Review in Progress: Wild Hearts
When we last checked in with Wild Hearts, I was pleased at how unique the game world was, and how it differentiated itself from the rest of the hunting genre. Four months later with the final build in my hands and the launch swiftly approaching, I feel roughly the same.
For me, the main draw of Wild Hearts is the setting. Taking place in the constantly changing and mysterious land of Azuma, it feels like pretty much anything can happen. An ice wolf can drop by and change the arena into an arctic setting. A creature can breathe fire and wreck havoc in an idyllic forest. Of course most of these sequences are scripted and deal with the introduction of big bosses (the subjects of the hunt), but it’s still exciting in the context of a first-time playthrough.
It also has a good Koei Tecmo action core to boot. The key to all this is the Karakuri system, which are basically magically conjured tools, adding a bit of construction into the hunting formula. The very first Karakuri you acquire is a platform, which can also be used as a spring board to launch you into enemies. Slowly but surely, you start to realize the additional use scenarios for Karakuri, like placing platforms to block attacks and create a makeshift barrier, and so on.
On performance mode, everything plays out smoothly, amid the vibrant visuals. While the story hasn’t grabbed me yet (despite being a chunk into the game), the world is driving me forward, and I don’t have any major complaints about the action sequences yet. The additional of a “sliding dodge” (triggered when pressing the dodge button while sprinting) feels comically over the top at first, but really helps the player character avoid some of the crazier attacks from bosses.
So far, I have been able to
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