Wild Hearts S

Wild Hearts S' deft art direction carries it through the down-porting process onto lower spec hardware. Despite some minor complaints, the main game offers a robust 30-40 hours of content, with seamless four-player co-op adding replayability. Hunting with friends is always fun, as coordinating Karakuri setups and weapon synergies elevates the chaos to new heights and offers a lot of bang for one's buck.

As someone with limited experience with games of this nature, Wild Hearts S has proved surprisingly addictive. Check out the demo if you’re curious, but I really believe it’ll be a game that grows on you. Even though I feel like there are certain respects where I’ve only scratched the surface (dozens of hours in, no less), the game is intuitive in the areas it needs to be. Such approachable depth that avoids the overwhelming trappings makes this game a winner and a keeper.

A highly recommended game. If you've never played this type of game before, it's a great entry point. And if you're already a fan of monster hunting, here's a different way to do it. Don't think twice: if you're into action and building crazy things, you'll love Wild Hearts S.

Wild Hearts S is a welcome and surprisingly capable port of what I always considered to be a truly fantastic and criminally underappreciated title when it launched a few years ago. EA may have dropped support for Wilds Hearts in a hurry, but I’d absolutely love if Omega Force continued to forge ahead with this IP independently. Azuma ain’t gonna save itself, after all, and it’s far too charming a world to leave to its own devices.

It makes for a fine time if you want to take down some monsters, either solo or with up to three Switch 2-owning friends, and all things considered, that’s a perfectly fine thing for a game to be.

If you have a dedicated group of friends that is ready and willing to play through the game together, whether that's in person or online, Wild Hearts S is an easy recommendation. If you're hoping to do multiplayer with randoms, then it gets a bit trickier. Wild Hearts S is a great game, but make sure you understand what you're signing up for before picking it up. While it's one of the best 3rd-party releases for the Switch 2 so far, it's a real question for how long the community might last.

An impressive port that struggles with performance issues towards the end of the game, Wild Hearts S delivers an action-packed twist on this sub-genre of ARPGs, and the brilliant Karakuri adds a great element of strategy to the tried-and-true monster hunting fun.

The issues with Wild Hearts S are minor enough that I’ve been more than willing to put up with them to enjoy the greater context. This is an excellent take on the Monster Hunter formula with stunning production values, an excellent and challenging range of monsters to track down, and, ultimately, a satisfying world to inhabit. It’s just incredible to now also have it in a portable format.

This port of Wild Hearts for the Nintendo Switch 2 is about what you'd expect. The visuals have been downgraded a little and performance isn't particularly stable. It remains one of the best alternatives to Monster Hunter around, though, and you can now team up with more players than ever before. Seriously consider picking this up if you want some monster-slaying fun.

Wild Hearts S is the Switch 2 version of the original and is a solid monster-hunting game with a strong identity, thanks to its Karakuri building system. But a shaky camera, finicky combat, and a paper-thin story weigh it down. As a port, it brings little new to the table—so unless you’re a first-time player or a handheld-focused hunter, it’s hard to recommend a second purchase.

If you once gave up on Wild Hearts but now own a Switch 2, Wild Hearts S might be worth a try. With significantly improved optimization, a new 4-player co-op mode, and still-solid hunting gameplay, it's a decent way for co-op fans to get through a content drought.

Wild Hearts S achieves its primary goal: bringing a solid and distinctive hunting experience to the Nintendo Switch 2. It's not the best way to play Wild Hearts, but it's a competent port that understands its limitations and works within them.

A Monster Hunter "clone" that stands firmly on its own legs, Wild Hearts S delivers a challenging, engaging, and content-rich experience that should appeal to fans of the genre looking for an alternative. Nothing was lost in the transition to Switch 2; if anything, the expanded lobbies are a welcome upgrade, and the technical performance holds up well. It's not all smooth sailing, but as a “first attempt”, Omega Force shows real promise. Let’s just hope Koei Tecmo stays on board, because there’s plenty of potential here for a great series; it just needs a bit more polish.