Wild Hearts may be similar to Monster Hunter and other games in the hunting genre, but its focus on gadget construction in a world steeped in Japanese folklore and feudal-era Japan helps it carve its own identity. Like Monster Hunter, you track big game, craft new armor and weapons, and do it all over again. But the otherworldly version of old-world Japan, teeming with massive mythical beasts, is a deeply satisfying playground to thrive in, thanks to excellent gunplay and one key addition: powerful technology you can build on the fly as you hunt.
Slaying the game’s kemono, Wild Heart’s name for monsters like poisonous ravens, house-sized boars, and other beasts inspired and drawn from Japan’s folklore, quickly got me hooked. The variety of weapons, from the katana to the bladed wagasa (basically an umbrella you can parry with) to the tried-and-true hammer, all feel unique and enjoyable.
But the focus is on the Karakuri technology. Your hunter gains the ability to build crates, springs, torches, and camping gear early on. Soon you’ll be able to stack three feathers on top of each other to create a giant hammer that will knock a Spinedlider (or smack any Kemono) off its unreachable perch. Build enough crates when Kingtusk the giant boar attacks and you make him fly back. Flying enemies aren’t quite as scary when you can shoot fireworks at them.
The Karakuri technology adds a pleasant and frenetic aspect to your offense and defense. Rolling and gliding work in a pinch, but you’ll need to learn to use a spring to propel yourself to survive. Or how to use that feather to dash forward to land a blow that knocks a monster down. The gadgets at your disposal are not only fun, they are crucial aspects of the game. Misplacing a component on uneven ground can mean being gored by a wild boar. This is super frustrating, but luckily it doesn’t happen too often.
Even more irritating and a constant challenge, however, is another aspect: the camera. Sticking to an enemy works best, but even then you may find the camera locked on your fighter and some scenery while frantically slamming into a Kemono that’s out of sight. Wrestling with the camera shouldn’t be that much of an issue in a game that requires such precision.
The game shines when you can have a friend or two participate in missions online. You have more time to construct karakuri or engage in a katana combo while your prey is distracted. Other than that, Wild Hearts is a delightful and manageable solo experience. Playing solo, I ran into a wall early on with the boar, but switched to a bow, applied some upgrades, crafted new armor, and overcame them. Whenever I came across a challenging new Kemono, new upgrades or weapons were usually enough. And for better or worse, I could climb temples and trees with a bow to rain arrows down on a monster that hits too hard and stay out of its reach. It’s cheap, but in some areas you can win through this long strategy of attrition and guerrilla warfare.
Using your surroundings while hunting is essential. Players can find new locations via Dragon Pits to build permanent Dragon Karakuri, such as fast travel tents, fishing gear, kemono finding devices, food storage, and more. Ziplines, Gliders, and Fans make traveling a breeze and are retained for each subsequent hunt for you to reuse. These permanent structures give the ancient bamboo forest a feeling of being inhabited. An area’s waterfront property becomes a small fishing industry for your hunter to earn money from. You slowly begin to take control of the hunting grounds, and your progress feels concrete.
The environments themselves are wondrous and evocative. Like the bamboo forest mentioned above, the diversity and creativity in each area can be distracting. More than once I’ve gotten lost on my way to a kemono, just wanting to see what’s around a corner, up a hill, or in a cave leading to an ancient temple. Small lore via scrolls or notes are scattered throughout the areas, telling brief tales of a wrecked ship or why vines reclaimed an entire city and temple. This lore was far more compelling than the game’s story.
There is an overarching story in Wild Hearts, but it’s largely forgotten. You help an archetypal warrior full of great stories looking for his next sip of sake and others in the city of Minato, but I just didn’t get it. Ancient technology, a mysterious figure, beasts ravaging the human world – we’ve seen these tropes before.
Gameplay is what matters most in Wild Hearts – it’s fresh, chaotic and breathless. It doesn’t reinvent the hunting genre, but it does just enough, adding the karakuri gadgets and engaging locations (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 a lot to be desired, but even with those flaws, Wild Hearts is a deeply immersive experience.
