Wild Hearts

Wild Hearts shows up as a colorful and curious contender in the hunting game genre, and a very welcome one right now. With games like Monster Hunter Rise going for a less challenging approach, this game brings fascinating ideas that make it the breath of fresh air that the genre needs, combining difficult battles with some twists in mobility and construction, in a completely unexpected fashion. Some improvements to the unfortunate performance issues are needed, but the overall experience isn’t less enjoyable because of them.

WILD HEARTS manages to carve out its own identity in a genre dominated by Monster Hunter: World/Rise through its clever takes on classic monster hunting gameplay.

Wild Hearts is a fantastic video game. It has so much flair and personality, and so much of it is designed with fun in mind.

Wild Hearts has proved to be an immense surprise. It navigates the line between well-worn ground and exciting new innovation immensely well. It’s the best non-Capcom hunting game we’ve ever had, and a hugely enjoyable action RPG in its own right.

Wild Hearts marks the emergence of a worthy new AAA franchise. While the game suffers a bit from some minor technical issues on PC, the core gameplay is astoundingly strong. The mixture of wildly creative Kemono monsters and player-built karakuri creates a strong, addictive cocktail of fun. The challenge level is high, but victory feels triumphant. Highly recommended.

Wild Hearts has a magical world and the Kemono are challenging and incredible-looking creatures. The Karakurisystem is definitely the best part of the game and differentiates Wild Hearts from other monster-hunting games. The hunting is great besides some minor frustrations and the world is incredible, but the story is nothing special. It's a basic hero story but it helps build the world of Wild Hearts. Wild Hearts is an incredible game and you should definitely give it a shot.

Wild Hearts' unique Karakuri mechanics and skill systems do just enough to offer a new take on the tried-and-true monster-hunting genre. While there is some inconsistent performance across all platforms, Wild Hearts bewildering bestiary of unique creature more than makes it worth a look.

Wild Hearts is not flawless and you can see it was made on a budget, but it's a great starting point for a franchise. Most gameplay mechanics are good enough and some are even exceptional.

While Monster Hunter still reigns supreme, Wild Hearts still holds its own in the hunting arena. Those on Xbox Game Pass shouldn’t hesitate to give it a go.

Wild Hearts apes Capcom's monster-hunting series, and does so well while introducing new elements that enhance the genre.

Wild Hearts is a refreshing take on monster hunting that features huge creatures, cool weapons, and highly useful support systems.

Outside of some camera issues, performance issues, and a progression that could be more satisfying, WILD HEARTS is an amazing experience. The most important thing to know about WILD HEARTS is that it doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it doesn't want to either. From the start, it's clear that, rather than being an heir to Toukiden, it seeks to be an answer to Monster Hunter. Here it is important to emphasize the word "answer" because Koei Tecmo does not try to hang onto the success of Capcom's series or copy it. What it did was to look it straight in the eye to tell it that they could do the same and that they would even try to surpass it.

Perhaps most of all, it succeeds in realising the ideology at its core, through gameplay. Adaptation and growth is the cycle at the heart of Wild Hearts. As your Hunter places each Karakuri, they embody the innovation of humanity adapting to the natural world. In every clash with the Kemono, humanity meets the ferocity of nature head-on, to survive and prosper... Wild Hearts has undeniably proven its right to survive, and carved out a place in the high echelons of the monster-hunting genre.

Despite some performance issues and awkward camera controls, I would recommend Wild Hearts not only to long-time fans of monster hunting but to players like me who never quite understood the hype before. Wild Hearts will make you understand as it made me understand. From its immersive world to its unique building system, this is one big release you will not want to miss out on.

New fodder for hungry Monster Hunters: Wild Hearts isn't in the same league as the original, but it offers fresh hunting fun and cool monsters... erm, kemonos.

Gameplay is the best part of Wild Hearts. Although Omega Force needs to improve performance, we can definitely recommend their latest game even in its current form. Monster Hunter fans will be most pleased, but it may also appeal to people unfamiliar with the genre.

Wild Hearts is an innovative, interesting hunting game that manages to make sense of the mass genocide committed by hunters. Net of a few camera flaws and a few too many reskin, it's a very good game that brings a breath of fresh air to a genre that is a little too scared of the shadow of Monster Hunter.

Without revolutionizing the genre, Wild Hearts offers a direct approach to the game of hunting. With the mechanics of the Karakuris, the fights take advantage of a strategic dimension thanks to these constructions that are effective both against monsters and to adjust the levels in its own way. Far from forgetting the essential, the experience of Omega Force offers a nervous and dynamic gameplay, characteristic of the studio, supported by a limited, but varied arsenal.

It is safe to say, however, that Wild Hearts is a wonderful new IP in the hunting genre that not only stands on the shoulders of Monster Hunter but can also meet it eye-to-eye. It isn’t the most fleshed-out hunting game compared to its progenitor, but it proves that it doesn’t have to be. A razor-sharp focus on combat, player progression, and Kemono hunting is more than enough to make Wild Hearts an excellent palette cleanser for fans that need something new to sink their teeth into. Add in the game’s fun Karakuri crafting system, a flexible and versatile weapon upgrade system, and beast designs that inspire both awe and horror, and Wild Hearts can proudly stand tall as a new pillar in Omega Force’s diverse catalog of games.

The core gameplay loop of Wild Hearts doesn't deviate too far from the formula established by Monster Hunter, yet the surprising decision to center it all around a fast-paced building mechanic is a stroke of ingenuity. The Karakuri system elevates each individual part of Wild Hearts. Combat, traversal, and co-op are all improved by its presence and the way Karakuri is weaved into each component. There are some notable shortcomings that hold it back, especially when it comes to technical performance, but Wild Hearts is a welcome entry in a genre that's otherwise dominated by a single series.

I can't say for sure whether that shift in design philosophy will give Wild Hearts the same enduring appeal as its closest competitor. But in the moment, at least, Omega Force crafted a worthy and entertaining alternative that forges a distinct identity of its own.

Well-made Monster Hunter clone that delights with fresh ideas, but suffers from technical issues.

While far from perfect, Wild Heart's still has the building blocks of a successful franchise. Its exciting take on monster hunting is a roaring success, especially for newcomers to the genre.

Wild Hearts is a good monster hunting game that has successfully added its original ideas to the genre. But the terribly optimized PC version casts a huge shadow over everything the game does well.

Thanks to its unique mechanics (the Karakuri, the more or less permanent constructions fielded by the player), Wild Hearts manages to build truly lethal fights, in which the strategic use of resources and the study of the area really makes the difference. It manages to make exploration an active process, which passes through the customization of the environment and allows the player to really play a hunter at work, immersed in a world with fantastic traits. Action and RPG, in this case, are really interlaced. It's just a pity for the raw state in which it arrived at this debut, some stumbling blocks on a technical level (but the more serious ones have been solved) and a forgettable narrative part: elements that, in the middle of the action, can also lose weight, but that a high-end (price) game should still find a way to take care of it properly.

In theory, this is a massively entertaining game that introduces some unique twists to the monster-hunting formula. In practice, however, technical issues on PC continue to mar what should have been a slam-dunk hit.

Wild Hearts updates the hunting videogame catalog and proves that it is possible to create new franchises inspired by existing IPs. The only thing that separates success is the ability to create something with its own identity, and that's what Koei Tecmo did by delivering this new franchise to fans of the subgenre. Wild Hearts opts for a spiritualist theme that, properly contextualized, enriches the game world and gives a different purpose to the monsters, as well as to the playable character who has the trivial mission of saving the world. Despite the graphical and performance issues, it is always possible to contemplate the grandeur of everything, like weapons, creatures, buildings or even sights.

At its best, Wild Hearts feels like it's poised to give Monster Hunter a proper run for its money; but as it stands, it feels like the game is being held back from its true potential. What Wild Hearts does deliver is promise; in spades, and then some. It's already a great game, but with just enough improvements it could be something truly special.

Wild Hearts is a solid first step for Koei Tecmo's latest foray into the world of monster hunting, and while this isn't going to necessarily convert those who aren't already into the genre, it does provide great gameplay for those who want to pick up an alternative to Monster Hunter.

Wild Hearts is a good experience in the monster hunting genre without upsetting the usual standards, well established by the competition.

Wild Hearts doesn't just copy Monster Hunter, it also has plenty of good ideas, such as the changing environment and map installations. But the overall lack of polish and questionable balancing nevertheless proves to be unfortunate, and it still never manages to be as satisfying as its model. Whether it's the combat, the graphics, or the different systems of the game, the basics are there, but it's not quite accomplished enough to fully indulge in the pleasure of hunting big monsters.

There's potential in Wild Hearts. The building aspects alone add some depth to the exploration and combat aspects of the hunt, while the weapons feel right in a fight. There are many compelling reasons to give this a go: a drip feed of abilities, near-instant multiplayer with cross-play, and permanently affecting a player's instance. The sometimes-finicky building system can be an annoyance, while the lack of kemono variety is a knock, even if more beasts are promised later as free updates. The PC performance is what really drags down the game, and the lack of fixes combined with the game's high price tag are enough to hold off for now. On consoles, Wild Hearts is a fine counterpart to Capcom's offering, and it's worth checking out. PC players will want to wait and see if the game can make efficient use of the platform and hardware variety before jumping in.

Sublime combat can only do so much to carry a flawed building system, too few monsters and terrible performance.

Although WILD HEARTS puts up a valiant effort to capitalize on the success that Monster Hunter has found in the West these past few years, it still leaves a lot to be desired. The most disappointing aspect is how bogged down it is with technical issues that prevent a seamless online co-op experience. A lot of the joy in hunting monsters is being able to do it with friends. Despite featuring cross-platform play, I preferred to play WILD HEARTS alone rather than be bothered with the slow-downs that I encountered. It shows great promise with their weapon types and the upgrading mechanics, but ultimately WILD HEARTS feels like an unfinished product. I hope that the upcoming content updates can turn that around. In the meantime, I’d look elsewhere for getting that next hunt in.

Ultimately, Wild Hearts feels like it was made for a group of hunters. Playing solo isn’t beginner friendly, and is relatively time-consuming. While the gameplay and battles are enjoyable as a whole, combining building with tactical fighting, we couldn’t help but feel like the stutters and slow pace held us back from the fast-paced experience we looked for. Nevertheless, for any Monster Fan, new or experienced, this is a fantastic addition to the genre — although it doesn’t seem to have quite garnered a podium position just yet.

It is a shame that more time and effort weren’t put into the monster variety and ensuring better performance at launch. With the ability to create traps and other constructs on the field of battle, Wild Hearts has created a new hunting experience that could certainly stand toe to toe with a more well-established series. Future patches and DLC could certainly iron some of these problems out, but as it stands upon release, Wild Hearts is difficult to recommend in its launch state to all but the most hard-core of hunters. With that said, the foundation laid out by this title is quite solid, and could certainly lead to greater things in the future.