Wild Hearts review : A noble challenge to Monster Hunter with high potential

When I saw the first teaser of Wild Hearts, I couldn't help but think of another name whose gameplay comes very close to this one – Monster Hunter. It's impossible not to think how alike the two are. Although Capcom has several games under the said franchise, EA Originals has taken baby steps into what appears to be their take on the genre. In many ways, it makes sense to target a sphere that doesn't have too many quality offerings in the first place.

However, a lack of competition can also translate into the genre being a graveyard for developers and their projects. This makes the survival task for Koei Tecmo, EA Originals, and Wild Hearts much more difficult. Without proper execution, it could have been long gone from the community's memories.

Having played the game for over a week, it has certainly been a strange experience at times. I say this, keeping in mind that I enjoyed many moments during my journey across Azuma. Yet, certain things leave a sour taste in my mouth, as I remember them while writing this review.

Wild Hearts is a journey of two halves which mars its potential to a certain extent

The basic backdrop and narrative of Wild Hearts are quite simple, and I am thankful I do not have to resort to rocket science to figure out what's happening around me. This is despite the Karakuri system's presence, which could initially feel overwhelming. In fact, the Karakuri system is one of the shining aspects and a great introduction by Koei Tecmo. But before we dive deep into the gameplay mechanics, let’s first find out more about the kemonos and the mysterious lands of Azuma.

Plot

You begin as a hunter traversing the world of Azuma, whose world-building is heavily influenced by Japanese designs and ethos. Different locations are present, each showcasing a particular setting. Some depict the lush green nature of the massive grasslands, whereas others are more somber and representative of the damage laid down by the kemonos.

Kemonos are the massive monsters who make Wild Hearts what it is in the first place. Your goal as a hunter is to hunt these beasts down, irrespective of the reason behind your actions. A game where you hunt monsters will ultimately come down to the magnificent beasts and their role.

Koei Tecmo has done a brilliant job in the way they have reimagined ordinary animals and given them mutated designs. Unfortunately, they're no longer the normal ones you see in the real world, so when you see a Roadtail, don't expect it to be your normal-sized sewer rat. Instead, you will have to roll yourself and dodge its tail bulb, which can do incredible damage.

These kemonos are as much a part of nature as you are, and they're quite adept at using the resources to their benefit. However, every kemono has its strengths and weaknesses, and some are fearless in using elements of nature to their advantage. So while fighting them, you'll need to be sure of the environmental damage they can do.

Gameplay

Every kemono has a unique challenge that players will encounter (Image via EA Originals)

When you hunt your first kemono, it can seem quite daunting. However, there’s nothing to worry about as Wild Hearts gradually teaches you the perks of hunting, crafting, and everything associated with it. Moreover, you don’t have to go alone in your fight with these gigantic creatures. After all, the game comes with seamless crossplay, which allows you to play with your friends or strangers without bothering about the platforms. You can also create a public room before hunting them down that allows players worldwide to join and aid you in the process.

But, of course, you can hunt kemonos down on your own too. There are plenty of armor and weapons you can choose from, all of which are customizable. It will be important for you to constantly upgrade your equipment to ensure they don't become underpowered.

Additionally, there's the Karakuri system, where Wild Hearts follows a different path from other games in this genre. The system allows you to use an ancient crafting methodology that Fortnite players will know about. You can also access this system quickly, which is introduced cohesively in the prolog. From structures for traversing unscalable heights to setting up camps, the Karakuri system will be your key to success.

Be that as it may, you will soon realize that the system is much more complex than it first appears. Moreover, the structures you make constantly grow, so proficiency in them will certainly give you a huge advantage. But don't worry; the underlying mechanism wasn't too difficult for me, and it's all about getting used to the combinations.

In time, you'll unlock fusion Karakuri, a more advanced take on the elementary version. It introduces combinations to the basic ones and incentivizes you to create structures in certain patterns. Doing so offers better returns for your Karakuri and a bigger advantage over the monsters. While the Karakuri system can be used while fighting the kemonos, the mutant can attack and even destroy them.

You have three basic movesets in fights, each of which does something unique. Every attack depends on proper timing because you'll be locked in their animation and can take damage. Quick attacks allow you to escape from that, but they don't do sufficient damage. The key is to know when and where to attack. Every kemono in Wild Hearts has certain weaker points and an attacking pattern that can be exploited. Understanding this will allow you to progress more smoothly and go deeper into your journey as a hunter.

Performance

The brilliant world design is let down by the washed-out graphics (Image via EA Originals)

Wild Hearts' biggest disappointment is its performance on my Xbox Series S. Numerous reports of technical issues have affected PC players, so I was glad to get a review copy on my console. It became clear that Koei Tecmo has gone for a dynamic resolution to provide it room for better performance. Unfortunately, in doing so, it sacrifices plenty of quality to run the game smoothly.

This often resulted in frame drops, while the entire world design looked washed-out. It wasn't just a problem of display quality that I felt disappointed with, but this also affected killing kemonos at times. Moreover, Wild Hearts' poor graphical performance isn't countered by smooth gameplay either. In the end, I couldn't help but wonder – what was the need for dynamic resolution in the first place if that comes with such drawbacks?

Although enabling HDR made matters slightly better in terms of the display quality, that still wasn't enough to vastly improve the player experience.

In conclusion

Wild Hearts establishes an identity strong enough to differentiate it from other Monster Hunter titles. This might have been the most important objective for EA Originals with their latest venture, and they have at least succeeded in this aspect. The Karakuri system combines well with the overall mechanics, routinely creating epic fight scenes that players will surely be delighted with.

The monsters are original, and their designs gel well with Azuma's. With different themes changing between regions, you won't feel bored, even if the combat can get slightly repetitive. But the performance issues on my console made the game a sub-optimal experience.

The aggressive dynamic scaling left me less than satisfied, with the beautiful world looking extremely faded. The botchy graphics also caused problems in grueling fights, where the attack moves sometimes felt delayed. Despite so many positives with Wild Hearts, the issues with the game’s performance weigh heavily on it.