Wild Hearts Is So Tough That Even Its Own Developers Have Trouble With It

ign.com:

The mighty Kemono – the creatures inhabiting Wild Hearts, the new monster hunting game by Koei Tecmo and EA – aren’t easy. In fact, they’re hard enough that even one of the game's directors has trouble defeating his own creations.

"I have quite a lot of difficulties," Wild Hearts co-director Takuto Edagawa says with a laugh. "When we look at [the toughest Kemono in the game], those ones I die [against]. If I'm not properly prepared, I'll go in and I'll be killed."

But luckily for Edagawa, a helping hand is always close by — literally. His development partner, co-director Kotaro Hirata, smiles and says, "I'm totally awesome at [Wild Hearts], actually."

The Omega Force division of Koei Tecmo is primarily known for Dynasty Warriors, the wild power fantasy series that sees players effortlessly taking out hundreds of foes at a time. With Wild Hearts, which will seek to capture the appeal of Capcom’s popular Monster Hunter series, Koei Tecmo is well aware it is developing a very difficult game. Edagawa and Hirata want you to fear the Kemono, the nature-infused beasts that inhabit Wild Hearts' world.

But the development has also been careful to introduce several mechanics to encourage players new to the monster hunting genre to give Wild Hearts a try.

What does set Wild Hearts apart is, in fact, crafting. Players will be able to take advantage of the new Karakuri crafting system, which gives players the power to instantly construct objects during the heat of battle. Whether it's a box to climb on to launch yourself closer to the massive Kemono, or a spring that helps you quickly evade devastating incoming attacks, the Karakuri are designed to give players the edge.

The Karakuri crafting system came about when Edagawa and Hirata