Wild Hearts vs Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak: Which game should you try out in 2023?

Out of all the monster-hunting games available on the market right now, Wild Hearts and Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak are at the top of the heap. Although Wild Hearts is fairly new and giving its PC playerbase some frustration, there’s something to be said about the game itself. When everything works correctly, it’s a marvelous experience.

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak continues on with the familiar tried-and-true formula that the franchise has used for years. However, this begs the question: which game is right for you in 2023? If you’re going to invest time into one of these games, which should it be?

It should be noted that this is the opinion of one writer, and your own individual thoughts and decisions may vary. Ultimately, you should play the game that appeals to you the most.

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Should you try Wild Hearts or Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak in 2023?

1) Who is Wild Hearts right for?

There is no real wrong choice between both of these games, but there are some things to consider. Are you new to the monster-hunting genre? Or have you played Monster Hunter in the past, but haven’t gotten into Monster Hunter Rise yet?

When I consider who Wild Hearts is right for, primarily, I see it as a gateway into the greater universe of monster hunting. You don’t have spreadsheets of data to manage for hunting the Kemono. It’s an excellent game for players who are new to or unfamiliar with monster-hunting games.

While there are major similarities between the two games, you can easily jump right into this game without a ton of experience. Furthermore, it does have a feature for fans of Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak if they want something new, the Karakuri system. You can build structures in battle to either take hits for you or to use your tools in new, exciting ways.

If you get bogged down by how much work goes into playing a game like Monster Hunter Rise, Wild Hearts could just be the game for you. There aren’t a ton of items to manage, but there's plenty of tactical gameplay and gorgeous settings.

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2) Who is Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak for?

While it may sound condescending, Sunbreak is truly for Monster Hunter fans. It’s ideal for players who have already put hundreds of hours into previous titles from the series, and understand how everything works.

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, like previous games of the franchise, often requires hundreds of hours to thoroughly understand the game. It’s not uncommon to see vast spreadsheets of data for each entry in the franchise.

If you weren’t playing the original release of Monster Hunter Rise, it can also feel quite overwhelming. If you’re contemplating picking Monster Hunter, or Wild Hearts, and you already know how the genre and franchise work, you may want to move towards the current game’s expansion.

Despite the difficulty, there’s something inherently satisfying about mastering Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak. Sunbreak added Master Rank quests, new monsters and biomes to hunt them in, as well as overall improved gameplay. In fact, 17 monsters were added in the franchise’s latest expansion before further updates came along.

Of course, it's not that newcomers can’t handle Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, but it's geared more towards players who are already familiar with the gameplay loop and the intricacies of the Capcom series.

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You should play whichever game speaks to you more, and although Wild Hearts is having some issues with its performance on PCs, the developers are looking into it. If you’re a console player, this shouldn’t be an issue at all.

As Wild Hearts and Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak have their own positives and faults, you should opt for the one that appeals to you the most.