How Omega Force expanded the monster-hunting genre with Wild Hearts

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When the developers at Koei Tecmo and Omega Force decided to make Wild Hearts in 2018, they felt like there was still room in the monster-hunting genre besides Monster Hunter.

And so they set out to create a triple-A title that took the genre in a new direction. And now Wild Hearts will put their theories about the market to the test.

The developers built a new world dubbed Azuma, a place that resembles feudal Japan except it has ferocious kemono, or monsters that combine nature and animals. Azuma has expansive environments, though it’s not quite a full open world with a huge continuous map.

The game has giant monsters fighting in four different environments that reflect the seasons of the year. These Kemono include the volcanic-bodied Lavaback and a wide variety of others. Wild Hearts also features a lot of crafting through karakuri, which are like giant wooden cabinets that players can use to trap, trick, or shield against the creatures.

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You can craft a giant mallet that can hammer a Kemono, or make a rolling wheel that lets you run circles around the monster. Players can also just build platforms to jump off and small Kemono with a deadly katana or other types of weapons.

The solo or three-player co-op game debuts as an EA Originals title on February 7 on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via the EA App, Steam and Epic Games Store. I spoke with the game directors Kotaro Hirata and Takuto Edagawa of Omega Force via a