Did you ever play Ghost of Tsushima and think to yourself “you know what? I would also like to be playing Monster Hunter at the same time right now.” If that incredibly specific scenario happened to you, do we have a game for you: Wild Hearts, a new adventure and monster hunting game from EA and Koei Tecmo.
How much is this game like Monster Hunter? It’s difficult to tell at the moment, but the trailer suggests that it’s a whole lot like Monster Hunter. There are giant, fantastical beasts to fight against. You have various swords and other melee weapons to hunt them down with. And it certainly looks like co-op play and planning hunts and battles ahead of time will reward players with the best results.
The two obvious twists on the Monster Hunter formula are the setting and one particular gameplay mechanic. Azuma, the world that Wild Hearts takes place in, looks clearly inspired by feudal Japan and the fantasy and folklore found in that setting. The cinematic approach and choices of settings look far more like the aforementioned Tsushima or the Nioh series than many of Monster Hunter’s prehistoric jungles and remote deserts.
Then, there’s the player’s ancient technology called “Karakuri,” which allows them to build various structures and traps that can help them in battle out of a mechanism that they keep on them. This technology can create simple structures, like boxes for the player to climb on top of, but it can also turn into a mine or a giant harpoon gun. Players will need to master the many uses of their technology as well as their combat skills to free Azuma of the giant beasts that are lumbering around, causing havoc.
Related: When does Wild Hearts release?
Barring catastrophe, fans of the Monster Hunter series will most likely get a new hunting game that can scratch the itch of a new world to explore and fantastical new monsters to hunt. And the setting and gameplay mechanics might lure a few more players who aren’t typical hunting-adventure fans into Wild Hearts.
Published: Sep 28, 2022 11:27 am