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Monster Hunter with a "builder" twist | Full Review - Wild Hearts

8K View2023-02-18

Wild Hearts may look like a Monster Hunter-clone at surface level, but it’s much more than that, with various twists and additions to the formula by way of incorporating elements from other games like Fortnite, Ark: Survival, and even Death Stranding.

🟩Pros

+A well-realized tactical combat system

+Base builder elements that blends well with the Monster Hunter gameplay

+A fully integrated multiplayer experience

🟥Cons

-Massive performance issues

-Disappointing graphics for an AAA-level title

Wild Hearts is a third person action-adventure game that features a mix of exploration, combat, base building, and crafting. While the game is not an open-world title, it offers several large areas for players to freely explore. Each area is packed with hidden secrets, crafting materials, and challenging enemies, from harmless creatures to gigantic monsters that offer a unique experience every time.

In Wild Hearts, Players take on the role of a customizable hunter tasked with tracking down and defeating massive monsters known as Kemono, which are negatively affecting the world of Azuma and its inhabitants.

Fortnite, Ark: Survival, and Death Stranding?

Base building elements are taken from these aforementioned three games, and surprisingly, they offer a decent added layer to the Monster Hunter formula. By way of an ancient technology called Karakuri.

Wild Hearts allows you to instantly craft contraptions such as square blocks, bouncepads, and base building structures such as a tent, a forge, and a fireplace. As you play the game, you can also unlock more complex contraptions like a Hunting Tower, or a zipline to help your player travel across the vast landscape. All of this is made possible by a resource called Threads extracted in the trees, rocks, and plants, in traditional base builder fashion.

The concept seems out of place and so Meta at first, something that’s not really needed by this gameplay archetype, but as it turns out, they work really well when integrated with the exploration, base building, and platforming elements into the game. They also blend well with the combat too, by using blocks and bounce pads ”springs” to jump and dodge around monsters and to inflict heavier damage.

Heavy Asian influences

The world of Azuma feels alive, heavily inspired by Japanese and Chinese culture, which is evident in its design and aesthetics. The attention to detail in the environment and level design is impressive. The technology in this world is mostly wooden based, but infused with ancient technology that looks like magic.

You will even have companions that look like wooden Star Wars droids to follow you around. While the world is stunning artistically, as far as the 3D graphics go, it’s utterly below average looking.

Deep character customization

At the start, we are greeted with an unnamed hunter, in which we can customize. The character creation impressed me straight away, as it boasts an expansive character creation system with great attention to detail. Many types of voices, faces, are available. Even the hair is highly customizable with different combinations of hair style, bangs, and color available. You also get a modern approach to gender with the option of a neutral pronoun identification.

The Narrative

The backstory is open-ended and vaguely customizable while the story is a little laid back, just a hunter-wanderer who traveled to Azuma looking for a purpose. That very purpose may very well be saving Azuma from these Kemono and taking back the land.

The narrative of Wild Hearts explores themes of redemption, finding purpose, and the bond between humans and nature. The story is presented through in-game cutscenes and interactions with characters, some as mysterious as the Kemono themselves, some just simple inhabitants of the world trying to survive.

The voice acting is decent, but don’t expect AAA level quality for the lip syncing and facial animations. While the story may not be the game's primary focus, it is engaging enough to provide a backdrop for the gameplay to take place, and players will find themselves invested in their character’s journey.

It’s playable in co-op, too.

Once you complete the tutorial, Wild Hearts also features a fully integrated multiplayer experience, which adds an extra layer of fun to the game. You can team up with two other players, either strangers or friends, and you can even join players on other platforms thanks to crossplay. With the semi open nature of the game, you can hunt Kemono together, or complete missions and quests that have you hunt down specific monsters.

Gameplay Analysis

The combat can be quite tactical and rewarding, and it looks cool too, as Wild Hearts prioritizes flashy animations with a style over substance attitude. However, the controls can feel a bit stiff and unresponsive due to the inability to cancel animations. But this is how Monster Hunter works, so it's a part of the genre's charm.

The players need to plan their attacks and make each one count, as there are consequences for reckless button-mashing. This adds an additional layer of challenge to the game, making it all the more satisfying when you take down a Kemono. You have to pay attention to their attacks first and master and memorize their movements before trying.

In co-op multiplayer, players can combine their Karakuri to build and utilize contraptions and items like springs, traps, and Bulawarks to better take down monsters and prevent them from using their most devastating attacks. This adds an extra layer of strategy to the game, making it even more exciting and rewarding.

Players have access to eight different weapon types, each with its unique move set, strengths, weaknesses, and upgrades. From the quick and agile Wagasa (A bladed umbrella) to the powerful and devastating Katana, there is a weapon type for every playstyle. The combat is fast-paced, and incredibly satisfying, with each hit feeling impactful and weighty. The game's monster boss fights — while long winded and difficult — are particularly memorable, with each Kemono requiring a unique approach and strategy to take down.

In addition to the combat, Wild Hearts also offers a robust crafting system that allows players to create and upgrade camps, weapons, and armor. The crafting system is intuitive and easy to use, with an overwhelming amount of resource types to gather and discover. The ability to create and customize weapons and armor adds another layer of depth to the gameplay and ensures that players are always striving to improve and evolve their character.

All in all, the main story is expected to keep you busy for more than 40 hours, and as with these Monster Hunter type games, with great potential for more.

Major Performance Issues, better wait for a patch!

Unfortunately despite all the gameplay’s promising bells and whistles, the game's performance is abysmal and unacceptable on PC as well as consoles, considering it doesn’t really look good either. The graphics can be blurry even at maximum settings.

I have tested this with my PC with an i7-8700k, 32GB, and RTX 3080, and the game suffered heavy framerate drops below 60, regardless of the graphics settings. The frametimes are also all over the place, never flatlining in any instance ever, providing a consistent stuttery experience. This can be a significant drawback, particularly for players who value graphical fidelity and stable performance.

Conclusion:

If these major performance issues are remedied, Wild Hearts is a must-play for Monster Hunter enthusiasts, that is, if you can swallow the “next-gen” AAA launch price of $70. With a well-realized tactical combat system, memorable boss fights, and an impressive variety of weapons and armor to craft, Wild Hearts is a game that will keep players occupied for hours.

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