Wild Hearts' gameplay shows a very different take on Monster Hunter
Wild Hearts probably wasn't what we expected from developer Omega Force. Long famed for the Dynasty Warriors series with its hectic hack-and-slash combat, the Japanese outfit has now turned its attention to battles with gargantuan monsters, trading out hordes of tiny foes for one or two mammoth fights.
Wild Hearts is, at its core, a monster hunting game, as publisher EA originally billed it as when announcing the game last month. Developers at Koei Tecmo aren't fazed by the comparisons one might draw between Wild Hearts and Capcom's Monster Hunter series, with game directors Kotaro Hirata and Takuto Edagawa saying such a comparison is an "honor" while speaking with GamesRadar+.
Starting at the beginning, the comparisons between the two games are apt. Wild Hearts has the player characters setting out on missions to slay huge beastly enemies called Kemono, a fusion of nature and animals like pigs and hawks. Edagawa says the monstrous Kemono, like a hog fused with tree-like vines or a gigantic rat with a bulbous tail, were specifically styled around real-world animals to give players some familiarity when facing down the creatures.
Just like in Monster Hunter, the business of tracking down the creatures themselves is half the battle. Wild Hearts employs a system of contraptions called Karakuri, by which you can create any number of items from the palm of your character's hand with a few button presses. You might create a campfire to huddle around and eat a meal providing you statistical bonuses, or a watchtower by which you can track down the Kemono.
When you've found the beasts, though, the differences between Capcom's series and Wild Hearts become clear. Omega Force's adventure has a rapid flow in the heat of combat,
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