The Wild At Heart

 PC
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. COGconnected
    May 24, 2021
    74
    In the end, I appreciated that The Wild at Heart leans into being an actual game rather than simply a thinly disguised exploration of childhood trauma. Together with inviting art direction that suggests an animated storybook and a story that supports layers of meaning, The Wild at Heart was a pleasant discovery. The game’s combat and puzzles aren’t entirely consistent or satisfying, and moment to moment the experience can feel a little aimless, but fans of accessible puzzle and action games with heart and some emotional depth should check it out.
  2. CD-Action
    Jul 23, 2021
    70
    A decent PC substitute for the Pikmin series. Its magical land filled with adorable creatures is a joy to explore, rich content will keep you occupied for as long as 20 hours, and a drop of survival mechanics spices up the adventure without making it stressful. The somewhat hazy story is okay at best and even though the game showers you with crafting materials, the crafting itself is pretty much needless, but the game’s biggest problem is the repetitiveness that made me slightly weary. [8/2021, p.74]
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  3. Hardcore Gamer
    May 21, 2021
    70
    The Wild at Heart is a fun, whimsical and challenging little action adventure game, largely thanks to its nicely-crafted puzzles, but it could have been a better adventure if it wasn’t trying to cram in so much. Clear your mind of the excessive mechanics, though, and it’s still a cute and enjoyable ode to the likes of Pikmin that still might be worth your time. It’s not as traumatizing a journey as the truly classic childhood adventures are, but its spectacular world and impressive graphics make it quite the charming adventure instead.
  5. Noisy Pixel
    May 20, 2021
    70
    The Wild at Heart has a satisfying gameplay loop of resource management and exploration. The puzzles aren’t challenging, but they serve as an acceptable means to an end of pointing players where to go. The colors and tones of Fall present a cute, yet somber accent to the bittersweet plot of running away to a hopefully better place. Wake is provided with actions that are unique to him, such as his vacuum ability, but it doesn’t quite elevate the game to surpassing genre conventions. Potential buyers should focus on whether the mysterious environments and curious characters entice them, rather than the simply adequate puzzle elements.
  6. Slant Magazine
    May 20, 2021
    70
    The game’s top-down perspective is quite zoomed in, amplifying the gorgeous details of the storybook art style.
  7. The Indie Game Website
    Jun 9, 2021
    60
    It’s charming and occasionally clever, but as a whole it all just feels kind of familiar.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 18 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 18
  3. Negative: 2 out of 18
  1. bexler774
    May 21, 2021
    9
    The Wild at Heart is Pikmin with a dash of Earthbound and Luigi's Mansion. And it's a damn good time.
  2. themetacritica
    May 24, 2021
    10
    This game is awesome! I spent a lot of hours solving the puzzles but it never becomes frustrating. The story is very beautiful too 100% Recommended!
  3. MediocreMilton
    May 29, 2021
    8
    The Wild at Heart was a surprisingly good puzzle game. The game has you use Spritelings to attack enemies and help solve puzzles. I played itThe Wild at Heart was a surprisingly good puzzle game. The game has you use Spritelings to attack enemies and help solve puzzles. I played it through Game Pass but it's absolutely worth buying. The soundtrack was amazing as well.… Full Review »
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