When discussing games that involve hunting giant fantastical creatures, Capcom’s Monster Hunter series is often the first one that comes to mind, even if the franchise has only had one title with international success in the form of 2018’s World. But both before and since Monster Hunter World became one of Capcom’s best-selling titles, other studios have tried their hand at capturing the experience of tracking and fighting larger-than-life monsters. Dauntless benefits from being both free-to-play and more accessible to a casual audience, while The Hunt: Showdown features a competitive angle by integrating a PvPvE system wherein multiple teams set out to take down the same target. Despite offering a different gameplay loop due to its open world, the Horizon series also seemingly draws plenty of inspiration from Monster Hunter, providing players with plenty of unique and upgradable weapons to eliminate the robotic creatures that roam the post-apocalyptic Earth.
Back in 2013, Dynasty Warriors developer Omega Force created their own monster-hunting adventure calledToukiden: The Age of Demons, which transports players to a medieval Japan-inspired world as a warrior who specialize in fighting oni, or Japanese demons. The debut title made its way to the west in 2014, while a 2017sequelintroduced onis that could be controlled to fight alongside the player character. Although neither game managed to find substantial success, Omega Force has seemingly gotten the itch to try their luck with a new series that will allow players to hunt beasts thanks to a partnership with EA.Revealed back in September, Wild Hearts takes place in Azuma, a world that credits its influence to feudal Japan, with its distinct presentation and unique gameplay mechanics leading the team to establish the title as its own IP as opposed to a potential third Toukiden game.
Much like Monster Hunter, the world of Azuma is divided into several larger areas as opposed to one open world, with four unique biomes that are each inspired by the different seasons. The larger-than-life creatures that players will be facing are known as Kemono, which have fused with nature itself to alter their appearance and enhance their abilities, such as the Deathstalker which harnesses frost to shield itself with icy armor, or the massive Earthbreaker which is insusceptible to normal attacks thanks to its rock-like outer skin. In addition to eight different weapon types, players can assist their two co-op allies with the Karakuri abilities, which focuses on creation over destruction. From crates that can be climbed on top of to deal aerial damage, to bulwarks that will stop rushing Kemonos in their tracks, this unique mechanic should entice players who prefer the option to support their teammates, although they’ll need to gather thread by attacking creatures in order to create these useful objects.
With an estimated thirty hour campaign and full cross-play support for co-op, Wild Hearts looks to be the next promising attempt at creating a monster-hunting adventure that tries to find the same mainstream success as Capcom’s 2018 juggernaut. Although there has been little talk so far on any post-launch plans to support Wild Hearts with free or premium DLC, or what a potential endgame might look like for players who have experienced the full campaign, the multiplayer component should help add to its replayability, and the potential of adding new Kemono and gear seems like a viable path forward after release if Omega Force and EA are both interested in pursuing it. With console hardware that can finally support the massive beasts that the original Monster Hunter games attempted to present nearly two decades ago, there’s never been a better time to introduce new competition to the creature-hunting genre, but we’ll have to wait and find out if Wild Hearts has what it takes to be the new king of the food chain when it launches on February 17 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
