Wild Hearts, developed by Koei Tecmo’s Omega Force and published by EA, is doing its best to take the crown of the monster-hunting genre from Capcom’s long-running franchise, monster hunter. The problem is that it copies Capcom’s homework bit too much.
Despite fast-paced action and a variety of stacked enemies, Wild Hearts is such a blatant carbon copy that fans of the Capcom series may find it hard to ignore. However, those new to the genre should find battling giant monsters a fun, if somewhat superficial experience.
Hunt monsters
In Wild Hearts, you take on the role of an unnamed hunter in Azuma, a world that bears a strong resemblance to feudal Japan. You will seek out giant monsters, known as Kemonos, upgrade equipment, and complete quests for characters. You have a stock of weapons with unique moves, like the extraordinary Bladed Wagasa, an umbrella-like weapon that transforms the hunter into a deadly Mary Poppins as he floats while slicing through monsters.
Weapon options are similar to Monster Hunter, but the tool sets feel slightly different. Called Karakuri, players can create different items that make traversing easier but can also be used in battle. The first Karakuri available to players is a box that can be used to reach higher ledges or as a platform to deal extra damage with dive attacks. Later, players will learn how to combine six of these boxes to create a Rampart, a fortified wall that will stop a charging monster, knocking it onto its back, leaving it open to attack. The Karakuri is essentially a Swiss army knife-like tool that unlocks more options as players progress.
The Karakuri can create wacky tools like this contraption.
EA
Combat in Wild Hearts feels more frantic than in Monster Hunter, but the controls are sluggish. Attacking, healing, dodging, using Karakuri, and other actions come with a slight input lag, which leads to some frustration when playing.
Enemies range from smaller monsters that are only a few sizes larger than the hunter to giant behemoths that tower over the player. The battles take place in phases. When an enemy’s health is low enough, the monster roars and escapes to another part of the map. Players will have to find them and start the second phase, during which the monsters will unleash new, more powerful attacks making them much more dangerous.
This heart is too familiar
I cannot stress this enough: Wild Hearts plays SO much like Monster Hunter. It’s almost entertaining. And sadly, Wild Hearts basically copies some of the more monotonous parts of Monster Hunter.
Like in Monster Hunter, enemies have roars that indicate the start and end of a battle, which is a lame mechanic that shouldn’t have been copied. Then there’s the tedious and pointless action of the monster running away after losing a certain number of hit points. There’s even the incorporation of a 30-second timer after hunting quest-related monsters to return you to camp instead of allowing you to continue hunting other monsters or immediately start another quest.
The world of Azuma is divided into islands where there is a variety of terrain, but only a certain number of places are actually intended for combat. The rest allows you to gather items for crafting or healing, as well as providing a safe space to set up camp. It also looks exactly like Monster Hunter.
Even the tone of the game is similar. Wild Hearts’ feudal Japan setting isn’t all that different from Monster Hunter, although the latter is a bit more playful with its characters and setting.
Wild Hearts will not win the Monster Hunter Crown. Fans of the Capcom series won’t find much new to explore in the game, while those new to the genre will see the same notes repeated over and over. Those who can appreciate Wild Hearts the most are those who are new to the genre and have never had the experience of beating giant beasts with ridiculous weapons.
Wild Hearts launches on the PS5, Xbox series X|S And computer for $70 on February 17.
