A wild boar the size of a house charges at you. You only have an umbrella in your hands. success | Wild Hearts game review

What is Wild Hearts about?

In this game, you play an unknown hunter in a fantasy version of feudal Japan. It’s up to you to protect the townspeople from the aggressive ‘Kimono’, the monsters in the game. But you are not playing this game for the sake of the story. Chase, get stronger and repeat, that’s all there is to it.

What should you do?

even hunt. On pigs, wolves, rats, squirrels, etc. As it happens in real life. An important difference from real life: in Wild Hearts you hunt not with a shotgun, but with a large comic sword. or a huge sledgehammer. Or even – if you like it – an umbrella. And what about monsters? It’s as big as a house and takes a few beatings.

Wild Hearts is clearly inspired by the Monster Hunter series of games, but with its own hit setting and monsters to hunt. Just like in Monster Hunter, you can choose from different weapons that have their own style of play. For example, a ridiculously large sword must be “charged” to deal a lot of damage. With a bow and arrow, you want to shoot a lot of weak arrows at the monster, and then blow it up with a bigger arrow.

New to the genre are “karakuri”, magical objects that you conjure up with the press of a button. For example, a block that you can jump on to do more damage. Or a trampoline from which you can shoot in all directions. It takes a while to master all the options, but it makes for fun and dynamic combat.

Will it last long?

Since the game has many different game elements (which you can also upgrade), you can spend dozens of hours without getting bored. Keep in mind that the combat is very difficult. You just have to be able to handle that.

Can you play it together?

Yes, you can play Wild Hearts together. In fact, it is recommended. Some fights are fairer when you fight them in twos or threes. You can do it with friends or strangers, but only online. Together on the couch, you can just share the frustration of a losing battle.

Who is the game suitable for?

People who sometimes want to unwind with a calming game don’t have to start Wild Hearts. Count on a steep learning curve and a lot of badly lost battles. But if you’re looking for a game where you regularly sit on the edge of your seat while dodging attack after attack, this might be the game for you.

Wild Hearts is available for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X. The developer is Omega Force. The publisher is Electronic Arts. Age: 12+