Wild Hearts is set to release in 2023 on PC, Xbox, and PS5 and strongly resembles Monster Hunter World – just with influences from Fortnite. It sounds like a strange combination but works well. MeinMMO had the chance to experience the hunting game at an event and sees great potential in the new co-op title.
In 2020, Monster Hunter World reached its fitting conclusion with a final update. For many fans of the series, it was the last Monster Hunter experience on PlayStation and Xbox. The successor, Monster Hunter Rise, was released after an initial Switch exclusivity in early 2022, only on Steam for PC.
On the “big” consoles PlayStation and Xbox, everyone who fell in love with the rather unique charm of Monster Hunter World has been waiting for other games of this caliber.
Wild Hearts, the new game from EA and Koei Tecmo, seems to have sought exactly this gap and wants to deliver to fans what Capcom has denied them: With full crossplay and co-op support, it could be just the game that Monster Hunter fans have been missing since 2020.
I played Wild Hearts for a total of 4 hours, on PC and with a fully supported controller. About two and a half of those hours were spent in co-op with GameStar colleague Dennis Michel.
It should be noted that we played a special preview version for journalists and influencers. A lot can change before the release on February 13, 2023.
Here you can see gameplay from our demo sessions:
From “Not Interested” to “I Want More of This!”
MeinMMO editor-in-chief Leya Jankowski somewhat forced me to my luck with Wild Hearts. Relatively spontaneously after a vacation, I received an invitation from her: “By the way, we’re playing a new EA game together on October 4.”
Only with the actual announcement of Wild Hearts did I hear what it was supposed to be. Monster Hunter with Fortnite … both games that really do not fall into my area at all. So why me?
Pretty simple: I love Dauntless, the free PC competitor to Monster Hunter, and otherwise I play all kinds of things on MeinMMO – or at least give it a chance. So why not Wild Hearts as well?
With little hope but at least without prejudice, I ventured into the world, played the first hours, and already fell in love with the game after the tutorial. The first boss fight was so exciting that I just wanted more of it.
Defeating Bosses in Fantastic Japan
The gameplay principle of Wild Hearts is quite simple and quickly explained: Monsters, called Kemono, disturb the world. We have the special ability to summon “Karakuri” – buildings from thin air.
As hunters, we are predestined to put an end to these beasts and get well paid for it. Or at least take what they drop in materials to forge new weapons and armor.
The core of the game is action gameplay and the hunt for new, strong opponents. That’s exactly what Wild Hearts does really well. We had three weapons available for extensive testing: a bow, a katana, and an umbrella with blades on it.
Don’t ask.
Each weapon offers special capabilities and moves, just like I know it from Dauntless. They all play smoothly and uniquely. But here’s the twist: you can only truly win the fight against bosses if you build in the action itself.
Building Like in Fortnite – Doesn’t that Annoy You?
I really hate Fortnite. As a shooter, that game does not appeal to me at all. When I’m shooting at someone, I don’t want them to turn into a skyscraper, but to return fire – if at all.
But Wild Hearts handles that much better. There are predefined Karakuri that I can use. Usually, that means creating and stacking various boxes. These things have multiple functions:
- I can climb them and jump off to perform powerful aerial attacks.
- Karakuri block many movements and attacks from bosses, and can even stun them.
- Outside of combat, I can reach unreachable positions with them.
Besides the boxes, there are Karakuri such as a trampoline or a grappling hook. Both are primarily intended for movement, but can sometimes also be useful in combat to dodge attacks or flank enemies.
The best part is that the building menu is at least easy to access with the controller. I can chain the building of a small tower directly with an attack without any problem, as if it were just a combo in a fighting game.
Crafting and Base Building – Not a Survival Game, but Nice
The primary goal of all of this is, of course, loot. The hunter has to live off something. In the test, I was able to craft two different armor sets with special advantages and upgrade my weapons.
The armors have, as one knows from other hunter games, certain resistances and are usually suitable for hunting corresponding enemies. Weapons can be outfitted with new properties and skills, although I still haven’t figured out what exactly the various attributes mean.
In addition to crafting, Wild Hearts allows you to create a small base. It’s not much more than a campsite, but it provides a resting place, a smithy, and more. NPCs and friends, like the little Tsukumos you can find, are waiting for me here and assign quests for the campaign.
The building system is rather rudimentary. Buildings like a tent are fixed and can only be placed freely, but not built from individual parts. Nevertheless, it suffices for a nice camp. I also do not have to collect materials for it. New buildings are unlocked by killing new opponents and using a special resource.
Technical Problems, Partially Unplayable – But Quickly Fixed
When we started Wild Hearts at the beginning of the test, both Dennis and Leya and I had enormous problems. Frame drops, stutters, and freezes made playing nearly impossible.
It wasn’t as bad as Battlefield 2042, at least we could play. Still, it would not have made for a nice preview report.
But the next day in co-op, that was completely gone. Dennis and I were out as a duo, with a maximum of 3 hunters fitting into a group. No stutters, stable framerate, much more pleasant to play.
In further tests afterwards, the problems were also absent. EA informed us that they were working on the issues and apparently it helped. Honestly, I should have said that the game takes too long in its current form.
With the new impression, I see a lot of potential in Wild Hearts.
Exactly What Monster Hunter Fans Want – and I
I was never particularly convinced by Monster Hunter, but also never a Nintendo fan. Accordingly, I have more experience with Dauntless. Editor-in-chief Leya Jankowski, however, says as a confessed fan of the franchise:
Monster Hunter World achieved something that none of the earlier spin-offs achieved: It established the franchise and also the genre of hunting games in the West. On the “big consoles” PlayStation and Xbox, Monster Hunter World was an incredibly huge success, in which I spent countless hours hunting and crafting armor.
At some point every monster was hunted and the equipment was complete. However, there was still a huge hunger in the community for more Monster Hunter World. Capcom never really managed to utilize that. The next installment, “Monster Hunter: Rise”, was again only for the Switch and PC. The graphics and some mechanics were not modernized.
Here, Capcom has missed a huge opportunity, which EA and Koei Tecmo can now fully exploit. The gameplay definitely allows for it, from what I can judge after a short demo session.
The added layer with the buildings makes it a lot of fun once you get the hang of it. It allows for experimentation and should result in strong teamwork in co-op when players start to combine the technologies.
If only it weren’t for the technical issues. I don’t know how Koei Tecmo plans to fix this by February for the release. I hope they succeed. Because I know that a large community is just waiting to get a cool hunting game on PlayStation and Xbox again, including myself.
Leya Jankowski
Editor-in-Chief at MeinMMO
For me, there is a lot of potential in Wild Hearts mainly where the unexpected lies. The combat itself does not seem to be particularly hard to learn. But building, linking buildings and attacks, and combining components – therein lies the mastery.
Wild Hearts could succeed in capturing fans of Monster Hunter who have no home after World. And anyone who enjoys co-op action and likes to beat up big opponents will surely find entertaining hours here as well.
In our hub, you’ll find all information about Wild Hearts: release, trailer, crossplay, and more.
