Review: Wild Hearts

destructoid.com:

When I first picked up Dynasty Warriors 2 from a Blockbuster Video over two decades ago, I never expected that I’d play so many Omega Force games throughout my lifetime. The cover called to me like a siren’s song, and I was introduced to what would become an endless onslaught of hack and slash games pretty much every year from there on out.

But many folks have forgotten that they also helmed the Toukiden series: an action romp planted firmly in the hunting genre. Well, now they’re back with Wild Hearts, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

Wild Hearts (PC, PS5 [reviewed], Xbox Series X/S) Developer: Omega Force Publisher: Electronic Arts Released: February 17, 2023 MSRP: $69.99

Wild Hearts doesn’t ask too much of the player outright, and is one of the more accessible hunters I’ve played to date. You mainly just need to learn a few terms (Azuma is the game world, Karakuri are basically magic structures/tools, and Kemono are big monsters) and you’re on your way. The game’s tutorials are thorough, but woven throughout the storyline so that the onboarding isn’t tedious, even upfront. A few hours in though (or way sooner depending on your pacing), and Azuma is your oyster.

The flow of the game generally relies on hunting monster after monster (traversing new themed regions, which are like giant sandboxes in a semi-open world format) until the end, but those regions are a blast to walk, zip, and jump through. One thing I really harped on in the review in progress was how stunning the setting was: and that feeling lingered throughout my entire experience with Wild Hearts. While the PC version of the game is apparently having some issues with certain rigs, the PS5 edition didn’t give me any major technical trouble to speak of.