers. It’s evocative of the Wirebugs from Monster Hunter Rising, but it’s much more comprehensive, covering all of the game’s optional features.
World travel is another common application for Karakuri. Unless they are destroyed, traversal contraptions, unlike battle Karakuri, will always be present on the map. For instance, zip lines can be constructed to cover the entire landscape and ascend to practically any altitude. A different variety of Karakuri can call out a huge monowheel for you to ride. The mechanisms in Wild Hearts are intuitive and well-integrated into the game’s backdrop and narrative.
Wild Hearts is a fantastic example of a high-quality hunting game since it perfectly captures the essence of the genre. Despite certain issues with the game’s fall system, strict timing, and camera obfuscation, I’m glad to see the Karakuri system and the emphasis on verticality included. If you’re looking for a fresh monster-hunting adventure or are just curious about the genre, Wild Hearts is a solid choice.
