- Publisher: Electronic Arts
- Release Date: Feb 17, 2023
- Also On: PC, PlayStation 5
Buy Now
| Buy on |
|
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
- Unscored
-
Feb 25, 2023Minor camera issues aside, Wild Hearts is a stunning action RPG that offers more than enough of a base to build a franchise on top of. Its fantastic creature design and lush landscapes make every hunt feel fresh, and its Karakuri system allows each biome to feel more personal with each trip.
-
Feb 16, 2023Wild Hearts brings a uniqueness to the monster hunting genre that keeps the experience feeling refreshing. The Karakuri and different weapon options are very fun to experiment with and present interesting combat opportunities. The game never felt repetitive and performance issues were minimal. Overall, Wild Hearts capitalizes on what made monster hunting games so much fun in the first place while still giving fans of the genre a new reason to get excited and dive back into the fight.
-
Feb 16, 2023The controls are simple, there aren’t a bunch of sub menus and things, and everything just works well. I would like to see some improvements to AI and things in the future but with an aggressive post launch plan that includes more monsters (kemono) and story beats, Omega Force is firmly behind Wild Hearts and that can only mean good things for the monster hunting market at large.
-
Feb 16, 2023Wild Hearts expands on a tried and true formula with its own blend of mechanics that make it a must for fans of big game hunting and gamers who like co-op.
-
Feb 16, 2023I’m stunned. It is an incredible first effort from the team at Omega Force. Mixing Monster Hunting with Green Lantern crafting works beautifully. I hope this series is around for a very long time, because this game is excellent.
-
Feb 23, 2023Wild Hearts is another great monster-hunting title that suffers the most from comparisons to the well-established Monster Hunter series. The developers have promised that DLC is on the way in the coming months with more kemono and karakuri, and it’s all going to be free with no paid updates in the plans (not yet, at least), so there’ll be more to bring you back to Azuma. Even after finishing the main game, there’s plenty left over in the endgame to challenge hunters hungry for more. It’s an impressive effort, with a world that continually beckons hunters to return. Gear up, for the hunt is on.
-
Feb 16, 2023I'm having a wonderful time with WILD HEARTS and I can't wait to take on more monsters with online folks as I have a few tricks that I'd like to show off. Overall, this is a phenomenally fun and fully-featured monster-hunting game that I'm sure you'll love.
-
Feb 16, 2023Wild Hearts is a hunter-like game that is both respectful of tradition and at the same time very brave, thanks to innovations such as the Karakuri structure system and greater attention to the narrative. In addition, the game benefits from the care taken in designing the Kemono monsters and crafting an experience that will satisfy both genre veterans and newcomers. Despite a few youth issues, it is undoubtedly one of the best alternatives around for fans of the genre.
-
Feb 16, 2023Wild Hearts is a solid and fun title that can be more entertaining with a couple of friends, since you can hunt in groups of three players. Its deep combat building mechanics bring a fresh approach to hunting games.
-
Feb 22, 2023WILD HEARTS is one for both fresh faces and hardened veterans, and should be seen as the first legitimate threat to Monster Hunter’s unopposed reign at the top.
-
Feb 21, 2023While having to hunt monsters driven from their habitat by human intervention and a lack of food engenders a sense of Shadow of the Colossus-level guilt, there's no avoiding the sheer depth and consistent enjoyment that Wild Hearts has to offer.
-
Feb 19, 2023It is a shame that Wild Hearts launched in the state it is in. The gameplay loop of hunting monsters and using their parts to create gear is addictive, the weapons are entertaining to use, the Karakuri system is deep and filled with secrets, and the world of Azuma is beautiful and immersive. Yet the horrendous optimization issues bring down the experience and, in worst cases, render the game unplayable on certain platforms.
-
Feb 17, 2023A well-crafted tribute to Capcom's Monster Hunter series that adds a few new tricks to go beyond what the original has to offer. Omega Force delivers a strong debut that isn't without its weaknesses in terms of the weapon system and story, but overall a fun and entertaining hunting experience.
-
Feb 16, 2023Without 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.
-
Feb 16, 2023The gameplay matters most in Wild Hearts – it’s fresh, chaotic, and breathless. It does not reinvent the hunting genre, but it does just enough with its addition of the Karakuri gadgets and arresting locales (not to mention the myriad ways to traverse them) to give the genre a fresh and welcome perspective. A stronger story would have been welcome, and the camera leaves much to be desired, but Wild Hearts is a deeply engaging experience even with these faults.
-
Feb 16, 2023Wild Hearts will not surprise you with its graphics, but it will do so for its combat system and its ability to stay glued to the screen either playing alone or playing cooperatively.
-
Feb 17, 2023Wild Hearts does not revolutionize the hunting game genre, but with as few competitors, that is hardly necessary. The building system both in and outside of combat adds enough variety and depth that the simpler weapons and streamlined crafting are welcome. Sadly, technical flaws, such as blurry visuals and horrendous pop-in keep this otherwise great game from making a play on Capcom's throne. It is a title, however that we're eager to see expanded upon and further developed in the already planned title updates and hopefully eventually in a sequel. As it stands, it's a fun alternative to Monster Hunter, but cannot live up to those games' polish and sheer endless depth of content.
-
Feb 16, 2023Wild Hearts is a real raw gem. It has all the ingredients to easily turn into a series that can challenge Monster Hunter. The only thing Koei Tecmo needs to do is polish it up a bit more, fill in the gaps and bring more content.
-
Feb 16, 2023If you’re hungry for a new hunter-style experience that isn't Capcom's premier franchise, Wild Hearts is probably as good as it’s going to get right now. It's perhaps an easier entry point with fewer things to overwhelm newcomers and has plenty of fun moments for sure. For veteran hunters, it does bring some new ideas to the table – especially with the building mechanics, but it might not necessarily meet your expectations in other areas of gameplay, and can be rough around the edges at times. If Wild Hearts does have a future beyond this (and there's DLC on the way, we should mention) it would be nice to see it form its own proper identity.
-
Edge MagazineMar 24, 2023Wild Hearts has inherited just enough from Monster Hunter to keep us on the hook - and when it does sporadically come together, it feels like a worthy rival. [Issue#383, p.106]
-
Feb 17, 2023Though certainly one of the stronger hunting games to come from a rival, Wild Hearts might only truly shine with a sequel that will live or die by how players respond to its convoluted, but impressive, main gimmick.
-
Feb 16, 2023Wild Hearts often feels like a game that doesn’t want to be played. It’s fussy, it’s janky, and it constantly trips itself up. An erratic gameplay loop, an absolute bastard of a camera, and some ill-conceived weapon gimmicks prevent Koei Tecmo and EA’s experimental hunting joint from ever really succeeding where its genre rivals have. It’s ironic that building is such a core part of this game: if this is the start of a series, Omega Force has laid down some important groundwork, but it needs to do make some serious structural revisions from the foundations up if it ever wants to look eye-to-eye with Capcom’s imposing juggernaut.
-
Feb 16, 2023Wild Hearts is a solid enough first attempt at taking on the Monster Hunter crown, but its occasionally frustrating battles, its rather small number of monsters and the fidgety nature of its admittedly inventive gadget system mean you have to put up with a fair degree of irritation if you want to see it through.
| This publication does not provide a score for their reviews. | |
| This publication has not posted a final review score yet. | |
| These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation. | |
-
Feb 16, 2023As it stands, my early hours in Wild Hearts have definitely been enjoyable. Performance had some hiccups prior to the day one patch, which seem to have smoothed out a bit on Xbox Series X, so that’s off to a good start at least. Also, while my online play was limited prior to launch, the handful of team-ups I did have went smoothly, and the online multiplayer functionality here is pretty easy to understand, so barring any network issues I think it’ll work pretty well at launch. For the time being I’m calling this a review in progress primarily because I’ve not approached the end game content yet, which if you’ve any experience with Monster Hunter styled games like Wild Hearts, you’ll realize that can be a pretty major component. So for now I’ll hold off on giving this a proper score, but will say that everything I’ve played so far has been immensely promising.
-
Feb 16, 2023Wild Hearts is not without its qualities. It even manages to captivate us during certain moments of grace, notably with its lively, nervous and dynamic gameplay as well as with its colourful bestiary. The ability to build structures on the go during battles is a real advantageous edge, both offensively and in our movements. Despite its first few hours which are hard to take in hand, it gains momentum as you unlock new game mechanics. It must be said that technically speaking, it is weak and it suffers from a badly-designed camera that barely does its job.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 365 out of 424
-
Mixed: 3 out of 424
-
Negative: 56 out of 424
-
Feb 21, 2023Game is addictive and fun af. Great introduction into the genre. EA being involved made me skeptical, but they honestly delivered a GREAT game.
-
Feb 21, 2023
-
Feb 23, 2023